Answers to Specific Hinge Questions from Shoppers

Below are some examples of email correspondence with Hardware Source. To ask your own hinge question, email us at: info@HardwareSource.com

Q: Hi, I am a designer for looking for hinges for a restaurant. I am planning to use on doors that fold into each other when open, like a bifold door only four of them. It’s possible that I am making no sense! Please Call me with any questions. Thanks.

A: When you hinge doors together you really need to go to a track system to support the weight and width of the doors. The doors will still be hinged together so they fold like an accordion but you need the track overhead. We do not have this type of system.

Q. We are shopping for single demountable hinges. Where can I see the finishes available? There are three listed, but I can’t find examples anywhere.

A: Here is where you will find finish examples on our website. Thank you.
http://www.hardwaresource.com/hinge-resource-center/hinge-by-function/cabinet-hinges/cabinet-hinge-finishes

Q: Markings on broken hinge:blum 1/2″ 110 PA66 made in Austria 30.310 – 11.02 23C (Black plastic part is broken)

A: Yes, this is the Compact 33 hinge. We have it at this link:
http://www.hardwaresource.com/index.php?l=product_list&c=434

Q: I live on a lake. The double acting spring hinges I installed on our (outdoor) porch doors have a brass finish which has corroded, weakening the action. Do you have such hinges with a more suitable finish? Do you have such hinges for “heavy duty” as opposed to “light”? Please advise at your earliest convenience.

A: The double acting spring hinge is not available in a non-corrosive finish. The hinge can, however, be used for exterior applications. The best finish to use is the prime coated finish and it needs to be maintained by keeping it painted and by spraying the inside of the hinge occasionally with a water displacer such as a dry lube. Over time and with use the springs do weaken so it is possible that your hinge is merely worn out and needs to be replaced. Unfortunately replacement springs are not available. Thank you.

Q: The doors of my entertainment unit slide into the unit for TV viewing but stick out approximately 5 inches on each side and obstruct side views of the 32 inch TV. I’d like to replace the hinges so that the door can pullout and fold outward instead of sliding back into the unit. What can you recommend?

A: I do not think there is a way to convert your doors (unless you were willing to make new wider door). To get a door to open 270 degrees the hinge pin (pivot point) of the door must be at the extreme outside corner of your cabinet (called full overlay). If you have pivot door slides then your doors are either inset doors or partial overlay doors. If your cabinet is 4 or 5 inches deeper than your doors are wide then you could put in pivot door slides that are longer than what you have there now. Most likely your cabinet is not as deep as your doors are wide so the manufacturer had to put in shallow slides which is why they do not slide in all the way.

Q: I have hinges similar to 652298. I have a corner kitchen cabinet, with double doors. I am unable to find hinges that hold the two doors together. The hinges need to work almost reverse to normal hinges. The corner cabinet holds a lazy Susan.

A: This hinge (at the link below) is the corner hinge that hold door one to door two that is made by Blum
http://www.hardwaresource.com/index.php?l=product_list&c=919

Q: I’m looking to build a sail system for my personal kayak. I want to be able to pull a pin and my sail to pop up off the front of my kayak. I have the design down but I’m looking for a very powerful spring hinge that will be able to snap that sail up. It will probably need to be able to lift at least 10-12 lbs. Also it needs to stop at rest in a 90-degree position. I hope you can visualize what I’m trying to do. One side I will have mounted to the kayak, and the other side will be mounted to the mast, which will be made from galvanized conduit. Please help me to find what I’m looking for, and if you have anything like it please email me where I can buy it from you, or preferably call me and leave a message if I am unavailable and I will definitely get back with you.

A: Most hinges are made to pivot a door horizontally, like your front door. The springs are strong but they are nowhere near strong enough to do what you are asking. Also another factor is that there is just not enough room in a hinge to put a powerful spring like you need to lift 10 to 12 lbs vertically. Take a look at the back door of a minivan and you will see that to aid in lifting they had to use gas lifts. There is no hinge made that will lift that type of door. I think you are right you are going to have to design that one yourself. Thank you.

Q: I am interested in using your Soss 204 hinges on cabinet doors because they are hidden hinges and open 180 degrees. However, I am also interested in having a self-closing function on the cabinet door if possible. The cabinet doors are 13/16″ thick. I saw a self-closer for a larger Soss hinge on your website, but it requires a thicker door. Is there a way to make the smaller Soss hinges self-closing, or do you have another hinge you could recommend that would accomplish all of this? It has to have a 180 degree opening capability, however, so typical Euro hinges that I have seen will not work. Thanks for your help.

A: Cabinet hinges are called self closing but what they really do is apply spring tension to the door only in the last 2 inches or so of the door travel. This is so you do not have to use a magnetic or friction catch to keep the door closed against the frame. Cabinet hinges will not self close when the door is open more than a couple of inches. There is no way that I know of to make the smaller Soss hinges self closing. The best solution would be to use a magnetic catch to hold the door closed.

Q: I have three storage boxes on my deck outside and each cover weighs about 40 lbs. The carpenter installed hinges that were too small to hold the weight plus they rusted. Can you recommend something for me?

A: I would recommend using solid brass piano hinges for this. They come in 72″ lengths but we can cut each one to the proper length. Solid brass will never rust and piano hinge is great when you are hinging wide lids because it is a long narrow hinge and has so many attachment points. Here is a link to our brass piano hinge section. Take your old hinge, lay it out flat and measure the open dimension. Buy our size that comes closest to that dimension. Thank you.
http://www.hardwaresource.com/index.php?l=product_list&c=82

Q: Is the hinge #760036 suitable for use on a screen door — outside but protected by a roof?

A: Yes, this hinge is used all the time for exterior applications. It is a good idea to occasionally spray the inside with a water displacer like dry lube spray. It is steel but it will hold up as well as any other steel hardware holds up in your area.

Q: Do you have any fully concealed hinges to accommodate lipped cabinet doors?

A: Unfortunately we do not have a simple solution for this We do have a hinge which will allow you to convert a 3/8″ inset door to a door with a hinge that is almost concealed. The installation does require some moderate woodworking skills as you have to cut a slot in the lip of the door to accommodate the hinge. The slot and pivot point of the hinge will be slightly visible from the side of the cabinet but not from the front. We recommend buying a pair of hinges and do a trial installation of one door to see if you are up to the task. Here is a link to where you will find the hinge. Look for hinge style #4.
http://www.hardwaresource.com/index.php?l=product_list&c=279

Q: Trying to locate EXTERIOR DOUBLE ACTION SPRING HINGES for wood gate, 1 1/2″ thickness gate with the weight of approximately 30-35 lbs. Do you carry anything similar or able to advise where to search? Thank you!

A: Here is a link to our double acting spring hinges. They are used indoor and outdoor. They are steel and eventually will rust but if you keep them painted and occasionally spray a water displacer (like dry lube) inside the hinge (on the springs) they will give you good service. We do not know of any double acting spring hinges that are made of stainless or brass or any non corrosive material.
http://www.hardwaresource.com/index.php?l=product_list&c=88

Q: Gentlemen, I need a recommendation on hinge hardware for doors 4′x 8′ VGDF Doors approx 225 lbs each. Which hinge would you recommend? Any additional hardware, Corner braces, matching handle sets active and dummy? Also, approx lead times. Can you provide critical drawings or dimensions for the door company to custom make the doors? Look forward to hearing from you.

A: For your size doors we recommend using 4 each 5 x 5 butt hinges installed full mortise (just like a front door). Here is a link to the section, you can buy prime coated and paint them to match other trim hardware.
http://www.hardwaresource.com/index.php?l=product_list&c=54
If you want to add dummy straps for a decorative look you will find them here
http://www.hardwaresource.com/index.php?l=product_list&c=1074
Matching latches and handles will be found here (scroll down start with 3rd item)
http://www.hardwaresource.com/index.php?l=product_list&c=484
We have everything in stock and ship the next working day. I am sorry but we do not have the ability to do door drawings. Thank you.

Q: We would like to order three door hinges (or two pair if three is not possible), 4″ inch, 5/8″ radius, style 646 (US15) – satin nickel, zig-zag screws. We don’t want any special finials and didn’t see an option on your website to order without special finial.

A: We have these hinges without finials. It sounds like your concern in getting the zig zag pattern so you can reuse the existing screw holes. A 4 x 4 hinge with zig zag screw holes means that it is a residential grade hinge and we do have this hinge (link provided below). The problem that you are going to face is that residential hinges are not made to an industry wide template. That means that even though all 4 x 4 residential hinge have the zig zag screw hole pattern the screw holes will not line up and if they are off by just a small amount you are still going to have to fill the old holes and redrill. It is actually not a difficult job to fill your old holes and redrill. We recommend using a two part auto body putty (Bondo is a good one). Fill the old holes and redrill using a very small drill first to drill your pilot hole and then drill again with the correct size drill bit for your screw size. Here is a link to our 4 x 4, 5/8″ radius residential grade hinges

Steel
http://www.hardwaresource.com/index.php?l=product_list&c=64
Brass
http://www.hardwaresource.com/index.php?l=product_list&c=68

Q: Your website has almost everything I need to know about hinges…except how much weight they can handle.

A: Very few manufacturers provide a specific weight rating for their hinges because it is a little more complicated than just a single number for each hinge. If the manufacturer does provide a weight rating for the hinge we provide in on the webpage. The actual weight rating for a hinge usually depends on two factors, the weight of the door and the width of the door. If you let me know what hinge (our SKU) you are interested in, a description of the door, the weight and the width of the door I will do my best to tell you if it will handle the weight.

Q: I am interested in purchasing some hinges. I looked in your information and found a double demountable hinge in satin nickel finish. I looked at your hinge information and was confused as to which overlay size I needed. I measured according to your specs and thought I needed a ?” overlay. However, when looking at the pictures of the hinges, it looks like the 3/8″ overlay. Please review the pictures attached and advise me if possible to what hinges size I need.

A: There is no way for me to tell from pictures. You measure your overlay on the cabinet with the door closed. Make a small pencil mark on the face frame of the cabinet using the hinged edge of your door as a straight edge. Open the door and measure from the pencil mark to the edge of the cabinet opening. That number is your overlay. It is usually a number like 1/4″, 3/8″, 1/2″ or 5/8″. Thank you.

Q: Why do our door hinges create black smooth refined powder? We can really notice it against the white doors. I hope you can help me with this problem. We bought the house new. Any information you can give me will be highly appreciated. Thanks!

A: The powder means that your hinge knuckles are grinding against each other and are wearing down. The most likely reason for this is that your builder tried to save money by using hinges that are too light for the doors. If you have a heavy door we always recommend ball bearing hinges. They are only available in the Architectural Grade which is a heavier and thicker and better built grade of hinge. If you have the lighter grade Residential hinges and you want to install Architectural Grade hinges you will have to cut a slightly deeper mortise in your door and door jamb. It is not a difficult job with a sharp chisel. Here is a link to our Architectural Grade Ball Bearing hinges:
http://www.hardwaresource.com/index.php?l=product_list&c=24

Q: Single Acting Butt Hinge 3 1/2 X 3 1/2 – 5/8″ radius. Do any of the screw holes in the above hinge match up with the holes in a regular three-hole hinge? I note 5 holes in the spring hinge.

A: Our spring hinges are Architectural grade hinges (also known as template hinges) which means they are built to an industry wide standard. If your old hinge is an Architectural grade hinge the holes will match. If your old hinge is a Residential grade hinge then you will have a tough time trying to find a match to your screw holes because every manufacturer puts the screw holes in a different place (they even change over time within the same manufacturer depending on what factory the hinge was made in). Here is how to tell the difference; a 3-1/2″ Architectural hinge will be .123″ thick (almost 1/8″) and a 3-1/2″ Residential hinge will be .086″ thick. Thank you.

Q: I have a trap door in the floor (interior) approx 3′ X 5′ X 1 3/8″ thick and 65 lbs. It will be covered with wood floor. What hinge options do I have for a hidden hinge that will allow the door to open without crushing the hinged side? I’d like the door seam hidden as much as possible. Thanks.

A: You can use a Soss invisible hinge on a trap door however you have to make sure that the door weight is completely supported in both the open and closed position. In other words you cannot let the hinge support the weight of the door when it is fully open or fully closed. There is no hinge that I know of that can be used to support the weight of a door like this. Here is a link to the larger Soss hinges:
http://www.hardwaresource.com/index.php?l=product_list&c=474

Need your own question answered? Email us: info@HardwareSource.comwww.hardwaresource.com/index.php?l=product_list&c=474

Need your own question answered? Email us: info@HardwareSource.com