Hinges For Doors - Your Options Explained

Your choice of hinge will impact the way a door is installed, the way it opens, and the way it looks. When looking to select the right hinges for a project, there are both designs and materials to keep in mind, with certain door types benefitting from their own specialist hinges.

The Many Types of Hinges For Doors

When looking to purchase hinges for doors in the UK, you’ll be faced with a range of types, some of which are used for standard doors, while others are better suited for specialist door installations. 

• Butt Hinge: This is the standard hinge design, with two equal plates joined in the middle around a pin. Butt hinges are used on many standard doorsets.
• Lift-Off Hinge: This design resembles a butt hinge, but is shaped to allow the door to be lifted slightly when opening. This is commonly used for doors opening onto thick carpets, and will additionally allow the door to be removed from its hinges far easier.
• Parliament Hinge: Parliament hinges are designed to have a larger opening, making them useful for double doors or French doors. They will look like butt hinges, but with longer, often curved panels.
• Concealed Hinge: These hinges are designed to be obscured when closed, and are used for smaller doors such as those on cupboards.
• Tee Hinge: Commonly used for larger wooden external doors, tee hinges feature a standard plate to affix to a post or wall, and a long triangular plate to connect to the door. This can comfortably hold larger weights.
• Flush Hinge: This type of hinge features two plates that are designed to close into each other, allowing a smooth flush appearance. It can be used for both standard doorsets, alongside other features like cupboard doors.
• Fire-Rated Hinges: A fire-rated hinge is accredited for its fire performance, usually 30 or 60 minutes for domestic doors.

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Material Options For Hinges

Once you’ve decided on the best design for your hinges, you’ll also need to pick a look that is right for your home and suited to the door's location.

Brass Hinges

Brass can give a great traditional look to your doors, especially within more visible designs like parliament hinges. Brass offers solid strength, and great resistance against rust and corrosion when installed indoors. In an older home, the classical look of brass hinges could be an excellent choice.

Chrome Hinges

Available in both subdued satin and vibrant polished appearances, chrome offers a great silver look. While chrome can have issues with corrosion when installed externally, within a house this will be a perfectly suitable choice.

Stainless Steel Hinges

Stainless steel hinges offer excellent performance and can be used safely on external doors. The drawback of opting for stainless steel is their slightly higher price, which can add up across a whole property. Opting for a stronger option at the start can bring benefits in the long term, with some doors needing to be opened and closed thousands of times, which can quickly expose lower-quality options.

Do You Need Fire-Rated Hinges For Fire Doors?

Fire doors within the UK will need to have fire-rated hinges that meet the same level of protection offered by the door. This will be displayed as either FD30 for 30 minutes of protection or FD60 for 60 minutes. If a fully certified fire door is installed with standard hinges, it can melt during that time, rendering the door ineffective. To find out more, read our guide to fire doors.

What Hinges Should be Used For Kitchen Doors?

For kitchen cupboards, you’ll have a range of hinge options. Things like concealed hinges are popular, as are flush options. In both of these cases, they will allow cupboards to close with a smooth appearance and no sign of the hinge. As the doors are far lighter than a standard-size door, the hinges will not need to support anywhere near the same level of weight.

Hinges For uPVC Doors

uPVC doors can be installed with special hinges designed to blend with their appearance. These will be made of metal but with a uPVC coating. They can come in either a standard butt hinge design, or alternatively they can be a flag hinge, which most closely resembles a tee hinge, though the plate attached to the door will be smaller.

Hinges For Composite Doors

Composite doors often mimic the look of a real wooden door and can be attached with the standard hinges of your choice, provided they can support the weight. As composite doors will be installed externally, we recommend opting for stainless steel hinges due to their superior moisture performance.

Hinges For Bifold Doors

As bifold doors will only need to fold a single way (neighbouring panels fold in different directions allowing the door to be folded together like a concertina), standard butt hinges will typically be more than acceptable for a bifold door, whether that’s a single width internal bifold door or a multi-panel bifold door.

Doors and Door Accessories Delivered Across the UK

Building Materials Nationwide aims to be the only destination needed for professionals and DIYers, offering a comprehensive selection of building supplies delivered across the UK. Within our doors category, you’ll find a varied range of internal and external doors, alongside ironmongery, including hinges and door handles.

For tradespeople within the industry, our trade accounts offer a simple all-in-one solution to all supply needs. Working with a dedicated account manager, we’ll be able to arrange the specific products you need through our network of suppliers, delivering them to you quickly across the UK at a fantastic trade price. 

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