How A Choice of Different Cabinet Hinges Can Benefit You
Choosing the right hinges for your project is often a detail that most people overlook. The truth is a large part of how your fixtures perform depends on the hinges. This is most especially true for doors and cabinets. While most people often justify their hinge choices with style or what looks best, they aren’t as valuable as accessibility and function.
A variety of cabinet hinges enables you to choose from a wide range of options for your succeeding projects. However, to determine which one is best for you to use, you should first discover the kind of cabinets you have. This way, you’ll be flexible enough to decide on a hinge that provides optimum functionality.
Commonly Used Bulk Cabinet Hinges
To start, you’d first have to know some of the most common types of bulk cabinet hinges alongside their benefits.
1.No Mortise Hinges and Butt Hinges
These are considered traditional hinges that comprise plates that interlock to form a barrel, which is then held compactly by a pin. One plate is attached to the cabinet, while the other one is to the door. Sometimes, butt hinges often need a mortise in the cabinet you need it on in order to prevent a huge gap.
On the other hand, no mortise hinges are a kind of butt hinge that is styled in such a way that it minimizes the extra gap between the cabinet and the edge of the door. This is done by folding themselves whenever they’re closed. Because of this mechanism, the hinge can be as effectively thick as one leaf, allowing the hinges to be mounted on the surface without the need to mortise the cabinet or the door.
2. European Hinges
This is a concealed type of hinge that is especially popular on frameless cabinets but can also be applied in face-frame ones. Also commonly called a ‘cup hinge’, European hinges possess a mounting plate that attaches to the cabinet and approximately a 35mm cup that is circular mortise and drilled at the back of the door. What makes this bulk cabinet hinges particularly beneficial is that they provide three-way adjustments at most, thereby making it more convenient to fine-tune the door’s alignment.
The side adjustment is ideal for perfect parallel alignment since it helps control the gaps between cabinets, walls, and doors. Height adjustment makes it possible that the doors have precise alignment at the top and bottom. Furthermore, while depth adjustment isn’t always available in some European hinges, it allows you to ensure that the door faces in line with the cabinet’s vertical front.
It’s also helpful since it facilitates quick and efficient removal of the doors for refinishing or cleaning purposes as well.
3.Semi-Concealed Hinge
From its name, the semi-concealed hinge is a hinge that is only partly visible from the outside when the cabinet door is closed. While this is so, it can still have decorative finishes or details like a finial or a ball tip for extra style. Unlike traditional hinges, these semi-concealed ones have the benefit of providing a self-closing option. However, they are only limited and applicable for either ⅜” inset doors or overlays and won’t be able to fit full-inset ones.
Like most European hinges, they are adjustable and more convenient to install compared to the usual butt hinge. This is because those with self-closing options save installation time and money as well. Despite this, what makes semi-concealed hinges a great choice is that it provides an array of styles you can choose from – things that you don’t normally get in other hinges. This is because since a part of them is visible from the outside, they end up being manufactured in various shapes and finishes, allowing for both style and accessibility.
Takeaways
Loosely choosing a hinge for your project is not the best way to go if you want it to be successful and efficient. Instead, before anything else, you should consider the type of cabinet you have, what you want it to look like, its weight, or how much you’re going to use it, among plenty of other things. From there, you’ll be able to decide on the right hinge that gives you the kind of style and functionality that you’re aiming for.