What's Inside the Hinge?

Door hinge is a very important part of your interior or exterior door. If your door is acting up, or you notice the squeaks and sounds when you open or close your door, chances are door hinges are to blame. To help you know more about this little, but important, piece of hardware, just put together this quick guide. Here's all the important considerations you really should know when shopping for new door hinges for either your home or business.

The most common type of hinge found on exterior doors is the ball-bearing hinge. This kind of hinge has two balls with teeth that spin around a center point, or socket. When you open or close your door using the hinge, the balls move up or down depending on the direction of the door's rotation. There are two general types of hinges: inside-out hinges, which allow you to have a larger opening by creating a looped area inside the metal; and outside-in hinges, which attach to the door's frame directly.

The types of door hinges you need depend on the materials you're using for the exterior part of your doors. For example, if you're making a wooden door, you don't have a whole lot of options since you can't use ball bearing hinges unless you use wooden mortise & tenon screws to attach the hinges to the door. On the other hand, if you're using steel or vinyl door hinges, there are several options. You could go with full-length or half-length metal track pieces, or you could use full-length spring hinges, which allow for a much larger opening.