Security Door Hinges - What's the Best?

Security door hinges are used to close and open your garage doors from both inside and out. Though a spring, or sometimes a lug, that, when the door is open and the hinge is pulled up, expands, self-closing door hinges function more like an extension spring that, when the door is shut, extends. Once the door is shut, the spring or other device pulls the door up and then closes. This allows the door to lock securely without having to exert any effort whatsoever on the part of the door user. Self-closing hinges are available in a variety of styles to fit any type of door; you can get the one that looks like an extension of your door (like a fake extension spring) to really give your door a unique look.

In general, a heavy door requires two types of hinges: heavy-duty or fire-rated hinges and side-hinged hinges (also called side-hinge-operated rollers). The heavy-duty hinges are usually used for doors that must withstand constant opening and closing, especially for commercial doors with many moving parts. These hinges have more pulling force than the side-hinged ones, so they should be used on doors with heavy-duty casters or tracks. For normal residential doors, however, you only need one type of hinge.

Side-hinged hinges are the traditional style of door hinges and are the common type used in the United States. They're made of heavy duty steel with grooves along their width that help prevent the door from hitting the floor at a speedier pace when it's opened. They're also typically stairstep doors, though they can be used with up and over doors and some tilt and turn doors.