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HINGES INTRODUCTION

There is a seemingly endless variety of hinges, but the following facts should eliminate some of the confusion.

Many companies specify that hinges are "handed" -- that is, designed to go either on the left-hand or the right-hand side of the door. In some cases the left is from the perspective of viewing the door opening from the outside of the house; in others it is from the inside. This can get very complicated; the simple fact is that unless you're involved in a very special situation, you don't need to know the hands, because hinges are interchangeable. Turn them over, then put the pin in, and they become left-handed or right-handed, as required.

Hinges come in different sizes; the very small sizes would be used on cabinet doors. In selecting a hinge, you should know door thickness, weight, and clearance. But a long-time engineering trick (as suggested for cabinet doors) makes it simpler: If the hinge seems to be in proportion to the door, use it. For example, if you are hanging an exterior door, you wouldn't use tiny hinges, nor would you use extra-large ones. We are all generally familiar with hinge size, an,d your own judgment should suffice.

Generally, if the size of the hinge looks right, it is right, simply because hinges are considerably stronger than is usually necessary for the job they are required to do.

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