Not All Cabinet Hinges Were Created Equal- Part 1

I can't count how many times over the years I've heard a customer tell me, "I thought all cabinet hinges were the same.” And through their quest for the correct hinge, they've come to realize how wrong they were. There are a zillion different options. OK not a zillion but I'm sure it seems that way to some.

There are Overlays, Insets, Offsets, Demountables, Face Mounts, and European Hinges. I'll go through each one and hopefully make some sense out of them for you. I'll start with the anatomy of a hinge:





∙The Frame Wing is the part of the hinge that attaches to the cabinet frame.


∙The Door Wing is the part of the hinge that attaches to the door. Depending on the hinge, this can attach to the back of the door, the side of the door, or the front of the door.


∙The Knuckle is what connects the two wings together and allows the hinge to rotate.


∙The Pin is the long barrel that runs through the knuckle and holds the hinge together. Some people will use the terms Barrel, Pin, and Knuckle interchangeably.


Now that you know what the parts of a hinge are called, we can go on to the mounting of hinges. There are a few main types of mounting; the first would be a Partial Wrap hinge. This is pretty much exactly how it sounds; the hinge partially wraps the frame. On the frame wing of the hinge, there is an extra bend that allows the hinge to be mounted on the side of the cabinet opening rather than on the face of the cabinet. The door wing is mounted on the back of the cabinet door. When the hinge is installed and the door is closed all that you see is the knuckle. The picture above is an example of a partial wrap hinge.

The next type of mounting would be a Face Frame hinge. On a face frame hinge, the frame wing is attached to the outside of the cabinet frame with two screws, and the door wing is mounted behind the cabinet door. When the door is closed, the frame wing side of the hinge is exposed. See the picture below:

Another mounting type is a Surface Mount hinge, again it sounds like what it does. Both the frame wing and the door wing are mounted on the surface (or front) of the cabinet. When this hinge is installed, and the door is closed you would see the frame wing on the outside mounted with two or three screws and the door wing mounted on the outside with two or three screws. An example:

Last would be a Flush/Full Inset mount, some people call this type of mounting a full inset because the door is fully inside the cabinet frame. Some people call it a flush mount because the door and the frame are flush with each other. On a full inset hinge, the frame wing is mounted to the side of the cabinet opening and the door wing is mounted on the inside edge of the cabinet door. When a full inset hinge is mounted, your door will be flush with your frame and all that you would see when the door is closed would be the knuckle. The last example:

I don’t want to scare you into never buying hinges on your own so I’ll save the best for last….cabinet hinge applications. Stay tuned for next weeks installment of an in depth explanation on the different types of cabinet hinge applications.

Erica
“Leave the Details to Us”

It's All About Personal Preference

One of the most frequently asked questions that we get at The Hardware Hut is “Do I put knobs or pulls on my cabinets?” The answer in short, is whatever you want.

There really is no correct answer for choosing knobs versus pulls, or even where to place them on the cabinet. We’ve seen customers put knobs on doors and pulls on drawers, or pulls on both the doors and drawers. It really just comes down to personal preference. For example, in my kitchen I have the same pull on all of my drawers and my doors.

There are some things to consider before making your choices. If you have existing holes in your cabinetry and you are replacing your hardware then your options will be limited by the holes that are already there. If the previous homeowner had pulls on their doors, you will need to measure the distance between the two screw holes and choose a pull with the same hole spacing. You could fill in the old holes and drill new ones, but for a quick update to your kitchen it’s easier to stick with the same hole spacing.

Cabinet knobs only take one screw so if you are replacing existing hardware, you don’t have to consider the hole spacing and you’ve got a much bigger range of choices to select from. Also, cabinet knob installation is easier than pulls.

Cabinet pulls are of course larger than knobs, so they tend to feel more comfortable to grip and they can help facilitate opening a heavier drawer since they are anchored with two screws.

My favorite thing to say in hardware is “There is no standard.” Cabinet knob and pull placement just happens to be a perfect example of that. On the other hand, when flipping through kitchen and bath magazines I do frequently see, knobs on doors and pulls on drawers.

The bottom line- comfort and ease of use should be a priority other than that, have fun with your design. Choose something that will reflect your personality.

Erica
“Leave the Details to Us”