Door hinges are a simple mechanism that provides opening / closing of the door leaf, its tight fit to the door frame. To install the hinges in the interior door yourself, you need to pay attention to their design, as there are a number of mechanisms that require the work of only a specialist.
The service life of the door directly depends on the quality of the installation of the hinges.
The quality of the installation of this product depends on how long the interior door will serve you.. The color range is not so wide, imitations of various metals are mainly used: gold, nickel, bronze or copper. Products can be glossy and matte.
External overhead mechanisms are attractive and simple in execution, they are most often used to decorate doors in the old style. the product consists of 2 parts, the plates are connected by a hinge pin. 1 plate is attached to the wall, and the 2nd - to the door leaf.
The easiest to install are external overhead loops.
Installation is extremely simple:
- It is necessary to attach the hinges to the door leaf, the minimum distance from the bottom and top of the leaf is 15-20 cm. If the door is heavy, then it is best to use 3-4 hinges that will withstand the load perfectly.
- After that, you need to perform the most similar markings on the wall, marking the places for self-tapping screws.
- Holes for fasteners are drilled, after which it is necessary to fix the 1st part to the wall, the 2nd to the door leaf. No complicated steps are required.
The tools you need are the simplest
- ruler;
- simple pencil;
- drill;
- screwdriver
Internal mortise and screw
Overhead internal hinges are also called card hinges, they consist of 2 parts that are screwed to the door leaf and the door frame. How to embed loops of this type correctly? First you need to mark up, select the wood along the contour strictly to the depth that is equal to the thickness of one card. It is taken into account during the markup and how the cards will be attached to each other.
The construction is as follows:
- The rotary axis is the central element that provides the movement of the mechanism.
- 2 cards, i.e. swivel plates that are mounted to the leaf and to the door frame.
- Decorative cap and hinge.
- Self-tapping screws for mounting plates.
To embed the hinges into the interior door, while maintaining its most attractive appearance, you will have to work hard. You can install special screw-in products, they are no worse than other analogues. Outwardly, they are a compact cylinder. The design of the mechanism is extremely simple. It includes 2 parts in the form of cylinders for the door leaf and frame. The plates themselves are perfectly mounted, there is nothing complicated in the work. But it is important to choose the right mechanism depending on the weight and type of door. Products are made of plastic, aluminum, steel. They also differ in the number of pins: usually there are 2, but maybe 3-4 if the canvas is heavy.
Installation is as follows:
- It is necessary to mark the hinges on the surface of the canvas and the box.
- After that, drill holes with a drill, install the hinges in the intended places.
- The tightness of the adjacency of the door, the operability of the mechanism are checked.
How to install a hidden mechanism?
In some cases, door fasteners do not fit into the overall interior and appearance of the door leaf at all, so special hidden-type mechanisms are used. How to embed loops of this kind? The design of the hinges differs from the rest, after closing they are completely invisible from the outside, as they are mounted directly into the end of the web. The design is complex, there are 3 rotary axes:
- rotary central axis;
- a rotary fixed axis, which is not visible on the surface even when open;
- moving axles are used to open or close doors.
The benefits are as follows:
- They are suitable for any interior door, often ready-made canvases and door frames are sold that have embedded hinges.
- The appearance of the hinges in the open state allows you to see the structure only upon close examination (you need to come close to the door leaf), in the closed state the mechanism is invisible.
But there are also disadvantages:
- Do-it-yourself installation is problematic;
- the cost is high.
Installation of butterfly door hinges
Overhead door hinges (butterfly) are simple in execution and have an attractive appearance.
Hinges on the interior door can be mounted in different ways. It all depends on the design of the hinges, the door itself, the possibilities of installation on the door frame. There are fasteners that require cutting into the canvas, and this is already more difficult. You will have to choose a piece of wood, and do it clearly along the contour of the loop. There is a kind of hidden mechanisms that only the master can correctly install, without the necessary experience, the door can only be spoiled.
Special "butterfly" mechanisms are produced. This is an overhead type of loop, one plate resembles a butterfly wing in shape and appearance. This type of mechanisms is also called card.
The 1st plate looks like a butterfly wing, it is inserted into the cavity of the 2nd plate, i.e., the card.
Outwardly, after installation, the mechanisms look neat and attractive, no special experience is required, the work itself is carried out quickly. In this case, it is not necessary to embed the loops, they are simply superimposed and screwed to the surface.
The installation process of the mechanism is as follows:
Scheme of mounting door hinges "butterfly".
- First you need to mark the surface of the door leaf, retreating 20 cm from the bottom and top. After that, a map in the form of a wing is applied to the end of the door, a contour is drawn with a pencil, holes are marked where the fasteners will be located.
- The card is firmly screwed to the surface with self-tapping screws, you can pre-drill holes for mounting.
- Next, you need to install the 2nd part on the door frame. To do this, it is enough to apply the markup, taking into account the position of the already finished parts, so that after installation the door leaf does not warp. The second part is attached with screws.
- When the individual parts are fixed on the surface, the interior door must literally be put on the hinges of the door frame.
Usually "butterflies" do not require adjustment, they are simple and easy to perform. They also have features. For example, after cutting, the outer plate does not fit snugly against the end of the door. This problem can be easily solved by placing a thin strip of cardboard under the card so that it is at a slight angle.
Overhead "butterflies" are great for light doors, but for heavy ones, which weigh 40-50 kg, they are no longer suitable. For ordinary veneered and laminated doors, this option is optimal. "Butterflies" are inexpensive, easy to install and look great.
To work, you will need the following tools and materials:
- “butterflies” (usually only 2 pieces are required);
- self-tapping screws (may come with mechanisms);
- screwdriver or screwdriver, drill;
- ruler;
- simple pencil.
To embed hinges, you must first select the type of mechanism, and then determine how suitable it is for a particular door leaf. The installation itself is usually simple, although there are a number of loops that only specialists can install. Most often, simple overhead mechanisms are used for home interior doors, where you only need to screw 2 parts, mount them together. Installation does not take much time, it is enough to spend no more than an hour for all the work.
If you decide on your own to install interior door structures in your apartment (or house), then installing hinges on the door will be a relevant issue. Indeed, for most people, this stage of work becomes an insurmountable problem on the way to the implementation of the tasks. You will learn how to properly install door canopies here.
Scheme for determining the choice of loops.
Most often, hardware stores offer to purchase interior door structures without hinges. They must be purchased separately, although it is worth knowing which door is supposed to be mounted and what are its dimensions.
What are door hinges?
There are three types of door hinges:
- left;
- rights;
- universal.
Door device.
In order to determine the necessary version of the hinges on the door, it is necessary to carry out the following manipulations:
- Go to the doorway where the interior structure will be mounted.
- It is necessary to stand on the side where the door will open by moving towards you. Most people, deluded, stand on the side where the door opens from itself. It's not worth doing that. After all, you will get the wrong type of loops as a result.
- We mentally open the door for ourselves. If this happens to the right side, then the loops should be bought right. If to the left, then, accordingly, the type of loops is left. It's all very simple and elementary. Just don't get confused.
List of required tools
- chisel;
- a hammer;
- screwdriver.
Scheme of the device of the hinge of a metal door.
These are the most important tools that cannot be dispensed with during the process of installing a hinge on a door. But, of course, it would be good to also prepare additional tools, namely:
- drill;
- thin drills;
- screwdriver;
- cutter;
- awl.
The presence of such auxiliary equipment will greatly facilitate your work.
How to properly install hinges?
There is no fundamental difference where, first of all, it is better to embed the hinges in the door frame or in the design of the door itself. Although the installation process is recommended to start with the door when it is made of solid wood and has small knots.
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To begin with, it is worth deciding on the place where the loops will be attached. And only then we make the optimal decision on finding a site on the door where the hinges will be located in the box.
Experts recommend retreating from the edge of the door structure 15-25 cm - this will be the place of the first tie-in. It is worth paying special attention to how the hinges are embedded on other doors in the house, especially if they are located next to each other, so that there is not much difference. The ideal option is 20 cm from the edge of the door. If it turns out that there is a knot in this place, then it is better to retreat a little. After all, there are no strict regulations in the process of performing such work, and therefore you can easily change the distance of the tie-in.
To begin with, it is recommended to take measurements along the upper and lower edges of the door structure. At the same time, it is worth leaving marks with chalk or pencil. Pay close attention to where the top and bottom of the interior structure that you decide to install yourself are, and on which side the glass is located, if it is present on the door.
Each individual hinge during the marking process must be applied in such a way that its hinges come out from the front side of the door.
Scheme of the screw loop device.
In this case, the front side is considered to be the side where the entire structure will open. It is recommended to mark the loops in two ways.
In the first case, it is necessary to apply exactly the loop to the selected place, and then circle it with a perfectly sharpened pencil. In this case, the edges of the hinge and the door structure must be exactly and parallel to each other.
In the second case, it is necessary to screw the loop with screws, and then cut the contour with a cutter or draw marks with an ordinary pencil. In this case, it is enough to tighten only two screws. But it is worthwhile to understand that in this case the hinge may go a little to the side, so you need to be extremely careful and most accurate so that the door does not then stand askew.
Process details
Door hinge size options.
Related article: Necessary fittings for sliding doors
It is recommended to tighten the screw exactly in the center. And for this it is better to pre-mark with a pencil and an awl. After all, this is the only way to avoid retracting the loop during the tightening process. After the markup is done, it is worth cutting the contour with a cutter to the thickness of the loop used. And only then proceed to get a flat platform with a chisel.
If desired, the contour can be punched using a chisel. To do this, it is recommended to put the tool in the required place and lightly strike it with a hammer to knock out the contour. Special attention should be paid to the fact that for a purchased door structure, most often in the process of improper use of a chisel, the contour jams the plane of the door.
And according to the rules, the chisel should be located so that this contour goes inward. This part will be selected in the future to obtain the most even and beautiful edge at the loop.
Correctly embedded hinges on the door must be located on the same level. In the case when you observe a slight protrusion of a separate part of the loop, it is necessary to slightly deepen the entire surface of the site. In this case, it is important not to overdo it, since the recess should be uniform. And it is very simple to check how correctly you managed to install the hinges on the door yourself.
To do this, you need to take a ruler and attach it to the surface of the loop. If it turns out that the hinge protrudes somewhat, then in the future you will have a huge gap between the interior structure and the door frame, and the door may not close on the other edge. Whereas a deep-seated hinge will cause tremendous pressure on the door frame and further pulling of the hinges.
In order to eliminate the consequences obtained, it is recommended for the first case to unscrew the loop and seat it deeper. And for the second - calculate the required height of the gasket to raise the loop to the desired level. This pad is most often made from rigid cardboard, but you can also make it from other materials that you have. It is necessary to lay such a gasket directly under the loop. In this case, no fixation is necessary, the loop twisted on top will already hold it tightly.
