Hinges.

[badge]

Hi,

Another newbie here, sorry if this is a simple question, but I guess we all have to start somewhere.

Ok, so I will be hanging some 18mm mdf wardrobe doors soon. They will be 1700 long by 450 wide, roughly.

So, my question's are, what are the differences between these hinges below:-

Also, how many should I use per door? Is there a rule of thumb, a hinge every so many mm apart?

Many thanks in advance.

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

I suggest you use the type in the top row of your pics. They are called flush hinges..so named because you don't need to chop out a mortise to sink the hinge into in either the door or the frame.

I'm not aware of an algorithm for hinge quantity. But for me I just use common sense. Mdf is dense and quite heavy....so a 1.7M height door by 450 will have a reasonable amount of weight so I would go for 3 hinges if they're small. You could get away with two if the hinges are thicker gauge but then you risk them looking bulky and ugly in the context of the proportions of the design.

See if the hinge manufacturers specify the load bearing capacity for the hinges. But also consider the ease with which the small screws would tear the mdf, again if overloaded. Make sure you use the correct screws ie as long as you can get away with and an appropriate thread for mdf.

If you can stretch to chopping a mortise for a normal style hinge then they will be aesthetically better in my view.

 

[mailee]

With an MDF door of those sizes I would not use the hinges you have posted without some sort of reinforcement in the MDF. A door of those sizes will be pretty heavy and over time the hinges would pull the screw out. Personally I would use the concealed 'euro' hinge or insert dowels into the MDF for the screws to take butt hinges. HTH. :wink:

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

Mailee makes a good point about Euro style hinges. If you go that direction you might want to consider the Blum Blumotion series. You can get them from Isaac Lord in High Wycombe. There is a hinge type that requires no screws at all. You drill a 35mm flat bottomed hole with a Forstener bit in the door (probably 3 maybe 4 hinges in the heavy mdf doors). Then two 3/8 holes either side. The circular boss of the hinge then seats in the hole you've drilled and two metal lugs are positioned in the smaller flanking holes. You then flip a sprung flap and the hinge is secure (with no screws at all. Brilliant design. Further, if you get the clip on style you can then clip the door to the matching frame piece without screws also. Very handy when you want to put the doors on and off quickly. No tools needed. The only fixings are to screw the metal piece that sits inside the frame to which the door hinges latch/clip on.

Issac Lord will sell you a little plastic jig that allows you to template the exact positions for the holes to be drilled.

 

[petermillard]

+1 more for concealed hinges. FWIW 18mm MDF is ~15 Kg/sq m, so a 1750 x 450 door will weigh close to 12 Kg. Blum concealed hinges are rated at ~6Kg/hinge, so although you could get away with 2 hinges, I'd put 3 in personally, especially with an 18mm door. You can buy cheap 35mm hinge bits from Screwfix, Toolstation, eBay etc... plus the simple plastic jig for marking out, or go the Forster bit route as Bob suggests above.

Be sure to practice on a bit of scrap before drilling your door - if you go a little too deep it's easy for the spur of a hinge bit to just 'pimple' through to the face; if possible use a drill press, or a drill with a depth stop.

Re the picture of hinges; as Bob says, the top one is a flush hinge, and the centre one is a cranked flush hinge - the leaf that attaches to the door is angled so it can be screwed to both the edge off the door, and the inside face for strength - you can also see the leaf that attaches to the carcass is much longer, with 4 screw holes. Never come across the bottom hinge before, but it looks like a variation on the flush hinge.

HTH Pete

 

[badge]

Oh wow - some food for thought here guys, thank you.

I really had not thought about the hinges being hidden or not.

Better ask the mrs which she would prefer. She kind of designs it, and I build it

 

[Steve Maskery]

The advantage of Blum-type hinges, as well as being hidden, is that they do not rely on trying to screw into the edge-grain of MDF, which is a very difficult thing to do successfully and over the long term. MDF is not very robust in that direction and the screws will just pull out, probably sooner rather than later, too.
All the hinges in your picture rely on edge grain fixing. The middle ones do have some face-screwing holes, but the Blum option is much, much better and they are adjustable, too.
Use them.
S

 

[badge]

Thanks for all the replies guys.

I thought I would shed some light on what I have built so far, and then you can help me decide on the correct hinge, and qty.

Ok, so the first pic is a brief part of it, showing the main wardrobe section with shelves and the cupboard section at the top.

In this picture, I wanted to show that I used some mdf to build out from the frame. I wasn't going to do this in the cupboard section, like the last picture. But I will do if needed for the hinges.

Let me know what you guys think please? Hopefully I am on the right track, and you want be too critical.

How I've built them so far, does this rule any hinges out? Can I still go for those blum type hinges?

 

[badge]

C'mon guys, help me out please.

I'm torn between the middle hinges on the first post or the blum type ones, that have been suggested.

I'm not too concerned whether they are concealed or on show. I'm concerned with fitting the blum type hinges, whether they are strong enough being fitted over two pieces of wood, as in the middle picture in the above post.

Look forward to hearing your views and opinions.

 

[chippy1970]

As everyone has said already go for concealed hinges. The hinge fixing screws will be 37mm in from the front of you carcass you have built. You just need to check they don't end up in the joint between your mdf and the softwood.

The above is if you go for standard overlay doors it will be different if you go for inset doors ( door is inside carcase)

 

[Crispier]

C'mon guys, help me out please.

I'm torn between the middle hinges on the first post or the blum type ones, that have been suggested.

I'm not too concerned whether they are concealed or on show. I'm concerned with fitting the blum type hinges, whether they are strong enough being fitted over two pieces of wood, as in the middle picture in the above post.

Look forward to hearing your views and opinions.

I'm also a novice and I have used blum hinges, dead easy to fit and can take the weight of a large door, (if you use more than one! ).

 

[nathandavies]

Use blum hinges. you can download technical sheets for fitting, and they are plenty strong enough if you use the correct number. they have a page that will give you a number of hinges per kg ratio. we hang 3 metre doors on them, and if you go for blumotion, they have built in soft close, your other half will be getting you to change every hinge in the house for them. only problem, is that it makes doors hard to slam during an argument.