Each and every part of the doors in your home are important. Although easy to overlook, that includes the hinges. They’re vital to ensuring your doors open and close smoothly, keep the heat in efficiently, and look their best. In the case of external uPVC doors, you have four main choices of hinge, and each have their own strengths and weaknesses.
4 Main Types of uPVC Door Hinges
uPVC doors are enduringly popular choices for connecting your home to the garden, as entrances to patios or conservatories, and for plenty of other uses, too. There are four different types of uPVC door hinges, and each has its own characteristics that it pays to be aware of.
Flag Hinges for uPVC Doors
Flag hinges are one of the most common types of uPVC door hinges in the UK and are often used for French doors and patio doors. They consist of two main parts or leaves, one attached to the face of the door and the other to its inner edge. The two parts are connected by a vertical pin, giving the whole thing the appearance of a flag on a flagpole, hence the name.
Pros and Cons of Flag Hinges for uPVC Doors
The mechanics of flag hinges is fairly simple. That makes them easier to fit and remove. You can also readily adjust this type of hinge both vertically and laterally. One downside, however, is that flag hinges are less suitable for heavier doors. Given that modern uPVC doors are typically getting lighter and lighter, this is becoming less of an issue.
T-Hinges for uPVC Doors
T-hinges are very similar to flag hinges and work in precisely the same way. The only difference is that the horizontal element visible on the face of the door is longer and meets the vertical pin at its centre not at the top. That gives these hinges the appearance of a letter T lying on its side, rather than a flag.
Pros and Cons of T-Hinges for uPVC Doors
As T-hinges are so similar to flag hinges, they essentially share the same strengths and weaknesses. T-hinges are easy to fit and to adjust but aren’t sturdy enough for the heaviest of uPVC doors.
Butt Hinges for uPVC Doors
Butt hinges are one of the more traditional types of uPVC door hinges. They consist of two flat plates connected directly to the edge (or “butt”) of the door and to the doorframe. They’re then connected by a single central pin.
Pros and Cons of Butt Hinges for uPVC Doors
UPVC door butt hinges are strong and sturdy. They can handle heavy doors, which is why they’re most often found on older doors from 10-15 years ago. They’re also pretty simple, so there’s little to go wrong. That’s lucky, however, as if something does go wrong, these hinges are difficult to fix or adjust without rehanging the entire door.
Rebated or Recessed Hinges for uPVC Doors
Rebated uPVC door hinges sit within a groove or rebate within the doorframe itself. This means they’re a lot less visible than the other types of uPVC door hinges, especially when the door’s closed, and so are favoured when a minimalist and modern look is what you’re going for.
Pros and Cons of Rebated Hinges for uPVC Doors
As well as having the advantage of adding to a stylish and elegant aesthetic, rebated doors are also easier to adjust than traditional butt hinges. If something gets broken or worn out, though, the components of these hinges are trickier to access to repair or replace them.
Choosing the Right Type of uPVC Door Hinge
That’s a brief rundown of the most common types of uPVC door hinges in the UK. If you’re looking to choose the right option for you, what do you need to think about? Well, it starts with whether you’re replacing an existing hinge or choosing your hinges for a new uPVC door.
If You Need to Replace an Existing Hinge
Most uPVC doors have a set of three hinges, one at the top, one in the middle, and one at the bottom. If you find yourself needing to replace one that’s broken or worn out, you’ll want to match it to the remaining two. Re-read our descriptions of the types of uPVC door hinges above, and it should be clear which one you need.
If You’re Buying a New uPVC Door
If you’re buying new external doors, the type of hinges is just one of the many decisions you need to make. In the case of uPVC doors, you can probably disregard butt hinges as an option. They’re becoming less popular and are today usually only found on older doors.
Flag hinges and T-hinges are pretty similar, with only a slight aesthetic difference setting them apart from one another. Rebated hinges, meanwhile, are less visually noticeable but not quite as practical as a result.
Therefore, if your priority is a chic and modern look, you might prefer rebated hinges. If you’d prefer a balance between style and substance, choose whichever you prefer the look of between flag or T-hinges.
uPVC Door Hinges: One of Many Things Door Warehouse Can Help You With
Here at Door Warehouse, we’ve been helping people find the right doors for their properties for over 30 years. That includes offering all the alternatives and expertise you need to make the right door hardware choices, from handles, to locks, to hinges.
Why not pop into our Deeside showroom or get in touch today and see if we can help you find the right type of uPVC door hinges to meet your needs?
Share:
01244 281 311
