Please Select Username to appear on public areas of the site like community and recipe comments.All about European Hinges Overview of European Style Hinges The European style hinge or Blum hinge is a modern “high-tech” hinge for cabinets.  It is comprised of two parts, the hinge and the mounting plate. The hinge mounts in a hole (usually 35mm but could also be 25mm or 40mm) bored in the back of the cabinet door. The mounting plate is installed on the cabinet in one of several places depending on the type of  cabinet. For “face frame” cabinets the mounting plate is either installed on the edge of the face frame (most typical) or on the front surface of the face frame.  For “frameless cabinets the mounting plate is installed on the inside surface of the side panel. Blum Compact 33 Hinge with mounting                Blum Compact 33 with mounting plate plate on edge of face frame.                                       

on the front surface of the face frame European hinge with mounting plate attached to inside surface of the side panel (this is frameless cabinet meaning it does not have a face frame). ADVANTAGES and DISADVANTAGES of EUROPEAN STYLE HINGES European hinges have these advantages The main disadvantage of the European hinge or the Blum Hinge is that the installation can be difficult for the average homeowner unless he has the proper tools and unless he completely understands the different installation configurations.  The proper tools would include a forstner bit sized for the cup that is drilled in the back of the door. Access to a drill press is a huge advantage. A cabinet shop with a boring machine for European hinges may be willing to drill your holes for a fee. Installation of Blum Hinges Before you can attempt installation of Blum hinges or European style hinges, you need to understand the following terms regarding your cabinets and the European style hinges.

Are your cabinets ”face frame” or “frameless” style cabinets? The mounting plate for a “frameless” cabinet mounts on the inside wall (side panel) of the cabinet. The mounting plate for a “face frame” cabinet mounts on the edge of the face frame for Blum Clip Top hinges. Face Frame Cabinet                                       Frameless Cabinet Are the doors “overlay doors”, “inset doors” or “back-to-back doors” (also known as “twin doors”)? The type of door you have determines which mounting plate and what type of hinge you will use (straight arm or half-cranked). How far do you want the doors to open (opening degrees)? Blum hinges and European hinges come in different opening angle degrees. Some examples of opening degrees are 110 degrees, 120 degrees and 170 degrees. If the door is an “overlay door” what overlay dimension do you want? The overlay dimension is the distance that the door lays over the cabinet opening.

It is measured on an existing cabinet by taking the distance from the edge of the opening to the edge of the door when the door is in the closed position. Once you know what overlay dimension you are going to use you would consult an “overlay table” to pick your mounting plate and your bore distance. The bore distance is the distance from the edge of the cabinet door to the edge of the 35mm hole that is drilled for the hinge. aluminium garage doors nzEach hinge will have an “overlay table” that will help you determine which mounting plate and what bore distance to use to give you the overlay that you want.outdoor kitchen ideas perth wa If the door is an “inset door” or “back-to-back” door, what reveal dimension do you need to use? electronic door knob and deadbolt

The reveal (reveal is the gap between the twin doors or the gap between the door and the face frame in the case of an inset door) is important because you need enough reveal to keep the door from binding when it is opened. The thicker the door the more reveal is needed. The reveal dimension is determined by the bore distance. windows and doors charlottesville vaEach hinge will have a “reveal table” which will show the mounting plate height, the bore distance and the resulting reveal dimension.door handle springs ireland Each of the Blum European hinges that is on the HardwareSource website has installation information such as overlay tables, reveal tables and mounting plate choices to help you with your purchase. french door refrigerator leaking water

Previous post: All about Offset and Center Hung Pivot Sets Next post: All about Blum HingesDrill Bits Buying Guide imageFor people who have not used drills much, there might be the expectation that there is only one type of drill bit and that drills can only be used for one thing. For most drilling applications, this assumption...door locks for mitsubishi eclipseRead More about Drill Bits Buying GuideSign in to view prices Required products This jig quickly and accurately locates and sets drilling holes for concealed hinge mounting plates on the inside of a cabinet wall. Useful with all brands of European hinges and mounting plates, regardless of the cup size. Works for overlay and inset mounting plate conditions, setting mounting plates for doors up to 50" tall. Extruded aluminum rails, lexan-polycarbonate templates, aluminum bushings. Requires the following products