How many doors are in your home? Well in most homes there is a front door, a back door, a cellar door, a bathroom door and maybe a shower door. We go in and out of many doors every day but have you ever stopped to think what life would be like without a door hinge to hold these doors? It would be like that old prank where you remove the hinges and the door falls down when someone tries to open it. The door usually falls because we aren’t expecting to have to hold it up ourselves. The hinges do the work for us. Hinges are exceptionally strong. In fact they are generally eight to ten times stronger than the job they are doing. That is why before hinges there were no doors. People entered their homes through a hole in the roof and if they used a large rock or slab of wood to cover their entrance and keep their belongings safe few could move it. So this is why some say the door hinge is the second most important invention for everyday use after the wheel. After all we use many hinges every day and no one wants to imagine life without them. Especially door hinges. The most common door hinge is a butt hinge because it looks neat and clean. It is made up of two rectangular leaves with screw holes. The leaves are joined by a pin or rod. This makes it easy to take the door down because all you have to do is remove the pin or rod and the leaves separate. One leaf is recessed into the door the other into the frame so that when the door is closed only the pin can be seen. Another common door hinge is the t-hinge, so named because it is shaped like the letter t. The horizontal part is attached to the door frame while the vertical part is fastened to the frame. This type of hinge is more often seen on garage doors because it is a hinge that lifts up rather than out. These hinges can be plain or ornamental for a touch of style. If you have a folding door such as in a closet or perhaps French doors in the dining room you might consider a Soss hinge. Named for their inventor this type of hinge is ideal for hinge that you don’t want to see. It is recessed into the door edges so when the door is folded it is completely concealed. It must be hung precisely or it will not work. With so many types of door hinges available the easiest way to see them all is by shopping online. Rather than stopping at every hardware store you can look at them from the comfort of your favorite chair. You’ll see all the varieties and the finishes they come in. Hinge finishes include chrome, brass, copper and bronze which can be antiqued, rubbed with oil or brushed. You might choose to match your knobs and pulls for a complete look. No matter what type of door hinge you choose if you have ever had to move a door without one you’ll appreciate their strength.