In and out of the house we use doors every day. From the moment we wake up to the moment we go to bed we go through doors. Whether we are using the shower or leaving the house, we wouldn’t get anywhere without door hinges to hold these doors in place. Without hinges we would have no doors. We would climb up to a hole in the roof to enter our homes and every room would be open, no privacy. Hinges door hinges especially, are hard workers. They are exceptionally strong. In fact they are about eight to ten times stronger than the jobs they do. This is why some call hinges one of the greatest inventions, second only to the wheel. Door hinges come in a variety of sizes, styles and finishes. The best way to see this variety is to shop online. Rather than looking through boxes of hinges at every hardware store look at the variety online and order what you need from the comfort of your home. All it takes is a click of the mouse. The most common door hinges are butt hinges. These consist of two rectangular leaves with screw holes. These leaves are joined together by a pin or a rod. Both neat and easy to use a door can be taken down by simply removing the pin. One door is recessed into the frame the other into the door so that when the door is closed, you’ll only see the pin. Another popular door hinge is the T-hinge. So called because it looks like the letter T, the horizontal part attaches to the door frame while the vertical part is attached to the door itself. This type of hinge is commonly seen on garage doors because it flips up instead of out. These hinges can be plain and functional or ornamental and fun. If you prefer your hinges to be used but not seen the Soss hinge is for you. Meant for folding doors like on a closet or the French doors in a dining room, these hinges are recessed into the door edges. Then when the door is folded the hinges are completely concealed. These hinges are strong but difficult to install. There is no room for mistakes. Besides styles, hinges also come in a variety of thicknesses and finishes. Some common finishes include chrome, antique copper, oil rubbed bronze, brushed nickel, black or white. You can match your knobs and pulls for a uniform look or add a touch of style with hinges in the finish you like best. Some hinges are ornamental and range in style from colonial to art deco and beyond. Although they are often never thought about hinges help make our modern life what it is. From the shower door to the front door, hinges are everywhere. Once crafted solely on a large scale for community buildings and city gates, the Romans finally adapted hinges for home use. So the next time you walk in or out your front door think about what life would be like without door hinges.