Where would we be without hinges? Would we be going into our homes through a hole in the roof? Would we be using large rocks or slabs of wood for doors enabling only the fit and strong to enter? These scenarios were true in several societies before 1600 B.C. when the hinge was first seen in use. Originally used on community buildings, the Romans finally adapted hinges for home use. Today we use hinges everyday from the shower door to the toy chest and the refrigerator to the car. Hinges are everywhere. Hinges also come in many styles, sizes and finishes to suit your needs and match your motif. The easiest way to see all the different hinges available is to shop online. Rather than dragging yourself from hardware store to hardware store you can find the hinges you need at the prices you want all from the comfort of your own home. If you want a vintage look for your cabinets try antique copper or oil rubbed bronze butt hinges for your cabinets. Looking for a way to add that final touch to your home office? Try some decorative butterfly hinges. Although hinges are small they can make a big impact on the style of a room. There are many different kinds of hinges. Butt hinges are probably the most common. They can hold cabinet and house doors depending on their size. Continuous or piano hinges go all along the side of a lid. Commonly used on pianos, hence the name, they allow a box to be opened all the way. There are gate hinges for garden or pool gates, t-hinges, which look like a t, are usually found on garage doors and strap hinges are used when you want a box lid to be hinged in the center allowing for opening on both sides as well as complete removal of the lid. Strap hinges, butterfly hinges and even butt hinges can be ornamental. They can be shaped differently and even have attachments such as finials along with being available in several finishes. Hinges are available in several sizes and are usually right or left handed depending on what side of the door you are going to use them on. If unsure you can just flip them over and they will be handed the correct way that you need. You can’t really choose too small of a hinge because they are eight to ten times stronger than they need to be for the job they are assigned. So just use your own judgment and if they are proportional to the door they should work just find. Big and small, butt or strap hinges have been helping us work for centuries. Their strength has become our strength and so we tend to take them for granted. But we really shouldn’t forget about the hinge because without hinges we would be climbing into our homes through a hole on the roof and any door we have would be heavy enough to provide security for our possessions, but too heavy for most to move. We may not realize it but life as we know it hinges on hinges.