Hinge Type for Trap Door

[Bob Deroeck]

Hi,

I have a trap door in the middle of my kitchen floor which is the only access to my basement. Not an ideal situation, but that's another story. I'm completely redoing my kitchen and will be installing a red oak floor. The existing trap door will be replaced with a home-made, light-weight design. I'll be posting questions about that design later. For now let's assume the trap door will be broken into two new, smaller doors, each about 30" x 30" and weighing about 20 - 25 pounds.

For now, I'm considering options for types of hinges to use. The door will be supported on each side by a 2 x 4 attached to the floor joist framing. These 2 x4's will support all of the weight on the door when it is closed. So, when the door is closed the hinges will not be supporting any weight. The door must be able to swing upwards through about 100 degrees so that when fully open it rests against a wall. The current door has a very visible and unattractive piano hinge. I'd like to use some type of hidden hinge since I'm planning to use solid brass inlay on all four sides of the door and door opening and I prefer to not have any hinges detract from the looks of the oak and inlay. I would appreciate suggestions for types of hinges to use.

Thanks.

[Kevin McCluney]

You could make something similar to the hinges used on car trunks.

[Lee Schierer]

I would use a piano hinge, but hide the leafs in the joint and leave just the barrel of the hinge exposed. This will prevent any crack from existing that will act as a dirt trap.

[Jamie Buxton]

There's also Soss hinges. http://www.soss.com/

[Jerry Miner]

I have done these with butt hinges, piano hinges, and Soss hinges. I have not tried to custom-make a car-trunk type hinge, but that could work, too.

If you really want the hinge to disappear, use the Soss (or a custom hinge)---but they are very fussy to install. You must plan ahead during the door design stage.

I would recommend a solid brass piano hinge. If you are including a brass edge treatment anyway, you could leave off the brass at the hinge edge and let the piano hinge "become" the brass edging. With careful planning and installation, you can set the hinge knuckles flush to the floor, include a small bevel on the door and opening edges, and still get 100 deg. of travel. Or, without the bevel, you can let the hinge knuckle stand very slightly proud of flush (+/- 1/16") to get the travel.

[M Toupin]

There's also Soss hinges. http://www.soss.com/

+1 on the SOSS hinges.

I'd go with the #218 or #220

Mike

[Sam Murdoch]

I have done these with butt hinges, piano hinges, and Soss hinges. I have not tried to custom-make a car-trunk type hinge, but that could work, too.

If you really want the hinge to disappear, use the Soss (or a custom hinge)---but they are very fussy to install. You must plan ahead during the door design stage.

I would recommend a solid brass piano hinge. If you are including a brass edge treatment anyway, you could leave off the brass at the hinge edge and let the piano hinge "become" the brass edging. With careful planning and installation, you can set the hinge knuckles flush to the floor, include a small bevel on the door and opening edges, and still get 100 deg. of travel. Or, without the bevel, you can let the hinge knuckle stand very slightly proud of flush (+/- 1/16") to get the travel.

+1 to these comments.

[Dave Zellers]

What about a square barrel hinge (http://www.mckinneyhinge.com/en/site/McKinney-Hinge/Solutions/Decorative-Hinges/Square-Barrel1/) and then match the barrel thickness with brass around the door edge?

[Bob Deroeck]

Thanks for the suggestions, guys.

I was thinking of using Soss hinges, but was a bit concerned about how fussy the installation could be. I even have 4 Soss hinges I salvaged from some heavy cabinet doors, so it wouldn't cost me anything to try them on a mock installation. I think I'll give that a try and if I'm not convinced I can get good fit with the Soss hinges, I'll go with solid brass piano hinges with the leafs tucked in.