|
Face it, door hinges are much more than simple hardware to let your doors open and close, they are decorative accessories that can add an authenticity to your home. Whether you are building a new home that looks old or are striving to restore your historic home to its former glory, you will find small items like hinges can add the finishing touch to your job. If you are in the market for old fashioned hinges, you may very well be surprised at the sheer number of options that you have available to you. Whether you turn to your local hardware store, home improvement warehouse, salvage shop, antique store, flea market, restoration catalog, or even the World Wide Web, you are sure to find fantastic old fashioned (and sometimes just plain old) door hinges that fit perfectly into your home.
Generally speaking, any hardware you purchase for your home, including door hinges, looks more authentic when it is actually old. Luckily, more and more old hardware (hinges, door knobs, cabinet knobs, and everything else under the sun) is being saved by salvage companies. These companies purchase old homes, barns, schools, municipal buildings, offices, shops, and any other type of structure and remove all the usable or decorative pieces. For this reason, you are very well likely to find a hinge for your doors that was made around the same time as your home was built (or when you wish your home was built). However, these finds do not come cheap, so if you plan on purchasing door hinges at a salvage yard, bring your checkbook. Other options for purchasing authentic door hinges are antique shops and flea markets. Since the sellers probably do not specialize in antique hardware, you will not pay as much as you would at a salvage yard, but that is not to say your finds will come cheap either. The market for salvaged hardware and other items is huge and hot, meaning the pickings are often slim and expensive. However, every once in a while, you run into a treasure trove of door hinges and hardware that someone is tired of lugging around and wants to sell for a good price, so do not give up! If you are realizing that antique door hinges are too expensive or just too old for your project, consider the next best thing—reproductions. Look to reputable antique home restoration catalogs to find a wide variety of hinges to fit all sizes and types of doors. You can also find other types of door hardware so that your home enjoys a complete renovation. Choose complete sets (hinges, door knobs, and locks) to make the door look like it was just purchased brand new a hundred years ago. Some of the door knobs and hinges sold in these catalogs are still made by hand using quality materials, so your hardware is sure to last another hundred years. Typically, prices for door hinges in these catalogs are still more expensive than your generic hinges from a hardware store, but a good deal more reasonable than their antique predecessors. Finally, the final option for purchasing door hinges is the World Wide Web. Just like everything else in cyberspace, there are shops for reproduction and antique items, including hinges. Look to online auction sites like eBay for antique door hinges or turn to shops of craftsmen who make hinges using ages old traditions. |
Hardware