Everything you need to know about continuous hinges

April 2021

Continuous hinges are an excellent solution to hinging any lid or door with a sleek, high-quality, aesthetic appeal. They provide alignment over the whole length of the application whilst achieving even distribution of the load. From traditional hand-made cabinetry to heavy duty doors in secure and arduous environments, continuous hinges offer an elegant aesthetic as well as enhanced security and safety. They are an excellent alternative to butt hinges, ideal for a variety of applications and environments.

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What is a Continuous Hinge?

The key feature of a continuous hinge is that it runs the full length of the door, lid or furniture supporting the weight of any application whilst maintaining smooth function. Unlike other shorter butt hinges no rebating is required due to all continuous hinges being surface fitted to both the door and the frame. As well as being used on pianos, continuous hinges are also widely used in a range of other applications including fold-down workbenches, cabinet doors, desks, storage boxes and architectural doors.

What Is the Difference Between a Continuous Hinge and a Piano Hinge?

You will often hear continuous hinges referred to as ‘piano hinges’. That is simply because they have been traditionally used to support the lids for both upright and grand pianos for centuries.

As with their architectural applications, a piano hinge supports the full width of a piano lid, allowing increased maximum capacity for the heavy wooden lid and a smooth, silent action during operation. The load of the lid is spread evenly across the full length of the hinge reducing occurrences of strain and friction. The aesthetics of a continuous hinge are also ideally suited to the craftsmanship that goes into a piano; providing a pleasing edge to the joinery that is consistent and perfectly aligned.

Why Buy Continuous Hinges

Cooke Brothers have been manufacturing continuous hinges for over a hundred years for various applications. Traditionally cabinet makers have preferred continuous hinges thanks to their ability to align the door to the frame of the cabinet along the full length of the joint, as well as being the hinge of choice for commercial building specifiers, DIY enthusiasts and architectural specifiers.

Continuous hinges provide an unbroken line from top to bottom, with no visible gaps along the hinge side of the door panel. In addition, by supporting the door along its full length, the maximum capacity of the hinges is increased allowing for heavier doors and or ironmongery to be used. This gives the door and door frame added stability, strength and longevity.

To make the most of their versatility, at Cooke Brothers we manufacture multiple types of continuous hinges to suit most applications from architectural to furniture making.

The Benefits of Using a Continuous Hinge over a Butt Hinge

As an increasingly popular alternative to butt hinges, continuous hinges provide great security, safety and reliability. This makes them ideal for heavier applications, especially in high traffic commercial environments where the extra support and sturdiness is crucial to sustaining the large volume of people and constant operation. The continuous knuckle provides very little purchase for the tools of any would-be thieves and prevents users from getting their fingers caught in the machine during operation.

Unlike traditional butt hinges, which with the slightest misalignment between the top and bottom hinge can introduce friction and resistance to the door action, continuous hinges provide a single, perfectly aligned mechanism and a smooth operation in all installations.

The main advantages of using continuous hinges are:

  • Aesthetically pleasing and can be visually suited to any environment
  • Easy to align and mount
  • Support the full length of the door
  • Cost-effective

Surface Mounting

With continuous hinges, there’s no need to cut recesses in the door frame, unlike butt hinges. Continuous hinges can also be used on wooden or metal door frames which, generally speaking, require more stability due to their heavier load. They can be easily installed onto existing doorframes and doors as an economical, easy solution.

Multiple shorter butt hinges would require recesses to be cut for each on both the door and frame, continuous hinges are surface fitted, so no rebating is required. 

Easy to Fit

Continuous hinges are easier to cut compared to other hinges, including the butt hinge, which makes it easier to match the entire length of any door or lid that needs to be on a pivot. This ensures stability along the entire length of the application ensuring perfect alignment and weight distribution throughout.

Load Bearing

Heavy duty continuous hinges provide complete support across the entire door frame or lid whilst managing weight distribution far superior to any butt hinge capabilities. This ensures weight is evenly distributed across the hinge, in turn reducing the risk of damage and avoiding strain on the material.

Continuous hinges, therefore, increase the maximum weight of a door without adding the unnecessary bulk of a heavy-duty butt hinge alternative. This is particularly valuable on more delicate or aesthetically driven projects including cabinetry, pianos and DIY projects.

Smooth Pivotal Action

A smooth, pivot action is maintained with precise alignment ensuring contents of the application are protected and the operational movement of the door is controlled. The design of a continuous hinge ensures the effort used to open the application is minimised, on even the heaviest of commercial doors, by maintaining identical leaf operation on both sides.

Aesthetically Pleasing

Continuous hinges create simple lines with a robust, aesthetically pleasing look. They leave no gaps between the door and the jam making continuous hinges excellent for applications where privacy is required. They are also available in a range of strong materials and finishes to match any application.

Extended Life Span

Continuous hinges can far outlive the lifespan of their butt hinge alternatives. The ability to maintain the application in the exact position minimises the risks of damage and wear and tear which not only aids the longevity of the hinge itself but also the door frame or lid. With a substantial increase in the number of knuckles, the wear over time is greatly spread across the full length of the hinge, further extending the lifespan of the hinge.

Common Applications for Continuous Hinges

Continuous hinges are the perfect solution for a range of applications from high traffic commercial environments, that require robust heavy-duty hinges, to cabinets where light duty hinges are best suited. Apart from being used on pianos, here are some other key applications for continuous hinges:

  • Electric doors
  • Barn Doors
  • Sheet metal work
  • Cabinetry
  • Toolboxes
  • Electrical doors
  • Blast doors
  • Warehouse doors

Different Types of Continuous Hinges

It’s important to note that continuous hinges come in different types.

Light Duty Continuous Hinges

Light duty continuous hinges create the ideal high-quality solution for cabinetry, DIY projects and small storage spaces. These delicate hinges provide a more pleasing aesthetic usually preferred for furniture or smaller projects rather than heavier-duty architectural continuous hinges.

Medium Duty Continuous Hinges

Medium duty continuous hinges are a step up from light duty versions providing all the same benefits and also ideal for similar applications but with added rigidity and strength of a thicker hinge.

Heavy Duty Continuous Hinges

Heavy Duty Continuous Hinges are robust and made from thicker raw materials. Their added strength makes them a great choice for architectural applications in secure and arduous environments. This includes secure facilities, hospitals, schools and workplaces.

Architectural Continuous hinges

Here at Cooke Brothers, we also have a dedicated category for architectural continuous hinges, in other words, continuous hinges that are specifically designed for use on internal and external building doors. This includes our own Phoenix Interleafed Continuous Hinges which bring a unique mounting technique to reduce bulk without compromising on aesthetics or functionality.

Polymer Continuous Hinges

The latest addition to our continuous hinge family, polymer continuous hinges are lightweight, corrosion-resistant hinges that are ideal for lightweight but arduous applications. These hinges have excellent fatigue resistance and are resistant to oils, seawater, solvents and numerous other chemicals. This makes them ideally suited to commercial and industrial environments.

Continuous Hinges in Commercial Environments

Continuous hinges offer high performance and longevity in high traffic commercial environments where strength and robustness are paramount for maximum safety and operation. Their design offers more stability than traditional hinges which make them ideal for heavier doors and lids that require added support to withstand busy environments, hence the reason they’re excellent in large warehouses or on electric doors in shopping centres, for example. However, doors like this retain their functionality as the continuous hinge design means each leaf operates identically to each other minimising the effort required to open and close doors/lids.

In addition, they offer increased safekeeping as it’s impossible to pry the door off its full-length continuous hinges which is ideal in commercial facilities where they often have areas of restricted access that require high levels of security and privacy.

Continuous Hinges Are Ideal for Cabinetry

Continuous hinges have an aesthetic appeal along with excellent precision alignment and smooth action which makes them ideal for cabinetry. They also produce far less noise than a conventional hinge, which can be convenient when opening and closing cabinet doors.

Continuous Hinges in Domestic Settings

Not only are continuous hinges ideal in commercial environments but they are also becoming an increasingly popular choice for domestic use as a low-cost, economical solution. They are extremely versatile and easy to install on any existing doorframe or door. Their aesthetic look can also be perfectly matched and blended into the existing household interior or design.

Who Are Continuous Hinges Best Suited For?

Continuous hinges are versatile and can be suited to a range of different applications. Here’s a list of those we think would be best suited to using continuous hinges.

Cabinet Makers

Continuous hinges are easy to use and provide guaranteed stability with an aesthetically neat appeal that can match the overall cabinet design.

DIY Enthusiasts

Continuous hinges are known as a low cost, but high quality, option compared to other traditional hinges, and offer far easier installation, perfect for DIY projects.

Take a look at our light-duty continuous hinge range to inspire your next project.

Architectural Specifiers

Architectural continuous hinges are robust, safe and reliable hinges that won’t fail you. They’re perfect for architectural specifics looking for a simple tamper-proof solution with a pleasing and elegant aesthetic.

Commercial Building Specifiers

Continuous hinges are ideal for commercial building specifiers looking to kit out an office, hotel, hospital or school, for example, as they provide a robust, reliable heavy-duty solution where safety and security are required.

Looking for in-depth technical information on our continuous hinge range?

Can you use Continuous Hinges on Fire Doors?

Where indicated, Architectural Continuous Hinges can be used on fire doors in conjunction with our Fire Door Kits. These kits provide extended protection by expanding in the event of a fire to fill the gaps around the door. This can provide a flame-tight seal for 30 – 60 minutes.

Please note only mild steel, stainless steel and aluminium continuous hinges that are clearly labelled can be used on fire door assemblies. When the continuous hinges are installed, it’s important to reattach labels that would usually be covered by the door and/or frame to an alternate location that is clearly visible for the life of the assembly.

Fitting Continuous Hinges

Fitting continuous hinges involves surface mounting the hinge onto the application which means there no need to cut a recess in the frame. You can initially cut the piano hinge to length and position precisely for an accurate, stable fit.

Hole Patterns and No-Hole Options

Most continuous hinges are supplied without holes; these are called blanks. However, if you require holes, slots can be pierced into the continuous hinge in any way to suit your requirements, whether that be in a standard pattern or one more personalised to your application.

No hole options can be surface welded onto metal door frames which are known to be one of the most economical methods of conversing and extending the life of machines, tools and equipment ideal for applications where longevity and reliability are paramount.

Hole pattern options help make the installation process simpler and more precise allowing you to position the hinge and hold it in place using temporary screws in the slotted holes. This then allows flexibility to find the exact position you require the hinge to be. Once it’s positioned you can screw the hinge neatly in place.

How to Choose the right Continuous Hinge for Your Application

Here’s a clear outline on how to choose the right hinge depending on your application, environment, load capacity, finish and materials:

Step 1 – Application & Environment

The design of continuous hinges makes for improved safety, ideal in environments where safety is a key concern, for example in high traffic public environments such as schools, hotels, hospitals or offices.

Security for Main Door Entrances/Exits

Their anti-vandal design offers fewer gaps and no weak points making them extremely difficult to force open. As a result, they have become increasingly popular for applications in arduous and secure environments such as main door entrances/exits.

Improved Safety Element in Schools

Compared to other types of hinges, the reduced ligature design presents fewer sharp edges which, in school environments, for example, are essential to reducing the possibility of injury. The hinges avoid children getting fingers caught in the door from the hinge knuckle side.

Aesthetic Appeal & Smooth Action Ideal for Cabinetry

Continuous hinges offer a neat, aesthetically pleasing look ideal for cabinetry where the design and visual elements, as well as functionality, matter most. They also providing a smooth action, spreading the load across the whole door, in turn reducing unnecessary stress on the door frame.

Step 3 – Loading and Capacity (Door Weight)

The load capacity of continuous hinges is determined by various factors including the number of knuckles in the hinge and the number of fasteners. Continuous hinges are excellent at spreading their load across the full length of the hinge avoiding any strain on the material.

Leaf thickness:

  • Light Duty – 0.9mm (better for lighter load projects)
  • Medium Duty – 1.2mm, 1.6mm and 2mm
  • Heavy Duty– 2.5mm, 3mm, 4mm and 5mm (better for heavy load projects)

Step 4 – Finish and Materials

Continuous hinges come in a range of material and finishes depending on what you require for your application:

Mild Steel

Mild steel is a strong base material and is corrosion-resistant, most preferably used on internal applications rather than externally.

Stainless Steel

Stainless steel is known for its strength and durability as well as its clean aesthetic appeal. Stainless steel continuous hinges can be used for both internal and external settings, ideal in an arduous environment for potentially corrosive or weather-exposed installations.

Brass

Brass offers an elegant visual look perfect for those looking for a strong hinge to add to the aesthetics of furniture such as cabinets and other domestic uses.

Aluminium

Aluminium is the most versatile material of them all making it the most widely used metal after steel. It is lightweight with good corrosion resistance perfect for both internal and external hinge applications.

Cooke Brothers fire rated continuous hinges
Cooke Brothers continuous piano hinges on a grand piano

Try Our Cut to Length Service

Cooke Brothers offer a cut to length service for continuous hinges which means you can now order the exact size you need to match your project. To order, select your continuous hinge product and request a quote for our cut to length service. Following your request, we will reply with recommended cut length and the number of full-lengths that you will need.

Find out more about our bespoke cut to length continuous hinge services and submit your enquiry today.

Explore Cooke Brothers’ Range of Continuous Hinges

At Cooke Brothers, we’ve been making Continuous Hinges for long enough to have developed reliable and innovative designs including interleafed options, Reduced-Ligature designs and our trademarked Dualway Anti-Barricade systems. We’re proud of the quality and craftsmanship that goes into every single hinge, and you’ll notice the difference when you use our products too.

Browse our impressive Continuous Hinge range and find the perfect hinge for your application.

If you’re still unsure of what hinge you need, call +44 (0)1922 740011 or email sales@cookebrothers.co.uk to get in touch with Cooke Brothers.