When to Use Rising Butt Hinges

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Rising butt hinges are a special type of door hinge that lifts the door slightly as it is opened. This type of door will have no gap at the bottom when closed but will lift over thick floor coverings on the opening side. Rising butt hinges are only suitable for use with wooden doors, and are best used in certain applications. This article will address the best uses for rising butt hinges and when you should consider installing them.

In Doorways with Thick Floor Coverings

If you have a piece of thick floor covering in the doorway or jamb area that prevents standard doors from easily opening and closing, this is a perfect application for a rising butt hinge. Because the hinge will slightly lift the door as you open it, it makes it perfect for bypassing or rising above the floor obstruction caused by the thick piece of floor covering.

However, when installing a rising butt hinge in this situation, you'll also want to make sure that the installation height of the rising butt hinge is adjusted just right in order to keep the bottom of the door from scraping against the thick floor covering when the door is being closed.

When an Easily Removable Door Is Needed

Another time that it is a very good idea to use a rising butt hinge is when you'll want to install a door that can later be easily removed. Because of the way rising butt hinges work, a door can easily be lifted up off of the hinges after it has been installed.

One application where this might be particularly useful is if you are installing a half door above a lower half-height door with a countertop installed. For instance, if you have a barn or horse stable that has a tack room in it, this type of installation makes it easy to remove the upper section of a door which will allow the tack room manager to better service and handle requests from other employees in the barn or stable. This is also an effective application for rooms where parts or components need to be handed out quickly and easily while discouraging entry into the room.

When a Self Closing Door Is Desired

Although rising butt hinges won't cause a door to automatically close all the way, they do tend to draw the door toward the closed position. Therefore, if you are seeking a door that encourages people to that enter a building or room and close the door, a door installed with a rising butt hinge is a very good idea. Most people will notice that the door starts to close behind them and then simply push the door shut.

Although rising butt hinges can cause a door to start to close on its own, these types of hinges also require frequent oiling in order to make that happen. So, you need to periodically use some penetrating oil or three-in-one oil to keep the hinges lubricated.