Furniture closer: types, features of selection and installation

Furniture hinges with a closer are expensive fittings with a complex design. Thanks to the shock absorber built into the hinges, the doors will close independently. The closer ensures tight fixation of the sashes, and smooth closing reduces the likelihood of mechanical damage. Hinges can be different, each type has characteristic features that are important to consider before purchasing accessories.

Furniture hinges with closer

Popular manufacturers of hinges with closers

In furniture stores you can see products of various brands. These can be both expensive and cheaper fittings options.

Table 1. The most popular brands of furniture hinges

Brand	Description
GTV	Polish manufacturer of self-closing hinges. Fittings from this brand are widespread not only in Europe, but also in Asia. Hinges differ from GVS: good quality; affordable price; functionality; durability; ease of installation; modern design. Hinges of this brand ensure smooth closing of doors on furniture.
Boyard	Russian manufacturer of furniture fittings. For the manufacture of canopies with closers, high-quality materials are used. The manufacturer claims that its products are resistant to: mechanical damage; corrosion. Boyard hinges are suitable for installation on furniture made of any materials, for example: glass; chipboard; tree. The manufacturer guarantees: durability of hinges; structural rigidity.
Bloom	An Austrian manufacturer producing high quality fittings. The hinges are different: wide range; expanded functionality. Such hinges have the ability to three-dimensionally adjust their position. Protection is provided against accidental removal of the door from its hinges. Thanks to the short strip, installation of hinges is facilitated. All these characteristics are inherent in canopies: invoices; deposits; semi-invoices.
Hettich	A German furniture manufacturer that offers consumers a wide range of high-quality furniture hinges with various functionality. Hettich produces guides with a closer for quick and slide-on installation, with the possibility of spatial adjustment. Good reliability indicators are ensured: innovative production methods; high-quality material for the manufacture of accessories.
INDAUX	The Spanish manufacturer, which has been operating for more than 55 years, produces high-quality furniture fittings. INDAUX has its own development department, thanks to which the range of soft-close hinges is regularly updated. Manufactured parts comply with European standards - they constantly undergo quality checks.

It is better to choose accessories only from proven popular manufacturers

Prices for various types of furniture hinges

Furniture hinges

Purpose of awnings with closers

Such fittings are widely used in furniture production today. Thanks to the self-closing design, the furniture will retain its appearance during long-term use and will become less susceptible to any damage.

The hinged door closer can be installed on a variety of furniture

Table 2. Designs that are most often equipped with self-closing hinges

Furniture type	Description
Bedroom	It can be: dressing table front; dresser; wardrobe for dresses. Sliding wardrobes and dressing rooms are equipped with sliding systems with a closer, and drawers are equipped with boxes.
Kitchen	This is furniture by type: table; closet Hinges provide convenient closure of any furniture body without making any serious effort.
For living room, children's room	Desks and various cabinets can be protected from damage. The child will be able to close the doors without slamming them.
Office	Often, hinges with a closer are equipped with: computer desk; rack with doors. Such fittings will protect the furniture from any damage during regular use.
Trading	Often such fittings can be seen on glass display cases. Typically, glass cabinets and display cases are installed in commercial establishments to display goods. To install hinges to such furniture, additional frames made of aluminum profiles are used. It is not recommended to install hinges directly on the glass itself. You will have to make holes for the fittings, which is why the rather fragile material may lose its strength qualities. The metal frame will make the design more hopeful.

Adjusting the location of the hinges does not cause difficulties even for a person who has never worked with furniture fittings

Furniture hinges for cabinets: varieties

New trends in modern interior design are increasing the requirements for furniture manufacturing. Elements of modular designs become more functional: I want cabinet doors to be able to open upward, swing open as wide as possible, or even have accordion doors.

To make the desired furniture design, you need to choose the right hinges. The durability of cabinets and ease of use largely depend on these products. Therefore, correctly selected hinges are able to implement the chosen method of opening facades.

Classification of furniture hinges by design

Hinges are metal mechanisms that allow you to close and open furniture facades. Most often, 4-hinge hinges are used for cabinets. The design of such hinges consists of a bowl, a shoulder and a bar. The bowl is used to attach the hinge to the cabinet door, the bar secures it to the body, and the shoulder is the connecting link between the cup and the bar. Inside the bar there is an adjusting screw that allows you to control the position of the door relative to the body.

Based on the method of placing the bowl on the door, 4-hinge hinges come in the following types:

· Overhead hinges are a classic option that allows you to open the door at an angle of 90 degrees. Such hinges are installed on almost any type of rectangular cabinets - chests of drawers, bedside tables, kitchen and bedroom sets. When closed, the product is applied to the end of the side of the body, ensuring a tight fit of the door.

· Semi-overlay hinges - almost identical to overhead hinges, but have a greater bend on the shoulder lever. Thanks to this feature, when opened, they obscure only half of the end of the side wall. Half-overlay hinges are usually used in cases where two doors are hung on both sides of one wall.

· Carousel loops – because of their shape, they are often called “crocodiles”. The products are used for maximum door opening at an angle of up to 165 degrees. They are usually relevant for corner kitchen units with folding doors.

· Corner hinges – convenient in cases where it is necessary to place the door at a certain angle relative to the side wall (from 30 to 180 degrees). The use of corner hinges is advisable for trapezoidal and beveled buildings, as well as facades that open like an accordion.

Selection of corner hinges depending on the type of facade

Design	Closed façade angle (in degrees)
Beveled cabinet end	30-60
Trapezoidal cabinet body	45
Accordion facades	120-135

· Inset hinges are a current option for doors that are installed inside the body. In appearance, these products resemble semi-overlay loops, but have a more curved shoulder.

· Adit hinges are a type of corner hinges. Such hinges are attached with a strip to a false panel installed inside the cabinet. Once installed, they can provide a full 90-degree door opening.

Along with four-hinged hinges, piano and mezzanine hinges are sometimes used in furniture production. Products of the first type look like two long plates connected at hinges. As a rule, piano hinges are installed along the entire length of the door, attached with self-tapping screws through the technical holes.

Mezzanine hinges are installed on the upper cabinets of the kitchen unit. When installing them, the doors open from bottom to top at an angle of 75-110 degrees and are fixed with a stopper.

There are also quite rare types of hinges, which are often supplied with finished furniture. For example, frame products are installed only on glass doors with a frame, and hinges with an overhead type of fasteners are used in cases where it is impossible to mill a hole for a cup. Special hinges for glass are in many ways similar to four-hinged hinges, but differ from them in the appearance of the bowl, which is made of plastic.

Types of hinges according to installation method

Four-hinged hinges are classified not only by design features, but also by the method of installation on the surface of cabinet furniture. According to this criterion, they are divided into the following types:

· Slide-on – a collapsible mechanism, the bar of which is mounted on the body wall separately from the rest of the structure. The arm together with the cup is attached to the bar with a screw. Thanks to special notches made in the place where the screw is screwed in, you can adjust the length of the arm to your liking.

· Key-hol – resembles the Slide-on model, however, the hole for the fixing screw does not have notches, but looks like a keyhole. Due to this design, the arm can be put on a screwed-in screw and fixed in the narrow part of the hole.

· Clip-on – instead of a screw, this mechanism uses a latch. Hinges greatly simplify and speed up the installation of furniture, since the doors can be placed on the cabinet without the use of tools.

Slide-on hinges

Key-hol hinges

Clip-on hinges

For each type of loop, it is necessary to take into account technological features. If selected correctly, installing hinges will not cause any difficulties and will ensure full opening/closing of cabinet doors.

Types of hinges with closer

Manufacturers try to regularly update the fittings they produce, which is why there is a huge variety of furniture hinges on the modern market. Today there are 3 main types of loops that are especially popular.

An example of what door closers look like

Table 3. Types of hinges with closer

View	Description
Standard	The closer in such hinges is built into the arm connected to the bowl. Externally, they are distinguished by a complex shoulder design and have a spring-like shape.
With built-in shock absorber	They allow you to adjust the degree of shock absorber force - closing the door can be made fast or slow, it all depends on the weight and size of the facade. Also, these hinges come with full or partial “absorption” of energy upon impact with the body.
With overhead door closer	The main advantage of such hinges is that the closer is a separate structure and can be purchased without the canopy itself. Such hinges can be removed and installed at any time, however, during installation you need to take into account the manufacturer (both structural elements, hinges and closer, must be the same). If the door is held by three canopies, then the damper can be installed alone, on top or bottom. Overhead closers are: with fastening to the hinge cup; with a snap onto the hinge cup; with a snap on the shoulder of the loop.

Shock absorbers (dampers) for furniture can be installed together with conventional and complex hinges (with a closer). They prevent the door from slamming by absorbing the impact. Thanks to shock absorbers, any furniture will close silently. Dampers for furniture are:

invoices;
mortise.

The damper is an excellent addition to self-closing hinges

They can be:

screw or glue to one of the surfaces of the cabinet;
cut into the end of the housing.

Features of hinges with closer

This type of fittings is actively used in furniture production instead of conventional hinges. The entire design of this part is a canopy with a shock absorber, which allows you to smoothly open and close the doors.

All types of canopies are different:

type;
size;
configurations;
purpose.

The most common type of closers that are found on almost any modern furniture

The main difference between a hinge with a closer and a regular one is its silent, smooth operation. When closing the door there will be no bang or impact, thanks to which the furniture is protected from mechanical damage.

Inside the hinge body there is a spring with a characteristic filling. It could be:

oily;
with silicone medium;
gas.

Doors with such canopies can be opened at different angles, for example 180 or 270 degrees. It all depends on:

type of furniture;
the width to which the cabinet needs to be opened.

Thanks to these hinges, doors can be opened to any width.

The principle of operation of the design

When the doors are closed, the special contents of the spring begin to flow into the sleeve located in the closer capsule. When the loop is acted upon, the liquid begins to move, activating the piston. The door closing speed can be adjusted.

Advantages of hinges with a closer

If you need to equip furniture with high-quality fittings, then you cannot do without hinges with a closer. This part has a lot of advantages over its analogues. Among the advantages, we can highlight:

silent, smooth operation of doors;
high operating period;
possibility of installation even on massive, heavy doors;
high-quality fasteners on the facade;
ease of adjustment;
big variety;
various manufacturers;
the design is protected from leakage of working fluid.

A canopy with a closer is a more practical solution than conventional hinges

Features of fittings

The only purpose of any door closer is to automatically close the doors. It is easy enough to push the sash equipped with it, and it will close itself. In this case, only hinges equipped with a shock absorber operate smoothly. Despite the differences, the design of almost all hinges for frame furniture is the same. The fittings consist of the following elements:

an installation platform with mounting holes, which is located on the wall of the housing;
counter platform - a cup installed on the facade from the inside (recessed or overhead);
a hinge connecting parts of the device;
door closer (optional);
shock absorber (optional);
adjusting elements: strips, pins, fixed with special screws.

The operating principle of this fitting is quite simple, so furniture hinges with a spring closer are not uncommon. In terms of reliability, aesthetics and ease of use, different models differ significantly. Using high-quality hinges with a closer provides the following advantages:

semi-automatic, pleasant-feeling door closing;
absence of irritating pops and blows;
increasing the service life of the facade and body;
simplified adjustment of the door position, adjustment of the speed of operation of the closer;
significant service life of the loop;
an opportunity to demonstrate the status and taste of the owner of the house.

Shock absorbers can be built-in or overhead, which are installed separately. The principle of their operation is identical to the operation of an automobile unit. One of the two communicating chambers is filled with oil or gas. When the door is opened (closed), the working medium in the closer flows through a narrow channel into the second chamber. Since the speed of its movement is limited, the door cannot slam shut sharply.

Purpose of furniture legs, classification of fittings

Nuances when choosing hinges with a closer

It is impossible to say unequivocally which brand of furniture hinges will be better. Each type of fittings is manufactured in accordance with the established requirements of GOST. Typically, the lifespan of furniture hinges starts at 20,000 cycles (opening and closing). However, this figure may vary depending on the load on the fittings. Most modern manufacturers produce canopies that have an average cycle life of 80,000.

When choosing hinges for furniture, it is better to focus on the manufacturer rather than on GOST indicators

It is better to choose hinges from well-known brands. It is not recommended to pay attention to Chinese manufacturers, since there are similar types of fittings that have a relatively low cost and high quality.

It is important to consider the thickness of the material from which the loops are made. If the metal is thick, the entire structure will be heavy, and vice versa. Thin metal, while outwardly presentable, will turn out to be of lower quality, especially if the doors are massive (the hinges are deformed under the weight of the facade).

The material from which the hinges are made must be of high quality

You can also rely on the seller's recommendations. It is unlikely that large stores will sell frankly low-quality accessories, since they are all sales-oriented. A bad part can only be sold once - the buyer will never return to the store.

How to choose furniture hinges with closers?

Furniture hinges with closers, just like regular ones, can be overhead, semi-overhead, internal, etc. You can read more about the types of furniture hinges here.

Regarding the quality control of furniture hinges with closers, no global tests have been carried out. Therefore, it is impossible to say unequivocally which brand and which model is trustworthy and which is not. The mark of compliance with GOST requirements for the quality of furniture hinges (as well as guides for drawers) begins with a resource of 20,000 opening and closing cycles. But this is just a number. Which varies depending on the experimental loads (weight and size of the facade).

Manufacturers of furniture hinges provide a much longer service life for their products, on average from 80,000 cycles. Therefore, there is no particular point in focusing on GOST.

With an abundance of offers, it is better to pay attention to furniture hinges from well-known brands such as Blum, Hettich, Grass, FGV, Ferrari, Hafele, Boyard and others. You shouldn’t buy obviously Chinese counterfeits; there are budget brands that are quite good in quality. Ideally, when choosing, it is better to focus on the premium segment - Blum, Hettich, Grass, if funds allow. The hinges of other brands are no worse and, most likely, at the first comparison you will not notice the difference. But if you have been using a kitchen or any other cabinet for a long time on which Bloom closers were installed, you will feel the difference immediately.

When choosing a hinge with a closer, experienced furniture makers advise comparing the weight and markings of the steel. The thicker the metal on a product, the more it weighs. Thin metal, even with precise calibration of the canopy and a presentable, solid appearance, will not be able to provide the hinge with the required quality characteristics. After all, no one has canceled the law of gravity. And over a long period of service, a heavy facade deforms a canopy with thin metal much faster than with thick one.

When choosing furniture hinges with closers, it is reasonable to rely on the seller’s recommendations. There are furniture fittings stores in almost every city and they are focused on sales to essentially the same people - manufacturers of cabinet furniture. You can sell outright slag once, but no one will come for it the second time. After all, the quality of any fittings is checked during the first installation. Therefore, the assortment of more or less large hardware stores and wholesale suppliers can be completely trusted. And also listen to the recommendations of consultants (they know exactly which products are popular and which are not).

Myths about installing furniture hinges with a closer

Quite often on the Internet you can find “life hacks” that allow you to save money or time when installing hinges. However, such recommendations are not always justified, and in some cases, they can even be harmful.

Not every “life hack” will be useful

Myth one

Closers are not suitable for all doors in the kitchen, but only for the most frequently used ones. This is a rather dubious recommendation. The fact is that you always get used to good things quickly. If you have already developed a habit of a certain type of opening doors, which also close smoothly and silently, then all other facades in the house will close with some “go-ahead”. At such moments, irritation will arise. Therefore, you should not limit yourself, install such accessories on any desired furniture, because their cost is not so high.

You can install fittings in the form of self-closing hinges on almost all furniture

Myth two

To save money, it is better to combine different types of fittings on doors, installing one of the hinges equipped with a closer, and the second without it. This is a wrong recommendation. The fittings installed on the door must belong to the same category, and preferably be produced by the same manufacturer. The fact is that the mechanism of action and rigidity of hinges with a closer and conventional ones are different. If initially after installation there are no problems with setting up the awnings, then after a few days of operation they will certainly appear, for example, deformation, skewed doors.

Saving on accessories such as hinges can negatively affect the reliability of the entire structure

The only justifiable saving option is to install regular hinges on a façade that opens upwards and has a locking mechanism. The fact is that such a mechanism will not allow the closers to function normally, so ordinary hinges are more appropriate in this case.

Tips for choosing

The brand and country of origin testify to the quality of furniture hinges with closers in the same way as when choosing any other product. When purchasing, it is advisable to pay attention to the nuances that are noticeable to the naked eye:

weight of hinges with closer;
smoothness and clarity of movement of moving parts;
absence of play in the operation of the hinge itself, as well as the closer;
no chips, cracks, scratches;
evenness, smoothness of the coating;
Aesthetic, reliable packaging.

It will be useful to study the documents: instructions for the hinges, passports, warranty cards. Solid hieroglyphs probably won’t say anything good. In addition, a manufacturer who cares about its reputation will not hide the true place of manufacture of its product. Nevertheless, there are products whose passport does not indicate either the city or the plant.

Hinges, hinges, closers, shock absorbers without a factory mark, engraving or at least a sticker do not deserve much trust.

Perhaps one of the most serious indicators is the cost of hinges with a closer. A high-quality German item, for example, cannot cost the same as Chinese consumer goods. Although decent products from the latter country are no longer uncommon. The following manufacturers are popular:

Boyard (Russia) has been making hinges with closers and other furniture fittings for decades. The products combine accessibility, acceptable quality, and a wide range.
Blum (Russia) is a company that produces technologically advanced furniture fittings. Their hinges are designed so that adjustment is possible in three planes, and installation is simplified by a special mounting strip.
GTV (Poland) - durable fittings for furniture, the class of which is above average, works smoothly and clearly, is easy to install and configure.
Hettich (Germany) - produces models of hinges from economy class to luxury, including options with a closer. The products are distinguished by the quality of metals and assembly, ease of use, impeccable appearance, and durability.

Scope of application of furniture nails, varieties in shape, size

The quality of the hinges is clearly indicated by the warranty period and the specified resource, that is, the number of opening and closing processes. According to Russian GOSTs, 20,000 cycles are considered acceptable; prestigious models can withstand up to 200 thousand.

Bloom

Boyard GTV Hettich

Self-installation of overhead awnings

Installing hinges is not difficult; anyone can do it. Therefore, it is not necessary to call a specialist to carry out the installation.

Step No. 1 – preparing tools

An important step when installing hinges is preparing the workplace and tools. For installation you will need:

pencil with ruler;
drill;
cutter of appropriate diameter;
screwdriver;
set of screws;
building level.

Prices for a linear series of milling cutters

Fraser

The diameter of the cutter should be similar to the size of the cut part of the hinges

Step No. 2 – marking and preparation for installation

First you need to mark the area for the awnings, following simple recommendations.

Hinges should be placed no closer than 2 centimeters from the edge of the door.
The distance from the top and bottom edges of the loops should be no more than 12 centimeters.
If more than two canopies are installed, the middle one must be placed strictly between the upper and lower ones.
There should be no obstructions, such as shelves, in the places where the hinges will be located.

Making the marking is quite simple - you need to attach the loop to the desired location for further installation and outline it with a pencil.

If the distance between the hole and the edge of the door is too small, the furniture may be damaged during use.

Step No. 3 – installation process

The installation process of each loop occurs according to the following algorithm.

First you need to put the cutter on the drill, then use it to make a hole on the prepared marking.
Now you need to insert the canopy into the connector and check the tightness of the fixation. If everything is good, you can proceed to the next step.
Using a screwdriver, make holes for the screws.
Secure the loop in the socket with self-tapping screws.
Screw the second part of the hinge to the door.

Installation work with hinges does not require much time or effort, you just need to follow the recommendations in the instructions

Prices for the range of drills

Drill

Such manipulations must be repeated with each installed loop. If all recommendations are followed, the fittings will hold the door securely.

Recommendations for installing furniture hinges

Video - Furniture hinges with a closer. Installation

What materials are furniture hinges made from?

When choosing accessories, pay attention not only to appearance, but also to compliance with safety standards. All fasteners that perform a connecting function are manufactured for different types of furniture. You should focus on your product, where such fittings will be installed. For the production of connecting mechanisms the following is often used:

steel;
brass.

Steel hinges with a closer are considered one of the most reliable

The choice of such materials is completely justified and understandable. Steel and brass:

durable materials;
resistant to the destructive effects of corrosion;
have a good slip rate;
withstand heavy loads during operation.

Many are attracted not only by these characteristics, but also by the ability to easily and independently install these elements. The hinges are also highly adjustable. The proposed connecting structures allow you to adjust the façade of all furniture in several planes:

vertical;
horizontal.

A variety of hinges allows you to choose fittings for a specific type of furniture

How to adjust hinges

After installation work, it is important to adjust the closer mechanism and hinges. Thanks to the correct adjustment, the facade will fit tightly to the body or, on the contrary, will be loosened. The adjustment provides:

presentable appearance of the structure;
equal gaps between all parts.

Correctly adjusted hinges are the key to a reliable design

When setting up the fittings, you need to consider the following nuances.

Furniture must be installed relative to the level. If it has legs, leveling it will be easy. First, the gap is adjusted vertically, and then vertically. This adjustment helps to set the necessary gaps if it is not possible to install the furniture clearly in level.
The easiest way to adjust the hinges is with a screwdriver. There will be two screws on the canopy body, which are responsible for the diagonally opposite corners of the facade. By turning the screw closest to the edge, you can turn the sash left or right.
To adjust the height, you need to turn the screws located on the furniture body. To do this, they are weakened, then the desired height of the facade is set, and then fixed again. To make this adjustment, it is also better to use a screwdriver.
To get rid of the gaps that appear between the doors and the body, you need to make adjustments along the plane. If the upper edge of the facade is not held tightly, you need to turn the second bolt on the lower hinge. If the problem is with the bottom edge, the screw on the top hinge should be adjusted.

Hinge adjustment example

Prices for cordless screwdrivers

Cordless screwdriver

Video - Adjusting a furniture hinge with a closer

Nuances of installation and adjustment

The dimensions of the installation cup are, as a rule, standard; almost all factory facades are produced with a recess for it. If it is missing, installation of loops becomes somewhat more complicated. To make a recess, you need a cutter of a suitable size and skills to work with it. However, you can practice on any piece of wood. In addition to the cutter you will need:

drill with various drill bits;
screwdriver, screwdriver;
square, pencil;
tape measure, chisel, hammer;
building level.

Furniture is often installed unevenly due to the curvature of walls and floors. Adjusting the position of the facades will eliminate these shortcomings, at least visually.

Furniture hinges are usually located no further than 12 cm from the top and bottom of the facade. There should be at least two of them per door. If a third hinge is needed, install it in the middle. The product is screwed with self-tapping screws to the wall of the furniture, then the door is attached, and the cup is traced with a pencil. When the recess is ready, everything is easily assembled with a screwdriver. After this, adjust the fittings, achieving “verticality” of the facade and equal gaps on all sides. If the leaf stands out or is located higher than other doors, perform the following actions:

tighten all the screws located closer to the sides of the canopies;
close the doors, pay attention to the general situation;
if the upper corner is directed to the right, tighten the bolts on the upper hinges, and loosen them on the lower ones.

If the sash hangs at an angle, horizontal adjustment of the hinges is required. To do this, the bolt must be tightened so that the desired angle of the door approaches the frame. When installing and operating furniture hinges with a closer, you should not use excessive force.

Adjustment diagram