What Is a Wrap-Around Door?

Identification

• Wrap-around doors have hinges with plates that form around the back edge of a cabinet door or its face frame. When you open a wrap-around door on a cabinet, the door swings 270 degrees to a point next to the cabinet's side. The door style helps to prevent the door from closing on its own and makes its furniture require less space when the door is open, which is beneficial in smaller spaces. An attic door that swings down from the ceiling also employs a wrap-around style.

Styles

• A full wrap-around door, also known as a back-to-back door, has a frame wing hinge that wraps around three sides of a cabinet’s frame and attaches to the inside edge of the cabinet door. A partial wrap-around door has a frame wing hinge that wraps around only two sides of a cabinet’s frame and attaches to the outer edge of a cabinet door. Wrap-around doors tend to work best on cabinets without frames

Hinge Types

• No-mortise hinges for a wrap-around door wrap around the back of the door, and the hinges do not require you to mortise the door or frame. Therefore, the door gap is small. No-mortise hinges are available with decorative tips and may include features that do not allow a door to close independently. Butt hinges for a wrap-around door generally wrap around the back of the door; options for them include decorative tips. Double-wrap hinges work well for full inset wrap-around doors because the leaf of each hinge wraps around the back of its door and the face frame.

Hinge Materials

• Wrap-around door hinges are generally made of steel, brass or aluminum. The finishes of hinges vary, and the materials have a silver or golden tone or resemble nickel. A hinge used on a wrap-around door should be able to support the weight of the door. Brass and steel hinges are usually stronger than hinges made of aluminum.