How to Adjust Cabinet Hinges
June 2022
Most households have at least one cupboard or cabinet with a hinge in need of adjustment. Whether the door is not level, is hanging off, or the hinges stick when opening and closing, a simple adjustment can have them back in perfect alignment in a matter of seconds.
In this step-by-step guide, we show you how to quickly and easily adjust hinges found in most UK households.
What are Cabinet Hinges
Cabinet hinges are a common hinge found on a range of domestic furniture including kitchen, bedroom and bathroom cupboards. Cabinet hinges are often referred to as concealed hinges, as they are not visible from the outside.
While the idea of a cabinet hinge sounds simple enough, there is a huge range available to suit all kinds of applications from kitchen cabinetry to specialist environments such as marine hinges.
Adjusting Your Cabinet Hinges – Step-by-Step Process
In this step-by-step guide, we help you quickly and easily adjust your cupboard and cabinet doors so they are level and flush.
What Tools Are Needed to Adjust Door Hinges?
To adjust your cabinet hinge, you’ll need a Phillips or Pozidriv screwdriver, depending on which screws are fitted.
Using a Phillips screwdriver on a Posidriv head can result in slipping and rounding off the head which will then be very difficult to remove. Pozidriv screwdrivers do not fit Phillips heads and forcing them may cause damage.
You can instantly tell which type of crosshead screw you have by looking at the screw head. Pozidriv screws have lines etched into the head and appear in a star-like configuration; Phillips do not.
Step 1: Adjusting Your Hinge Side to Side
This screw is adjusted to ensure the door sits flush and level against the left and right edges of the cabinet.
The back screw, which is to the right as you look at the hinge on a cabinet hinge configuration guides the door side to side. Side to side in this instance means adjusting the door hinge so the door sits closer to, or further away from the cabinet body.
A door which has been over-adjusted using this screw may sit a space between the door and the cabinet body along part or all of its edge.
Step 2: Adjusting Your Hinge In and Out
Adjust this screw until your door sits level vertically with the body of the cabinet on the left and right sides of the unit.
The front screw, which is to the left as you look at the hinge on a cabinet hinge configuration guides the door in and out. This screw adjusts the door edge moving left to right as you look at the closed cabinet.
A door which has been over-adjusted using this screw may sit with the door overhanging the cabinet vertically, either showing the inside edge of the shelving unit or sticking out beyond the edge of the cabinet.
Step 3: Adjusting Your Hinge Up and Down
Adjust this screw until your door sits level horizontally with the body of the cabinet on the top and bottom edges of the unit.
This last screw may be located in one of two places:
- Located in the sunken space between the left and right screws.
- Located as an additional screw on the hinge plate.
A door which has been over-adjusted using this screw may sit with the door overhanging the cabinet horizontally, protruding up beyond the top edge of the cabinet, exposing the bottom frame of the body, or sit too low with the door extending beyond the bottom edge of the cabinet and exposing the top edge of the inside unit.
Shop Cooke Brothers’ Range of Cabinet Hinges Online
Browse our complete range of cabinet hinges and order online, or speak to our team for advice and to discuss bespoke hinge projects.
Cooke Brothers have been manufacturing and supplying cabinet hinges to customers in the UK and beyond since 1872. We pride ourselves on the high quality and robust testing our hinges go through, and our exceptional customer service.
