A Step-by-Step Visual Guide
Cabinet hinges endure a lot of wear and tear over time. Whether it’s a loose hinge, a misaligned door, stripped screws, or damaged wood, a damaged cabinet hinge can make your cabinets look and function poorly. Common symptoms are cabinet doors that sag, stick out, and/or swing improperly. Fortunately, repairing a cabinet hinge is a simple DIY task that requires only a few tools and a bit of patience.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through a recent hinge repair job we completed. This hinge repair basically contained all the common cabinet hinge problems listed below, so it makes for an excellent tutorial.
We’ve also included a video guide as well to accompany this repair blog to better assist you in your repair 🎥 🔨 🔧
Common Cabinet Hinge Problems
Before we dive into the repair, let’s identify some of the most common issues with cabinet hinges:
Loose Hinges – The screws holding the hinge may have loosened over time, causing the door to sag.
Stripped Screw Holes – When screws no longer grip the wood properly, the hinge becomes unstable.
Damaged Wood – When multiple repairs have been attempted on a cabinet door, prior repair attempts may have created numerous pilot holes in the wood. Over time if these holes are not repaired, they can damage the integrity of the wood itself.
Misaligned Doors – The cabinet door may not close properly or appear crooked due to misaligned hinges.
Rusty or Old/Broken Hinges – Hinges exposed to moisture can rust or break, requiring replacement. Often times, it may save time in the future from having to do another repair if you just replace the hinge altogether. More below on how to choose the right replacement hinge for your cabinet repair.
Tools and Materials You’ll Need
Screwdriver (Phillips or flathead, depending on your hinge screws)
Drill and drill bits
Wood glue
Toothpicks or thin wood strips
New screws (if the old ones are stripped)
Clamps (optional)
Replacement hinges (if necessary)
Step 1: Open the Cabinet Door and Separate the Hinge Cup Plate from the Hinge Mounting Plate
At the back of the hinge mounting plate there’s a little spring release that, when pressed, will release the hinge cup plate and allow you to pull off the cabinet door.
Step 2: Repair the Wood and Fix Stripped Screw Holes
Clean out any debris in the hole.
Apply wood glue to several toothpicks or sharpened wood strips and insert them into the hole.
Let the glue dry for about 30 minutes.
Trim off the excess toothpick ends with a utility knife.
Reinsert the screws and tighten them into the newly reinforced hole.
Step 3: Measure & Screw the Hinge Mounting Plates to the Newly Repaired Frame
Measure the distance from the edge of the cabinet to the hinge cup plate (x).
Measure the distance from the top of the cabinet to the hinge cup plate (y).
Subtract the overlay size (how much the door overlaps the cabinet frame) from (y) above. In our case the overlay size is 5/8”. In most cases, the overlay size is 5/8.”
Use the (x) & (y) measurements to drill your new pilot hole into the frame then screw on the new hinge mounting plate.
Step 4: Screw New Hinge Cup Plates to the Cabinet Door
Remove the old hinge cup plate from the cabinet door using a screwdriver or drill.
Choose a new hinge. Bring the old hinge to a hardware store to find an exact match. If you can’t find an identical hinge, choose one with the same hole spacing.
Screw the new hinge cup plates to the cabinet door using a screwdriver or drill.
Step 5: Reattach the Cabinet Door & Make Minor Adjustments
Reattach the cabinet door and fine-tune the alignment. To adjust the cabinet door position using the adjustment screws, locate the adjustment screws on the hinge, typically found on the horizontal arm closest to the door. Turn the screw clockwise to move the door slightly to the right, and counterclockwise to move it left, allowing you to align the door horizontally with the cabinet frame; for vertical adjustments, use the screws on the top and bottom of the hinge to move the door up or down as needed. In our case, we also needed to tighten the screws in the actual cabinet door itself since it contained another set of surface mounted hinges. And that’s it! Hope you learned something valuable. Below is our video walkthrough of the repair.
Watch the full guide on YouTube for a detailed walkthrough! ⬇️
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