Adjust Kitchen Cabinet Hinges and Know What Are You Even Doing

If you want to choose the best hinges for your kitchen cabinets, make sure they are adjustable. Hinges that adjust allow you to change the height of the doors and drawers, which is important if you have uneven floorboards, children who are tall or short growing up, or young adults who will become shorter. When you find them you may want to search something like ‘kitchen cabinet makers near me’ to place them correctly and we already know someone who can help you with that!

Here are some ideas for adjusting different hinge types:

  • Some cabinet hinges can be fixed with a screw or a bolt through the door frame into the cabinet itself; this is particularly useful if the cabinet is at an awkward height.
  • Some hinges are adjustable by sliding a peg up or down inside the hinge itself; this type is best suited to cabinets where the woodwork around the doors allows more space at the top and bottom of the legs. It also allows for a more consistent height for every door.
  • Some hinges have an internal screw mechanism for adjusting the height. This is especially suitable for doors that need to be raised or lowered more than half an inch on each side.

Generally you will find that hinges made of steel or aluminum are far more adjustable than other options. 

Why do you even need to adjust cabinet hinges? 

We know, 99,9% of the time adjusting the cabinet hinges is not exactly what you think about. The 0,01% is reserved for people who really, REALLY have too much time on their hands and think “hmm, I think it’s time to adjust the cabinet hinges” out of nowhere. 

In reality, you only think about adjusting the hinges when they become loose and stop the cabinet doors from performing their one and only function: from closing and providing proper storage. 

Adjustable hinges also allow you to choose the best possible door closing position. The adjustment allows you to set the gap between the door frame and the cabinet frame at any point, so that doors don’t hit cupboards or furniture. 

For example, doors can be pushed all the way in for easy cleaning or for very small children, or left open a crack for safety – but only if they fit properly in the first place.

Types of Cabinet Hinges for your Kitchen

Surprisingly, the amount of types of hinges out there is enormous. Most likely, in Canada, you have one of these: 

  • Piviot; 
  • Strap;
  • Wrap around;
  • Full Overlay;
  • Half Overlay;
  • Flush hinges (on older cabinets, almost antique at this point). 

That’s not even half of the list — but these are the most common options. You might be thinking: what is it exactly that makes one kind of hinge better than another? Well, it’s the material they are made of, the hinges durability and stability will depend on what you want to use them for. You can actually shock the furniture store employees by asking for guidance o the hinges. Here’s how to choose the best option. 

Pivot vs Strap Hinges

Nothing will happen if they are not aligned. Make sure they are parallel and that you do not have any jiggling in them. If there is, then you see the cables knocking against each other and it can cause tears in the wood, eventually leading to breakage of the hinge. You can find them both at Home Depot or any other hardware store.

They are generally used on doors but can be found on drawers as well. They are very inexpensive and the most versatile option.

Wrap Around Hinge

These hinges are good for doors that have an overhang. They don’t have a lot of space to get through, but you can place them on either sides of the door as needed. Some people put them both on sides and behind the door as well. There is no reason not to use them unless it’s a very specific design that doesn’t allow it or something like that. You’ll notice they are available at your hardware store and generally on sale. You can get pretty good deals on them.

Full Overlay Hinge

They’re just as good, but it’s basically the same deal as a wrap around hinge. They are not adjustable and that is a big deal for some people out there. You can’t adjust the height of the door by sliding it up or down, you have to replace it with another one if you want to do that. You can use them for any kind of door or cabinet. You will notice they are available at your hardware store and generally on sale. 

Half Overlay Hinge

These hinges are great for doors that only have to fit where they do, but don’t require any adjustments. For example, a door that has to fit in a tight space or on a wall or something like that. They are not adjustable like the full overlay hinges. You will notice they are available at your hardware store and generally on sale.

Flush Hinges

You might find these on very old cabinets which are not well taken care of or were just never oiled. 99% of the problems with these hinges are better solved by just replacing them. 

Final Advice

Adjustable hinges are extremely important on your kitchen cabinetry. This is particularly true if you have a home with uneven floors, children or young adults who are tall or short and growing up. Adjustable hinges are easy to change as well. Most of them take seconds and your doors will fit right back in the opening.

They can also solve problems like when the doors don’t close properly because they don’t open enough. An adjustable hinge fixes this in a matter of moments and they’re usually very cheap at around $1-5 per hinge. 

Similar Posts