How to install hinges on a cabinet or replace them yourself

Small mechanisms called door hinges for their design are responsible for the proper operation of swing doors. Their fairly simple device ensures free movement of the door during the process of opening and closing. A fully functional mechanism makes it easy to use the door leaf, without any creaks or backlash accompanying its movement. At the moment, door hinges are used both in the construction of entrance openings in buildings and in furniture. In the latter case, smaller mechanisms are used, but with similar operating principles. Do-it-yourself installation of furniture hinges may be required when you are installing new doors in a kitchen cabinet or bedroom closet yourself. Despite their small size, hinges can cause a lot of inconvenience during installation due to the need for accurate calculations of their fixation locations. Also, some work will have to be carried out in weight, which in some cases may require additional hands to help with large furniture components.

Features and types

The simplicity and functionality of the door hinge mechanism has given rise to many of its varieties, designed for use in various types of products for the home interior. Now such devices are found in the following versions:

• Invoices. Used in wardrobes and cabinets with hinged doors;
• Deposits. For small cabinets with low weight doors;
• Heel. More often used in interior doors, they can serve well in cabinets with small fronts;
• Pianos. Found in folding tables with a book design;
• Adit. Suitable for doors of false panels and fixed panels of sliding wardrobes;
• Angular. Designed for the appropriate types of compartments installed in the corners of rooms and having limited space for opening doors;
• Semi-overhead. Used in cabinets with a large number of fronts;
• Mezzanine. They are also “horizontal” hinges used in hanging cabinets in the kitchen.

The use of a particular type of door hinge in a closet depends on many factors, including its style, dimensions, weight of the doors and the method of their fastening. In some cases, due to the physical placement of the door relative to the frame, the compartment requires the use of exclusively corner hinges, which have a greater range of movement compared to traditional overhead hinges. In products with a classic texture, only such mechanisms can be used that will correspond to this style.

Required materials and tools

Installing a door hinge will require disassembling the mechanism, so you will need tools to perform delicate, neat procedures. In addition, other manipulators will be required for general work with the door. A complete list of all tools for installing an overhead hinge model is as follows:

• Screwdriver with a Phillips bit.
• Set of screws.
• Building level.
• Ruler or tape measure.
• Screwdriver.
• Drill.
• Pencil or erasable marker.
• Cutter with a diameter of 35 mm.

The standard layout of a door hinge involves its disassembly into three components:

• The base is in the form of a strip, which is responsible for attaching the hinge to the cabinet panel.
• Cup, which is mounted on the working door.
• The hinge body is a moving part that connects the door to the cabinet body.

The door hinge mechanism is installed using mounting screws screwed into the holes of the mounting plate and cup. The operating parameters of the device are determined by the adjusting screw in the housing. Thus, the hinge mechanism has up to six mandatory fasteners, which are best prepared in advance as spare ones.

Drilling

Next comes drilling

After all measurements have been made, you need to drill holes. Initially, holes for the loop bowl are drilled along the marked lines. Next, you need to align the mount located in the niche to 180 degrees. The places where fasteners will be installed are marked. Then holes are made with which the mount will be attached to the door leaf. The door is installed and leveled using a building level.

Marking

Marking is an integral part of the cabinet layout for the correct installation of the door and the correct operation of its hinges. Mistakes made at this stage will, at a minimum, spoil the appearance of the product, and at maximum, make it impossible to correctly use the swing door mechanism. During the marking process, you will need a pencil or marker to mark the areas for creating holes for the cups of the mechanisms. Therefore, it’s worth starting with the main points of the markup instructions:

• Depending on the weight and size of the door leaf, the number of hinges installed can vary from two to five.
• You should not install the mechanism cup on the very edge of the door facade. It is recommended to maintain a margin of 2–2.2 cm.
• The average distance between hinges on a meter-long door leaf is at least 50 cm. In this case, you need to take into account its weight, which may require a larger number of fastening mechanisms.

Make sure that the areas for installing hinged awnings on the façade are not opposite the cabinet shelves. Otherwise, there is a risk that the door will not close completely due to the fact that the body rests on the shelf platform.

Scheme for calculating the number of furniture hinges for installation

There is no clear answer to the question of how many hinges need to be installed on one swing façade. Each manufacturer of fittings and components gives its own recommendations. Typically, the scheme for calculating the number of furniture hinges is based on two values, the size and weight of the door:

• The height of the door determines the number of connection points to the frame. If the number of hinges is insufficient, the door may bend over time. Its width is no less important. It is recommended not to design facades whose width is too large relative to their height.
• The weight of the door also plays a role. It is logical to assume that a facade made of laminated chipboard, on top of which a mirror sheet will also be glued, will require additional fasteners. Installing a standard number of furniture hinges may not be able to withstand the increased weight - this will require reinforcement.

The standard installation scheme for furniture hinges is as follows.

It can be followed if there are no other recommendations from the manufacturer.

Hole preparation

Holes are created using a drill based on the markings. An electric screwdriver with an appropriate attachment is also suitable as an alternative tool. In addition, the use of a cutter is a must, which ensures that the structural integrity of the door facade and cabinet panel is preserved. Otherwise, drilling a hole can lead to chipping and deformation of the wood panel. The insertion should be made with a depth of no more than 12 mm, which will be enough for a reliable hole for the loop cup platform. It is better to select the drilling speed yourself, based on the density of the material from which the facade and cabinet are made. While chipboard panels are fairly easy to process, natural walnut or ash are distinguished by high strength. For the same reason, you need to ensure that the drill works strictly at an angle of 90 degrees, from which it can easily deviate if you are dealing with hard natural wood.

Hinge Attachment

Due to the fact that the door leaf is a moving object, unlike the cabinet, you need to start attaching the hinge from there. This will make your work easier by eliminating the need to adjust the facade to the hinges when you have to hang it. Installation work with swing mechanisms can be carried out in accordance with the following instructions:

1. At the stage of installing the door hinge, all the flaws in marking and work on the holes may appear if you first place it on the site of future installation. Try to carry out a similar check first, making sure that the platform of the overhead hinge cup fits tightly to the surface of the door leaf over its entire area. Even the slightest deviation can cause the door to warp in the future.
2. Using a pencil and applying a loop, new markings are made for the screws so that they fit evenly into the grooves of the loop.
3. After this, you can install the platform last by screwing in the fasteners using a screwdriver or screwdriver.

Hanging the facade

The complexity of this stage of work lies in the need to manually hang the door leaf with installed hinges so that their bodies fall under the platforms fixed to the cabinet panel. All installation work is carried out in the following sequence:

1. If possible, it is worth turning the cabinet into a horizontal position. This will simplify the process of trying on the façade for further installation.
2. Using a pencil, create markings for future mounting strips into which the hinge mechanisms will be installed.
3. Place the planks exactly according to the markings and secure with self-tapping screws using a screwdriver.
4. Install the door on the side of the cabinet, being careful not to deviate from the marked positions for the hinges.
5. You can begin to fully assemble the hinges by connecting their front and base platforms using the housing. The result is finished swing mechanisms, ready for work.
6. At the last stage, you will need to adjust the hinge using a screwdriver. The main role in this task will be played by the corresponding screw in the housing of the central component of the mechanism.

Adjusting the hinges

Despite the fact that some users carry out the adjustment procedure “by eye” when the cabinet door leaf has not yet been installed on the furniture structure, this approach cannot be called correct. By starting the adjustment stage after hanging the facade, you will get a complete picture of how your manipulations with the hinge adjustment screw will affect both the appearance and ease of use of the door. Prepare in advance for the fact that you will need to unscrew and tighten the screw in the mechanism body several times before you achieve the ideal location of the door leaf. In the process, it is recommended to use a manual rather than an automatic tool, which is why it is better to give preference to a Phillips screwdriver. A screwdriver, although capable of manipulating a screw much faster, can put too much stress on the component and wear out its head. You will need to make adjustments based on three parameters of the facade location, which will be discussed in more detail below.

Adjustment for horizontal discrepancy

The position of the door leaf is adjusted by moving it to the left or right. Your ultimate goal is to eliminate too large gaps between the front and the cabinet panel. Please note that too narrow a gap will make it impossible for the door to move along the axis of its hinge. Also, adjustments are required in rooms with non-standard walls, where the cabinet may be located at some angle.

Vertical adjustment

Unlike horizontal adjustment, vertical adjustment in the up and down directions is made by manipulating the oval fasteners in the hinge mechanism. The next difference from the horizontal adjustment procedure is the fact that the vertical position of the facade may “sag” over time due to the constant influence of gravity. For this reason, vertical adjustments have to be made on a regular basis.

Door depth adjustment

Depth means adjusting the position of the door relative to the cabinet body, which also affects the gap between them. For most users, provided that the installation is correct and the markings are correct, this type of adjustment is almost not required. Most often, façade adjustments are made in rooms with uneven floors, which can cause difficult door movement.

Types of adjustment of fastening systems

What is this process and what is its purpose? When it is carried out, it is possible to identify existing defects that were made during the installation of fastening devices. After identifying it, you need to unscrew the mounting bolt, or, on the contrary, tighten it if it is loose. As soon as you see that your door is sagging, it means it needs to be adjusted. If you do not correct the defect at the initial stage, if you do not tighten the material properly, the door will simply rip out.

The depth of the fastenings is adjustable in cases where the room has uneven floors. In such cases, the fasteners are loosened or tightened. No special tools are required for this; you can get by with a simple screwdriver.

Horizontal adjustment is required if there is any unevenness in the floor. This helps eliminate the gaps that have appeared between the cabinet and the door.

To install the doors at the required level, you will need to adjust them vertically. In order to prevent sagging, their systematic regulation is necessary.

Attaching hinges to glass doors

With the growing popularity of tempered glass furniture, the range of fittings that can work properly with this material has also expanded. Despite the increased strength indicators compared to traditional glass, tempered glass is still much more vulnerable to mechanical stress than wood and chipboard panels. Therefore, for doors made of this material, certain types of hinges with a fundamentally different type of fastening element are produced. The first difference between these mechanisms is their increased strength and load-carrying capacity due to the high weight of the glass. The following metals are used as the basis for glass door hinges:

• Bronze;
• Aluminum;
• Zinc alloy;
• Stainless steel alloy.

According to the principle of fastening, hinge mechanisms can be overhead or mortise. The latter traditionally require the creation of holes for fixing screws, when the former rely on holding the glass facade by applying high pressure to it. In this case, overhead hinges can work on the principle of clamping with platforms on both sides of the glass door or using fixing screws that press the facade inside the hinge mechanism.

Installation stages

Let's learn how to install furniture hinges on cabinet doors. Before we begin installation, we pay attention to sliding systems for cabinets (it doesn’t matter whether they are kitchen or compartment), the type of fastening device depends on them. They vary in material, design, functionality, construction and style. Therefore, it is important to decide for yourself what material and what size the furniture will be made of, and based on this, choose the mounting bracket. Typically, some fasteners have their own design style, but regular cabinet doors can be secured with standard half-overlay and overlay fasteners.

It is best to take fastening devices that have personal quality certificates. This will save you from possible problems, and the furniture will last much longer. Based on all this, the choice of fastening devices should be based on the following details:

• the direct role of the fastening for cabinet doors is to ensure that the doors open and close;
• it is important to pay attention to what the door is made of, namely how thick the material is;
• The material of the hinges is no less important: as a rule, special alloys are used in their production to protect them from corrosion and deformation.

Hinge mechanisms often last much longer than their service life if they are securely fastened. To understand how to properly attach hinges to a cabinet, you need to know about the types of fastening devices.