If you are annoyed by scraping, bumping, or misaligned bathroom or kitchen cabinet doors, you may need to adjust the hinges. Cabinet hinge adjustment is one of the easiest and most inexpensive fixes you can make to your kitchen and bathroom. It’s also a DIY kitchen cabinet project that you need to do regularly, because gravity and frequent use cause cabinet doors to fall out of adjustment and sag on their hinges over time. All you need to adjust cabinet doors is a screwdriver, a hammer, and possibly some replacement screws. Learn how to adjust cabinet door hinges quickly to restore door alignment.
The Spruce / Letícia Almeida
Before You Begin
Check your hinge type before you begin. Most cabinets today have fully adjustable hinges with three directional adjustments: up and down, side to side, and in and out (or depth). Most hinges have mechanisms for side-to-side and depth adjustments, while some are adjusted up and down using the screws that mount the hinges to the cabinet. Others have a mechanism for this, too, and you don’t have to loosen the mounting screws.
In the past, only select frameless cabinets had this type of adjustment. But today, almost all cabinets have adjustable hinges. If each of your hinges has two or more screws in addition to the mounting screws, you have fully adjustable hinges.
Make sure the mounting screws are secure before you start because if they are not, this can cause movement of the cabinet door in the hinge.
Instructions
The Spruce / Meg MacDonald
How to Adjust a Cabinet Door Up or Down
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Tighten Loose Mounting Screws
Open the cabinet door and look at the part of the hinge attached to the cabinet box. Two screws, located at the top and bottom of the hinge, mount the hinge to the cabinet. Turn these screws clockwise to make sure the door is secure.
Often, if the issue is more about loose rather than misaligned cabinet doors, this will solve the problem. If not, move on to the next step.
Credit: The Spruce / Meg MacDonald
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Locate the Adjustment Screws
If the door is still too high or low, look for screws on the hinge that allow you to adjust the door up and down. These are characterized by two oval holes on the cabinet hinge that allow some play between the hinge and the screws.
Credit: The Spruce / Meg MacDonald
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Loosen the Screws
Slightly loosen the two mounting screws on both hinges. Often, turning the screw a quarter-turn or less counter-clockwise is enough to loosen the screws enough to let you move the door. It’s preferable to have the screws too tight than too loose.
Credit: The Spruce / Meg MacDonald
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Adjust the Door
- Gently close the cabinet door.
- With the door still closed, adjust the cabinet door to the desired height.
Credit: The Spruce / Meg MacDonald
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Open the Door
Open the cabinet door again, being careful not to jostle the door out of position.
Credit: The Spruce / Meg MacDonald
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Retighten the Screws
- Retighten the screws by hand.
- Close the door and check its position.
Credit: The Spruce / Meg MacDonald
How to Adjust a Cabinet Door Side to Side
Use the side-to-side adjustment feature on the hinges to move the door right or left, to align it with its neighbor, or with the edges of the cabinet box. You can adjust one or both hinges on each door, depending on how much correction it needs.
- If the door seems to be tilting down to the right, turn the side-to-side screw on the top hinge so the hinge pulls closer to the side of the cabinet box, thus moving the top of the door to the left.
- If that doesn’t quite do it, adjust the side-to-side screw on the bottom hinge to move the hinge away from the cabinet box, moving the bottom of the door to the right.
How to Adjust a Cabinet Door In or Out
Use the depth adjustment screw to move the door in and out from the cabinet box.
- Push the door inward or pull it outward to the desired location. Then, tighten the screw to hold the door in place.
- If the door doesn’t meet the box at the top, adjust the top hinge toward the cabinet and/or adjust the bottom hinge away from the cabinet.
- If the door has a gap at the bottom, do the reverse.
- Close the door after each minor adjustment to make sure you’re moving it in the right direction and to see if it needs more adjustment. This is a trial-and-error process, and fine-tuning is usually needed.
FAQ
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Surface-mount hinges that mount to the front of the cabinet face frame may have some up-and-down adjustment provided by elongated screw holes for the mounting screws. Otherwise, remove non-adjustable hinges to reposition the doors. The mark left behind in the hinge’s old spot inside the door will not be obvious.
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The visible, dark, and noticeable gaps and lines between cabinet elements are normal and called reveals. A reveal’s width can vary, but it’s typically limited by the hinge’s capacity.
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Adjusting one cabinet door may throw off the look of an entire row of cabinet doors. You may need to tweak all doors a bit for aesthetics and consistent spacing. This may require a compromise between aligning the outside door edge with the outside of the cabinet and aligning the inside edge with the neighboring door. Stand back a few feet and view the cabinets as a collection. A laser level can help you draw temporary vertical or horizontal lines that run across several cabinet doors at once.
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Yes, soft-close cabinet door hinges can be adjusted, but it’s best to consult the manufacturer’s instructions because each brand has different methods of handling different switches or mechanisms.
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