I’m putting new hinges on old stained wood kitchen doors. The doors didn’t close all the way before, and they don’t now with the new hinges. How do I fix this? Do I move the new hinges slightly up or down so I’m not going into the same bad hole? Or, do I sand the edge of the inside of the door so it will close? Help!
Jeannie
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There are a few ways to interpret your problem, as well as a few possibilities. If the cabinet door will not shut fully, can you describe the hinges or photograph them? Very posibble they are adjustable. Sanding or otherwise trimming them is very unlikely to be the solution. Ideally take a pic or two of the cabinet doors showing the problem exactly and the type of hinges or at the very least describe both as well as you can...
PaulB
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They are the offset hinges. Same size as the ones I'm replacing. I'm thinking the holes in the wood on the cabinet frame itself where the original ones were put were not right. I'd like to move the holes over just a tiny bit, but when I try to put the new screws in, they slip over into the old holes. How can I cover up the old holes and move to a new one?
Well, if you want to try that glue some toothpicks or wooden matchsticks into the holes and try redrilling new ones...PaulB
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Thanks, Paul. I'll try it and see if it works.
Jeannie
What type hinges? European? or leaf? or surface mount?
What sort of door? full overlay, recessed or full inset?
What type cab? Frame or frameless?
Solid wood cabs or barf board?
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If the problem is that the knob edge of the door is sticking out farther than the hinge side, then likely the hinges and/or door edge are bumping into the door frame before the door is all the way closed. Careful observation of the hinge will tell you if parts of the hinge are hitting each other before the door is all the way closed, or, similarly, if the hinge edge of the door is hitting the door frame.
If this seems to be the problem it's sometimes possible to bend the hinges, depending on hinge style. What you do basically is take something (like several layers of cardboard from a cereal carton) and stick it between the parts that are hitting each other while you (gently) force the door closed.
If this doesn't work (or it looks like the hinge can't be easily bent) then you'd need to remove the hinges and chisel/plane down the door and/or frame edges, removing more material near the back side (towards the inside of the cabinet) so that the opening is tapered slightly, getting larger towards the inside, while the door is similarly tapered, getting smaller towards the inside.
Are the cabinets hung plumb?
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yah, there is a whole world of potential causes for the problem that seem to be not considered. I want to know the cause before prescribing a solution
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You really need to do some problem solving before going forward. I'm guessing you have lipped doors. Moving hinges may expose marks from the previous ones on the face frame. You can move the part that attaches to the doors but first you need to know what's happening. It's not unusual for the rabbet to hit on the face frame. It may be on the hinge side or any other of the four surfaces. If it's on the hinge side, moving the hinge on the door may solve the binding but it could also make the opposite rabbet hit. Don't forget to look if the rabbet is hitting on the top or bottom, too.
There should be 1/8" clearance all around where the door meets the frame. The rabbet is 3/8" x 3/8". The hinges automatically allow that 1/8" clearance, if correctly positioned. Since moving the exposed part of the hinge may show marks, you may have to either move the unexposed part of the hinge on the back of the door, or cut the offending rabbet. Sanding isn't going to do it, it will have to be cut. There are several ways to do this, rabbet plane, router, table saw. If you put some chalk on the rabbet, you may be able to tell if it's hitting and keeping the door from closing. Then you can make the decision if moving the hinge on the door out, or up, or down will solve the issue. It's always possible the exposed part of the hinge is set too far back and the hinge itself, on the backside, is hitting on the rabbet. It's just one of those situations where you have to identify the problem before finding a solution.
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