Friday, 8 May 2009

Cabinet Hinges

Most modern cabinet hinges comprise two pieces, the hinge itself which is fixed to the door by insertion into a pre drilled 35mm dia hole and then screwed. This can then be attached to the cabinet by means of a mounting plate which is screwed in the appropriate position on the cabinet. The 'old' way of linking the hinge and mounting plate was by screw but more recently a clip on mechanism has been developed which is much more user friendly and allows the door to be quickly removed without disturbing the adjustment.



When replacing cabinet doors it is best, if at all possible, to retain the hinge positions. If the existing hinges are satisfactory these may be used again and swapping doors becomes a simple matter of unscrewing the old door and screwing the hinges to the new door.


Most kitchen size doors have only two hinges, (top & bottom). You need to measure the distance of the CENTRE of the top hole from the top of the door, likewise for the bottom, see picture.

The positions of the holes from the door side are constant, therefore do not worry about this. We suggest that you make a small pencil mark at the centre of each hinge to make measuring easier. It is not unknown for every door to be drilled differently therefore you should measure each one to be sure. More hints and measuring tips may be found at our comprehensive
The most common type of hinge, usually described as standard, allows the door to be opened up to an angle of about 100 degrees which is sufficient for most applications. In tight corners this may not be enough to gain access and in these cases 170 degree hinges, which allow the door to almost double back on itself are used. Both of these hinge types are usually fitted with springs which allows them to self close when the door is only partially open. Learn more about cabinet hinges on our website.