How to adjust kitchen cabinet doors?

Kitchen cabinets are made of many different materials, with wood being the most common. Cabinets are assembled in a number of ways, but basically consist of boxes on top of one another. The structures can be secured to studs in the wall or float freely on casters.

How to adjust kitchen cabinet doors?

If the doors on your cabinets don’t line up and seem to be hung off by a little bit, this is something you can fix yourself. A small adjustment will have them fitting snugly once again. Read more: How to remove stopper from bathroom sink? Step by step

Tools you’ll need:

• Handsaw or power saw Drill
• Hardware for adjusting the hinges
• Sandpaper
• Hammer
• Caulk
• Latex gloves

Step 1:

Use the screwdriver to remove the hinges from the door and place them on a piece of scrap wood. This will protect your work surface.

Step 2:

The screws that hold the hinges in place need to be tightened. Use the drill or screwdriver to secure the screws. Some hinges have a pin that runs through them, so you will need to drill this out to remove it.

Step 3:

Once the screws are back in place and the pins or screws removed from the hinges, line up each hinge on your work surface then reattach them to the door. Line up the holes on the hinges with the screw holes and tighten each screw securely.

Step 4:

With new hinges, check that the screws are tight after a couple of days. If they come loose easily, then you will need to use a thread-locking compound (available at hardware stores) or use longer screws.

Step 5:

If the hinges are still moving even after you have tightened them you might need to replace them altogether. If this is the case you will need to go into your kitchen and measure where the screws should be attached.

Step 6:

Once your hinges are back in working order, you can move onto the door itself. If it’s off-center to one side then it might not close properly; you need to correct the alignment of the hinges.

Step 7:

The cabinet door should now close automatically. You can make any final adjustments by opening and closing the doors a few times to ensure everything aligns perfectly.

Step 8:

If you need to remove the hinges from the door again after they’ve been adjusted re-attach them and tighten the screws securely. If you find that one of your cabinets is out of alignment and still open a little, you can secure it with a screwdriver.

Step 9:

If you drill the hole for your screws too small your cabinet door will not close properly. If this happens you will need to enlarge the hole slightly. Use a drill to widen the screw hole.

Step 10:

Once you have adjusted your hinges and checked that they are secure, you can start on the door itself. Use a screwdriver to remove the top of your door from its frame. Place it on a piece of scrap wood for protection, then use a saw or power saw to trim off the door edge that’s misaligned.

Step 11:

If the bottom of your door is too wide you can cut it to size. Insert a piece of scrap wood beneath it before cutting with a saw or power saw. Sand the edges smooth after trimming them with a hand or power saw, then use some glue to reattach the top part of the door (called the “door slab”) to its frame.

Step 12:

Once you have glued and allowed it to dry, turn the door over and check that it closes properly. If not you can make some adjustments by hammering a small finishing nail into any gap between the frame and the door slab — such as where two pieces of wood come together — then remove the nail.

Conclusion

Now, your cabinets should be working better than ever. You can adjust the doors on any cabinets in your kitchen to remove misalignment and get them working properly again. Remember that if one door is still not closing properly, check it’s securely attached before reattaching the others and lining them up with each other. And if you need to make any final adjustments after you’ve finished, open and close the cabinet doors a few times to ensure they align properly.