How to Adjust Cabinet Doors: 3 Simple Ways

We've all had to face that irritating cabinet door that doesn't close just right, is misaligned or is naggingly loose on its hinges. The good news is that cabinet doors are generally simply made with basic hinges and screws that allow for making adjustments or replacing. The trick is to understand what the problem is and how to properly address any issues, whether it's a simple tightening job, making adjustments to misaligned cabinet doors or fixing cabinet doors that are not closing like they should be closing.

At the Wholesale Cabinet Supply Company, we not only provide quality ready-to-assemble cabinets and offer free kitchen design, but we also ensure our customers get personal service and know the ins and outs of their DIY projects. As the do-it-yourselfers of the world grow each year, there is an increasing demand for easy-to-understand tips and tricks for installing and adjusting cabinets and any number of other home projects. Here are three easy tips for how to adjust cabinet doors.

Cabinet Door Tightening

When it comes to tightening your cabinet doors, all you need is a good screwdriver. If the door feels loose on its hinge, open it up and tighten the screws that are holding the hinge to the door. If the cabinet doors are loose, then you don’t necessarily need to assume that these require replacement hinges. Oftentimes, all you need to do is tighten or adjust the various screws to tighten the doors again.

Once you have tightened the screws, check to see if the door is tightly set in place. If it is nice and tight at this stage, then there is nothing more you need to do to address this issue. If you test it and it is still loose, then check to see if the rest of the screws need to be tightened.

Making Adjustments to Misaligned Cabinet Doors

Misaligned cabinet doors are usually caused by the hinges being loose or not leveled properly. Open up the door and tighten the screws on the hinge, being careful not to over-tighten them. Once the screws are tight, check to see if the door is still misaligned. If it is, then you will need to make a few adjustments to the hinges themselves.

To do this, you will need to loosen the screws that hold the hinge in place and then tap the hinge until it is level with the door opening. Once it is level, tighten the screws back into place and check to see if the door is now aligned. If it is, then great! You're all set. If not, you may need to make a few more adjustments to the hinge until the door is properly aligned.

Adjusting Cabinet Doors That Don't Close As They Should

If your cabinet doors are not closing as they should, then you may need to reexamine the hinges, as they could still be loose or need to be adjusted. At this stage, you'll just be focusing on the screws and hinges that hold the cabinet doors in place on the inside of the cabinet.

Take a look at the horizontal adjusting screw and gauge whether the issue lies here. You can turn the screws clockwise for each hinge to move the cabinet door left or right horizontally. For this step, there is a chance you may need to slightly loosen the locking screw. If this is necessary, be sure to re-tighten it once you have aligned the door.

After you have made these adjustments, test the doors again. It may take some trial and error, and you may not have to adjust the cabinet doors that significantly, but in time your cabinet doors should open and close as expected.

Get in Touch with The Wholesale Cabinet Supply Company Today

Whether you need RTA cabinets, have questions about a specific brand or want to check out kitchen cabinet samples, the Wholesale Cabinet Supply Company can help. As a leading supplier of wholesale kitchen cabinets, we are proud to support the growing DIY movement and offer a wide variety of styles, colors and finishes to choose from.