For a broken kitchen cabinet hinge, diagnose the fault, tighten or adjust, then repair stripped holes or replace the hinge to restore smooth door action.
Cabinet doors take daily abuse. Screws loosen, soft-close parts wear, and wood fibers crush. The good news: most hinge problems are fixable in an hour with basic tools. This guide shows clear steps to get a drooping, rubbing, or wobbly door back on track—without replacing the whole door set.
Fixing A Broken Cabinet Hinge Safely: Tools And Prep
Set the door on a towel-covered counter if you remove it. Keep a few containers handy for screws. A bright work light helps you see tiny adjustment markings on concealed hinges.
Must-Have Tools
- Phillips screwdriver or PZ1/PZ2 driver bit
- Drill/driver with clutch and small bits
- Wood glue and 3/8 in. dowels or toothpicks (for hole repairs)
- Combination square or ruler, pencil, masking tape
- Replacement hinge of the same type if parts are cracked
Quick Diagnosis: What’s Wrong With The Door?
Open and close the door slowly. Watch the gaps at the top, bottom, and the side near the handle. Lightly lift the door by the handle; any play points to loose screws or crushed wood fibers.
Common Symptoms And Fast Fixes
| Symptom | Likely Cause | Quick Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Door rubs the frame on the latch side | Side-to-side misalignment | Turn the side (overlay) screw on each hinge a quarter-turn and re-check. |
| Top edges don’t line up with neighbor | Vertical misalignment | Loosen two mounting-plate screws, nudge plate up/down, retighten. |
| Door corners strike cabinet as it closes | Depth off; door sits too far in/out | Rotate the depth cam on the mounting plate to pull or push the door. |
| Door slowly opens by itself | Overlay or frame not centered; hinge bent | Center gaps with side/depth screws; replace bent hinge if needed. |
| Door slams or won’t stay closed | Soft-close damper worn, spring weak | Adjust damper if present; swap hinge if the spring is broken. |
| Screws won’t tighten | Stripped screw holes | Repair holes with glued dowels/toothpicks; re-drill pilot holes. |
Identify Your Hinge Type Before You Start
Most modern kitchens use concealed “cup” hinges bored into the back of the door. The cup commonly measures 35 mm across, with a snap-on arm and a separate plate on the cabinet side. Older installs may have face-frame-specific compact hinges, surface-mount hinges, or specialty wide-angle models. Matching type keeps hole spacing, open angle, and overlay the same, so the swap stays clean.
Frameless Vs. Face-Frame
Frameless boxes mount the plate to the cabinet side panel. Face-frame boxes use a small plate that lands on the frame. If you change styles during a repair, the door gaps and overlay will change as well, so stick with the style you have unless you plan a full hardware refresh.
Step-By-Step: Tighten, Adjust, Or Replace
Step 1: Tighten Every Connection
Start with the simple move: snug the two screws that hold the hinge cup to the door and the two screws that hold the mounting plate to the cabinet. Set a low clutch on your driver to avoid over-torque. Re-check the door swing.
Step 2: Use The Three-Way Adjustments
Concealed hinges offer three directions of micro-movement. Work in small turns and test between tweaks.
- Side (overlay): Moves the door left/right to even the reveal.
- Height: Slides the door up/down by loosening the plate screws, then retightening.
- Depth: A cam on the plate shifts the door in/out to stop rubbing or poor latching.
If your hinges include soft-close, some models add a tiny damper switch. Set both hinges to the same setting so the action matches.
Step 3: Fix Stripped Screw Holes
If a screw spins without biting, the wood fibers are crushed. Pull the door, clean out loose dust, and repair the holes. A strong, repeatable repair uses short dowels and glue. After the glue cures, drill fresh pilots and reinstall the plate or cup.
Step 4: Replace A Damaged Hinge
Cracked arms, bent cups, or broken dampers call for a swap. Match three things: cup diameter, open angle, and overlay. If you keep those consistent, the door will sit in the same place and the original holes will still work. Swap hinges in pairs on the same door so springs and closing force match.
Door Won’t Sit Right? Run This Troubleshooting Flow
1) Rubbing On The Handle Side
Open the door and turn the side screw on the upper hinge a quarter-turn to move the top corner away from the frame. Repeat on the lower hinge as needed. Keep the vertical gaps even across a row of doors.
2) Door Too High Or Too Low
Loosen the two mounting-plate screws just enough that the plate slides in its slots. Shift the plate up or down by a millimeter or two, tighten, then test. Match the neighbor door by eye or with a straightedge across the top.
3) Door Hits As It Closes
Roll the depth cam to pull the door outward if the back edge scrapes the cabinet. If the latch doesn’t engage, nudge depth back in a hair. A small change goes a long way.
4) Soft-Close Feels Too Strong Or Too Weak
Look for a small toggle on the hinge arm. Set both hinges to the same level. If no change, the damper may be worn; swap the hinge.
When You Need New Holes: Clean Repair That Lasts
To rebuild a chewed-out screw hole, bore a clean, shallow hole, glue in a wood plug, and re-drill a centered pilot. This gives the screw fresh fibers to bite and stops repeat loosening. If the cup hole on the door is damaged or out-of-round, a matching plug-cutter and 35 mm boring jig can rescue the door, but most home fixes stop at screw-hole repairs.
Pilot Holes, Screws, And Hinge Anatomy (Quick Reference)
Picking the right screw and pilot size prevents split panels and keeps adjustments steady. The guide below covers common cases for kitchen doors and plates.
| Material & Part | Pilot Bit Size | Typical Screw |
|---|---|---|
| Door side (hinge cup screws into hardwood) | ~3/32 in. pilot | #6 x 5/8–3/4 in. flat head |
| Cabinet side (mounting plate into hardwood) | ~7/64 in. pilot | #8 x 3/4–1 in. flat head |
| Cabinet side (mounting plate into softwood/MDF) | ~1/16–5/64 in. pilot | #6–#8 x 3/4–1 in. coarse thread |
| Stripped hole repair (dowels) | Drill 3/8 in. for dowel, then 1/8 in. pilot in the plug | #6–#8 screw matching the original hardware |
Match Replacements So Gaps Stay Even
Overlay, Cup, Angle
Overlay is how much the door covers the box. Keep the same overlay to keep reveals even across a bank of doors. The hinge cup is the round recess in the door; most modern cups are 35 mm. The open angle ranges from about 100° to 170°. Pick the same angle so doors clear drawers and neighbors.
Frameless Plates Vs. Face-Frame Plates
Frameless plates screw to the side panel; face-frame plates land on the front frame. Plate height and boring distance change the overlay and reveal, so copy the old plate code if you can. If codes are missing, measure and match by dimension charts from the maker.
Detailed Repair Walkthroughs
Repair A Stripped Mounting Plate Hole
- Remove the door and hinge. Tape off the area to protect the finish.
- Bore a clean 3/8 in. hole where the screw failed and tap in a 3/8 in. x 1 in. hardwood dowel with glue.
- Flush-cut the dowel and let the glue set.
- Mark center, drill a fresh 1/8 in. pilot, and reinstall the plate with a fresh screw.
Swap A Damaged Concealed Hinge
- Note the open angle and overlay. Take a photo of the old hinge markings.
- Release the arm from the plate, unscrew the cup, and lift the hinge out.
- Seat the new cup in the same 35 mm bore. Tighten the two cup screws.
- Snap the arm onto the plate. If it doesn’t snap, raise or lower the plate slightly, then try again.
- Dial in side, height, and depth so the reveal matches neighbor doors.
Pro Tips For Long-Lasting Results
- Set your drill clutch low for hardware; raise it only if the screw stalls.
- Add a third hinge to tall, heavy doors to reduce sag and spread the load.
- Wipe threads with a dot of wax for smoother driving and less tear-out.
- On MDF, use coarse-thread screws and pilots; avoid over-tightening.
- After seasonal humidity swings, revisit side and depth for perfect reveals.
When A Full Door Or Hardware Upgrade Makes Sense
If doors are warped or previous repairs left oversized bores, a set of new doors or repair rings may save time. If you plan a style refresh, soft-close hinges of the same cup and overlay usually drop into the current holes and deliver a cleaner close.
Helpful References While You Work
You can see hinge makers’ adjustment ranges and plate charts in a Blum hinge adjustment sheet. For stripped mounting points, a step-by-step stripped screw holes repair guide shows a clean, repeatable method.
Final Check: Smooth Swing And Even Gaps
Open and close the door five or six times. Listen for scraping. Sight the top edges across the run of doors. If the latch feels off, nudge depth by a tiny step and retest. When the action feels smooth and the gaps are even, you’re done.