Problem(s):
Cabinet door hinge(s) pulled out of the side of a cabinet. Cabinet door hinge(s) pulled out of the cabinet door. Cabinet door fell off the cabinet. Cabinet door hinge(s) do not close properly. Cabinet door hinge(s) soft close is slamming or closing too slowly. Cabinet door hinge(s) are broken.

Solution:
In all cases of the above issues, we insist on replacing ALL of the hinges on a given door. This ensures that all of the hinges have the same geometry, are mounted properly, and are adjusted correctly so that the door will close properly. Additionally, it ensures that the repairs will last, and we can warranty the work.

We primarily use Blum European hinges made in Austria, as they have a proven track record to be reliable and last a long time. For some specialty applications, we use Salice hinges made in Italy.

We typically use a specialty mounting plate that has (3) screws as opposed to (2) and the screw locations are different from the existing hinge, so that we can mount the hinges into new wood. This is particularly applicable if the side of the cabinet is damaged from a hinge tearing out. While we could repair the holes in the cabinet side, they are often mangled and have previous attempts of glue, etc. that would have to be removed. So, rather than spending longer (and costing more), we can use this specialty mounting plate that covers the old damage.

Common Repair Requests:
One option that is commonly requested is to remount the existing hinges or to just replace a single hinge on a door. Some companies will use metal repair plates. Alternatively, some companies will try filling the hinge mounting holes with putty, epoxy, etc. and try to mount a screw into that. However, we do not support these options and here’s why:

Why can’t you just remount the existing hinges or just replace a single hinge on a door?

Once one hinge on a door has issues, it is likely that, due to wear and tear, the other hinges are (or will soon be) similarly compromised. Especially when a door has fallen off, the other hinge(s) can get twisted or bent. When replacing hinges, we want all of the hinges to operate similarly and have the same geometry in order for the door to close properly. To us, the only way forward is to replace ALL of the hinges on a given door with new, identical hinges. This ensures proper functioning and a long lasting fix.

Why can’t you just fill the holes with wood filler, epoxy, JBweld, etc.?

The quick and simple answer is that these materials will either not securely hold a screw (wood filler), don’t hold a screw as well as a wood dowel, or take longer to cure which takes longer to repair (meaning an increased cost for an inferior end result).

If the mounting holes on a cabinet door or cabinet need to be repaired, we prefer to drill them to a known size and fill them with fast setting glue and a solid wood dowel of that same size. We then flush cut the dowel and this is all hidden by the hinge. This method is the strongest and most secure way we know to repair the hinge mounting holes on a door.

If for some reason the hinge mounting location is damaged beyond our ability to reuse it, we have the ability to re-drill the door with a new 35mm hole and mount a new hinge. Aesthetically, this is not preferable to the option of repairing the mounting location, but it can save a cabinet door. Aesthetically, the better option is repairing the existing mounting location, but drilling a new hold can save a cabinet door as a last resort.

Why can’t you just use one of those metal repair plates I saw online?

Besides being visually unattractive (in our opinion), metal repair plates rely on mounting a cabinet door with screws into a thin piece of metal compared to a 16mm wood door. These plates will not be as strong as our dowel repair method, which restores the mounting holes to be fresh wood. This is especially true if the hinges were previously mounted in plastic inserts from the factory. These inserts have a rim on top that sits above the surface of the door. To mount a metal plate in this case, it would require cutting the rim away, so that the plate will sit flush. But for all that work, we feel that it’s a better option to replace the plastic inserts with wood, which provides a much more secure mounting.

Timeline:
1-2 hours

Cost:
$50/hinge or $90 for a typical 2 hinge door