Replace Cabinet Hinges

Cabinet hinges are the hinge pins of kitchen function—they get hammered open and slammed shut thousands of times before they wear out, sag, or simply decide to let the door hang crooked. When a cabinet door starts to droop, won't close cleanly, or you hear creaking every time you reach for a plate, the hinge usually takes the blame. The good news is that replacing them is one of the easiest repairs in the kitchen. You don't need to remove the door most of the time, you don't need new mounting holes, and the whole job takes maybe an hour for a full run of cabinets. The hard part is knowing which hinge type you have and whether you need to adjust it once it's installed.

1. Find Your Hinge Type First. Open the cabinet door and look at the hinge. There are three common types: face-frame hinges (visible from outside, mounted on the frame), concealed or European hinges (hidden inside the cabinet when the door closes, with a round or oblong cup), and wrap-around hinges (older cabinets, visible, mounted to the frame edge). Look at how many mounting screws it has and whether it's adjustable. Take a close-up photo. Write down the measurements: the distance from the hinge center to the top of the door, and the hinge plate width. This tells you the size to buy.
2. Document Adjustment Screws. Keep the door closed. Look for the small screws on the hinge—usually there are two or three. One controls horizontal (left-right) adjustment, one controls vertical (up-down) adjustment, and one may control depth (forward-back). Write down which screw does what by checking the hinge manual or taking a reference photo. Remove these screws and set them aside in a labeled container. Do not remove the main mounting screws yet.
3. Extract Main Mounting Screws. Open the door fully and support it with one hand or a wedge so it doesn't swing closed on you. Using the correct-sized screwdriver (Phillips or square-drive, depending on your hinge), remove the main mounting screws that hold the hinge plate to the cabinet frame. Start with the top screw, then the bottom, then any middle screws. Keep the screws in order. The door will be supported by your hand and the other hinges, so it won't fall.
4. Release Old Hinge Plate. Once all the mounting screws are out, gently pull the hinge plate away from the frame. It should come off cleanly. If it's stuck, tap it lightly with a rubber mallet on the side, not the face. Inspect the mounting holes in the frame—they should be clean and undamaged. If they're stripped or enlarged, you'll need to fill them with wood filler and re-drill, but usually the holes are fine and you can reuse them.
5. Verify Hinge Compatibility. Lay the old and new hinges side by side. Confirm they have the same mounting hole spacing, the same hinge barrel diameter, and the same overall dimensions. If you ordered the correct hinge, they should align exactly. If they don't, you ordered the wrong type—stop here and get the right one. Also inspect where the hinge was mounted; if you see gouges or deep scratches in the wood, fill them with matching wood putty before installing the new hinge.
6. Secure New Hinge Plate. Align the new hinge plate with the existing mounting holes. The hinge barrel should point in the same direction as the old one. Slide the new plate into place and start the top mounting screw by hand—turn it three or four times to set the threads. Do the same with the bottom screw. Then go back and tighten both firmly, then add any middle screws. Don't over-tighten; you want them snug, not stripped. The hinge should be flat against the frame with no gaps.
7. Assess Door Alignment. Close the door gently and look at the gaps. The door should be centered in the opening with even gaps on the top, bottom, and hinge side. If it's crooked, crooked, or sagging, you'll need to adjust it before reinstalling the adjustment screws. The hinge adjustment screws control three things: vertical (top-bottom), horizontal (left-right), and depth (forward-back). Most sagging is vertical—the bottom of the door is lower than the top.
8. Lift Sagging Doors. If the bottom of the door hangs lower than the top, find the vertical adjustment screw on the hinge (usually marked with an up-down arrow). Turn it clockwise to raise the door. Make small quarter-turns, close the door, check the fit, and repeat. Adjust the top hinge if the top is too high, and the bottom hinge if the bottom is too low. Get the door level before moving to the next adjustment.
9. Center Door Left-Right. If the door leans toward the hinge or the frame, find the horizontal (left-right) adjustment screw, usually marked with arrows pointing left and right. Turning it clockwise typically moves the door toward the frame; counterclockwise moves it away. Again, use quarter-turns, close and check. Adjust both the top and bottom hinges to keep the door centered.
10. Fine-Tune Door Depth. If the door sticks out too far from the frame or sits too deep, find the depth adjustment screw (sometimes labeled with arrows pointing forward-back). Turn it in small increments. This adjustment pushes or pulls the entire hinge forward or backward. Modern hinges have limited depth adjustment—usually no more than a quarter-inch of total movement. If the door is badly misaligned in depth, the mounting holes themselves may be in the wrong place.
11. Lock Adjustments In Place. Once the door is hanging correctly, reinstall the three adjustment screws in their original positions. Tighten them firmly so they don't vibrate loose. Do a final close-and-check. The door should open and close smoothly with no rubbing, no gaps wider than 1/8 inch, and no sagging over the next few weeks. If you've adjusted everything and it still sags, the second hinge may need adjustment too, or the frame may be twisted.
12. Check Back Tomorrow. Move to the next cabinet door and repeat the process. Once you've replaced all the hinges you're working on, close them all and walk away. Give the kitchen 24 hours of use before you declare the job done. A new door sometimes settles slightly—come back and do a final fit check the next day. If a door has sagged again, one quarter-turn of the vertical screw usually brings it back. This is normal; the wood fibers compress slightly under the weight of the door.