Cabinet hinges with spacers

4 years ago

I got this new custom pantry built and installed in my kitchen. Because the doors weren’t centered or lining up, the contractor used these weak spacers and knotches to adjust the hinges. Am I right that this is a sub-par job or are spacers industry standard for cabinetry? What would be the proper solution to this problem?

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (4)

jaja06
4 years ago
That’s interesting. If they had an existing cabinet and doors that weren’t lining up, I would say they did an amazing job of making them line up when closed! But I don’t understand why all of that would be needed if it was a custom built cabinet. It seems like they must have messed up a measurement and then compensated for it at the end.
ci_lantro
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
The problem should have been left to be solved by who ever built the cabinet. Or not, if the cabinet maker is a hack.

Hinges can be incredibly complicated. What I can tell you is that they used compact Euro face frame hinges. The basic least expensive hidden Euro hinge. And installed them in a way not intended for them to be installed. Although you have a framed cabinet, they should have used hinges for frameless cabinets. (More on that below.)

You need different hinges and probably a combination of overlays. As I said, this gets complicated in a hurry. Upside is that the doors are mounted and the spacing has been corrected so you have an easier starting point to figure out the overlays that you need. Common overlays are full, half & inset. Ignore inset; not applicable. Overlays are fine-tuned by using different mounting plates.

You have a framed cabinet but the frame is near flush with the interior sidewalls. So you need to use frameless hinges. And shim the sidewall flush with the frame. Then the appropriate hinges. (Which are going to be considerably more expensive than that basic cheapo hinge they used.)

This should help: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdTHHGUww0A
Related Professionals
Jacksonville Home Remodeling · Bloomington Home Remodeling · Wilmington Home Remodeling · Houston Home Remodeling · South Sioux City Home Remodeling · Gillette Home Remodeling · Killeen Kitchen Remodelers · Williamsburg Kitchen Remodelers · Victoria Bathroom Remodelers · Vernal Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Florence Custom Countertops · Clarksdale Cabinets & Cabinetry · Las Vegas Carpenters · Portsmouth Flooring Contractors · Wenatchee Flooring Contractors
Chris L
Original Author
4 years ago
Supremely helpful, thank you! Are you saying shim the inner wall of the cabinet so that it’s flush with the edge of the frame? At that point I’m wondering if we just need to re-frame the cabinet entirely so we can use framed cabinet hinges.
ci_lantro
4 years ago
Yes, shim flush & use frameless hinges.

I wouldn't go to the bother of a new face frame on the cabinet. Looks like you need only a wee bit of shim on only two hinges in the pictures. Playing cards make good shim stock. Also picture framing mat board where you need slightly thicker shims works great, too.