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Adjusting Kitchen Cupboard Spring Loaded Hinges by Webster Trump
In this article, I will be giving a few tips on how to make adjustments to your kitchen or bathroom vanity cabinetry doors that have spring hinges? To recognize if your cabinets have this type of hinge, look at the outer edge of your doors. If there is a slot in the edge of the panel and you can see a small portion of metal on the exterior, then you most likely have spring hinges. The technical term for these is Y-6.
These style door closers were designed to be adjusted..
What Tools Will I Need to Adjust Cupboard Hinges?
- Drill
- Very Small Drill Bit (one thirty second of an inch)
- Magnetic Driver With a Phillips Head Attachment
- Hand-held Screwdriver
Examine all of your kitchen or bathroom doors, paying close attention to what needs to be moved in which direction. If you have doors that are hitting one another when you close them, it may be because the cabinet maker made them too large. In such cases, it may be necessary to have the doors altered just a tad for them to close without hitting each other.
Adjusting the Y-6 Hinges
There will be four screws on the inside of one cupboard door hinge; two on the cabinet member and two holding the hinge fast to the door. There will be a "set" screw that doesn't allow for any adjustment on the door and on the cabinet frame. The other fastener is inserted into an oblong hole to allow for the hinges to be adjusted.
Take out the set screw only on the door and cabinet, then loosen the other screws just enough to allow for things to be moved into a different position. Leave enough tension on the hinge so that the positron of the door can be moved, but is not "flopping" loose. Re-tighten the screw and close the cupboard door in order to inspect how things look. Repeat the procedure on each door as many times that are necessary to get it into perfect alignment.
The changes being made should always be "minor" on every door. You should reposition two cabinet door locations by moving them a little bit rather than making all of the adjustment in one door.
- Important: If a door is NOT touching on the face of the kitchen or bathroom cupboard correctly, DO NOT try to twist it. It is important to always move the hinge plate on the inside of the cupboard frame either at the top or bottom of the door, moving it toward or away from you.
When things are pleasing to your eyes, it is time to drill new holes for the "set" screws to be relocated. When you are making these new set screw holes, you will have to adjust the angle of the drill so you miss the original hole.
You can fill the old holes with toothpicks. Just dab a little glue on the ends, stick them in the holes and break them off. Allow a couple of hours for the carpenters glue to dry.
DO NOT drill all the way through the cabinetry door and ruin the face. It's possible to make a gauging mark with a piece of tape on the drill bit to help you determine how far you should drill. You can also fabricate a small piece of wood and use it aa a stop-block on the drill bit.
Final Things You Need to Do
Lock down the set screws and your project is almost complete. You can make minor adjustments after the screws are fully tightened. It's OK to tap them with the palm of your hand. You do not want to apply a large amount of pressure, but small bumps in various directions are OK.
You should consider getting an expert cabinet installer to adjust kitchen or bathroom cupboard hinges. They will know the tricks that make things work properly. You can try to do-it-yourself (DYI), but it has been my experience that most people just get irritated and end up destroying something. If you have some basic knowledge of how to operate tools and know a little about carpentry, give it a try.
About the Author
If you would like to view a video of this procedure follow this link on how to Adjust Cupboard Hinges.
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