How to Adjust European Cabinet Door Hinges

If your cabinet doors are all askew, don't despair. You can adjust them easily if they have the concealed or European style cabinet hinges. Maybe the doors overlap where they meet in the middle of the cabinets or there are gaps at the tops or bottoms of the doors. These can all be fixed with the turn of a screw. The only trick is to find the right screw.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Flat-bladed screwdriver
• Phillips screwdriver

1. Read the instructions that came with your cabinets if you still have them. These should tell you which screw to turn to make needed adjustments. If you don't have these, you'll have to do it by trial and error.

2. Open the cabinets and remove any faceplates covering screws that are concealed inside the European style hinges. Use a flat-bladed screwdriver to pry off the faceplates. They should pop out easily.

3. Find the adjustment screws, usually on the long arm of the hinge that is attached to the cabinet door.

4. Use the correct screwdriver, normally a Phillips head screwdriver, to turn the screws that move the cabinet doors to a new position.

5. Close the door and check to see if you made the needed improvement. If not, then try another screw until you find the one that moves the door in the correct direction.

6. Replace the faceplate covers on the European style hinges when you have correctly adjusted the doors.

Tips & Warnings

• The rear screw normally moves the door forward or back, and the forward screw moves the door sideways. If you need to move the door up or down, you may have to loosen the screws on the mounting plates that attach the hinges to the door, slide the door up or down, then re-tighten all mounting screws.
• Work with the bottom hinges first to avoid having the cabinet door come off unexpectedly.