Kitchen unit door hinge repair

C

cabinethelp

Joined
8 Apr 2022
Messages
3
Reaction score
0
Country
United Kingdom
Hello, I'd appreciate some help dealing with some faulty kitchen cabinet doors. I've just returned from uni to find my mum having a hard time with these cabinets. Apparently, the wall has worn away to the point where the screws have nothing to screw into. My guess is that -- for a cheap fix (which is desired) -- we should find some sort of replacement slider thing to somehow attach to the cabinet wall so we can screw the hinges back on. I've got next to no experience in this so there's a good chance that's all wrong so would appreciate some guidance on this.

Attached are some pictures of one of the faulty doors.

Cheers.

Door
img_3933-jpeg.4653


Bottom
img_3935-jpeg.4654

Top
img_3936-jpeg.4655
 
BTW

The lower hinge in the image- the "screw" that pushes/pulls the hinge closer/further from the frame has been put in backwards.

I have a sneaking suspicion that if you assemble it correctly, no further work will be required. Loosen both of the screws to the far right on the top and bottom hinges (whilst taking the weight of the door). Pull the door towards you and it will be released. You will then be able to refer to the top hinge to see that the offending "screw" is azz about face.

The above is based on the assumption that these screws are not loose on both hinges (see the red)

IMG_3933.JPEG
 
Hi, thanks all for the help.

If it's not too much, I'd appreciate some clarification for putting it together. I got a pack of hinge repair plates that you recommended and have now taken a look under the broken hinge. I've watched some video tutorials but I'd struggling to see where the repair plate would fit and how I would go about securing it. In particular, the placement of the plate + screwing/drilling process is confusing me. Any advice would be much appreciated. Cheers.


IMG_3963.jpeg
IMG_3962.jpeg
 
cabinethelp said:
Hi, thanks all for the help.

If it's not too much, I'd appreciate some clarification for putting it together. I got a pack of hinge repair plates that you recommended and have now taken a look under the broken hinge. I've watched some video tutorials but I'd struggling to see where the repair plate would fit and how I would go about securing it. In particular, the placement of the plate + screwing/drilling process is confusing me. Any advice would be much appreciated. Cheers.


View attachment 266585 View attachment 266586
Click to expand...

the ones you have bought are not the ones we recommended.

you have bought plates to repair a door.
 
JohnD said:
that's a better price

though the screws shown in the pic look undersized to me

my hinges always come with what I call Euroscrews. Much bigger and coarse thread for chipboard. The cabinets are delivered pre-drilled for them.

https://www.screwfix.com/p/zinc-plated-hinge-screws-m6-x-16mm-100-pack/89259
Click to expand...

The screws are adequate to fix the plates, no pilot holes required. The original screws fix the hinges to the plates.
I have done several of these repairs and not had any fail yet.
 
cabinethelp said:
If it's not too much, I'd appreciate some clarification for putting it together. I got a pack of hinge repair plates that you recommended and have now taken a look under the broken hinge.
Click to expand...
Firstly, you ideally want to relocate the hinges to where they originally were, which is circled in red below:

Kitchen Door Repair 002.jpg


Secondly, as others have said, you have purchased the wrong type of repair plate:

Wrong Repair Plate.jpeg


The correct type looks like this (note the lip at the front and lack of the 35mm diameter hole):

Kitchen Hinge Repair Plates.jpg


The little lip is used to locate the repair plate against the edge of the cabinet and stop it moving whilst you fix the door. Examples of where to buy these include Toolstation, Screwfix and Amazon - but you aren't helped by dunderheads in places like Amazon continually using the wrong names (all 3 of the links I posted have been verified as correct). The plates you have bought are just the wrong type - they are Kitchen Door Repair Plates, not Kitchen Hinge Repair Plates and are NBG for this repair.

cabinethelp said:
I've watched some video tutorials but I'd struggling to see where the repair plate would fit and how I would go about securing it.
Click to expand...
Well, if you've been on YouTube, all I can say is that there a lot of people who don't understand the difference between a door repair and a hinge repair - every one of the first 10 or so I found demonstrated a door repair not a hinge (cabinet side) repair. This is the old problem of people on YouTube not using the correct nomenclature for objects (grrr!). Fortunately this guy gets it right (hurrah!):


Note the way he fixes the hinge cruciform plates with the "hook" facing rearwards.

With all the incorrect descriptions out there and having been supplied the wrong repair plate no wonder you were mystified!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I am still not convinced that a retro mounting plate is required.

InkedIMG_3935_LI.jpg


That screw is back to front. Even if the bottom hinge screws on the cabinet mounting plate are tight, the hinge will flop to the right as the door closes because the screw that adjusts left/right movement is not connected to the existing mounting plate.

I assume that the black tape was used to stop the flopping rather than to stop the whole hinge coming away from the cabinet.

If I am correct, you just need to put the screw in the correct way.

That said, I don't understand why no one else has mentioned it...
 
Maybe because the hinge cruciform plates have been ripped out of the side of the cabinet - and the new drillings are placed potentially a bit too far in from the top/bottom of the door for effective use of the hinge adjusters? TBH, if you have hinges that close together you are far more likely to pull the doors off the cabinet in the near future than you are to get a long service life out of them, so maybe better to reinstate in a more suitable (i.e original) position. Frankly, this sort of repair can often be undertaken with a drill bit, hardwood dowels and glue - but that's classed as old fashioned these days...
 
Last edited by a moderator:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top