How to Fix a Cabinet Door Hinge

A cabinet door that hangs crooked, won’t stay shut, or squeaks every time you open it makes a whole kitchen feel tired — but it’s almost never a sign of real damage. Nine times out of ten the hinge has simply worked loose or drifted out of adjustment, and you can put it right in a few minutes with a screwdriver. This guide walks through every common cabinet hinge problem, from a quick tightening to swapping out a broken hinge entirely.

Before you start, take a moment to work out which problem you actually have, because the fix is different for each.

Diagnose the Problem First

Open the door and watch how it sits and moves. A door that hangs lower on one side or rubs against its neighbour is misaligned and usually just needs adjusting. A door that swings open on its own or won’t latch has a hinge that’s either loose or out of adjustment. A grinding or squeaking noise points to a dry hinge that needs lubricating. And a door that wobbles or pulls away from the frame has loose screws — or screw holes that have stripped out and no longer grip.

Know Your Hinge Type

Most kitchen and bathroom cabinets built in the last few decades use concealed hinges (also called European hinges) — the cup-shaped hinges you only see when the door is open. Their big advantage is that they’re adjustable: small screws let you move the door up, down, sideways, and in and out without removing anything. Older or more traditional cabinets often use exposed hinges mounted on the face of the frame, which are simpler but not adjustable. Knowing which kind you have tells you whether you can fine-tune the door or whether a fix means tightening and, if needed, replacing.

What You’ll Need

For most repairs, a single Phillips screwdriver is all you need. For stripped screw holes, add some wood glue and a handful of wooden toothpicks or matchsticks. For a hinge replacement, you’ll want a set of replacement cabinet hinges that match your existing type, and a cordless drill makes the job faster though it isn’t essential.

Fix 1: Tighten Loose Hinge Screws

This is the most common cause of a wobbly or sagging door and takes about two minutes. Open the door fully and look at the screws holding the hinge to both the door and the cabinet frame. Using a screwdriver, turn each one clockwise until snug. Don’t use a power drill on full torque here — it’s easy to overtighten and strip the hole. If the screws tighten up and the door feels solid again, you’re done.

Fix 2: Repair a Stripped Screw Hole

If a screw just spins and never tightens, the hole has stripped — the wood around it has worn away so there’s nothing for the threads to grip. You don’t need to move the hinge; you need to give the screw fresh wood to bite into.

Remove the screw. Dip two or three wooden toothpicks in wood glue and push them into the hole, then snap them off flush with the surface. Let the glue set for an hour if you can. Then drive the screw back in — it threads into the new wood and grips firmly. For larger holes, a wooden golf tee or a short dowel coated in glue works the same way.

Fix 3: Adjust a Sagging or Misaligned Door

If you have concealed (European) hinges, you can realign a crooked door without removing anything. Each hinge has two or three small adjustment screws, and each one moves the door in a different direction.

The screw nearest the door usually moves it side to side — turn it to close a gap on one edge. The screw that holds the hinge plate to the cabinet wall typically adjusts height; loosen the screws on both hinges slightly, lift the door level, and retighten. A third screw, where present, moves the door in and out so it sits flush with the cabinet face. Make small quarter-turn adjustments, close the door to check, and repeat until it lines up evenly with the doors around it.

Fix 4: Silence a Squeaky Hinge

A squeak is just metal rubbing on metal with no lubrication. Put a small drop of household oil, petroleum jelly, or a dry PTFE lubricant on the moving part of the hinge — the pivot or the arm where it folds. Open and close the door several times to work it in, then wipe away any excess so it doesn’t attract dust. The noise should disappear immediately.

Fix 5: Replace a Broken Hinge

If a hinge is cracked, bent, or rusted beyond cleaning, replace it. The key is matching the new hinge to the old one, especially with concealed hinges, which come in different overlay types depending on how far the door sits over the cabinet frame.

Unscrew and remove the old hinge, and take it with you to the store — or measure the cup diameter (commonly 35mm) and note how the door overlaps the frame. Fit the new hinge into the same holes, screw it to the door first, then to the cabinet, and use the adjustment screws to line the door up. If the original screw holes have worn, repair them with the toothpick method above before fitting the new hinge.

How Much Does It Cost?

Tightening or adjusting a hinge costs nothing. Wood glue and toothpicks to repair a stripped hole are a couple of dollars. A pair of replacement concealed hinges runs about $5 to $15. Compared to a cabinetmaker’s call-out, this is one of the cheapest repairs in the home and rarely takes more than fifteen minutes.

When to Call a Professional

The hinges themselves are a straightforward DIY job, but if the cabinet itself is the problem — the wood where the hinge mounts is cracked, swollen from water damage, or crumbling — that’s worth a closer look. A cabinet that’s pulling apart at the joints or a door that won’t sit right no matter how you adjust it may need the panel repaired or rebuilt, which is where a carpenter or cabinet specialist earns their fee.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I stop a cabinet door from sagging?

First tighten all the hinge screws, since loose screws are the usual cause. If the door still hangs unevenly and you have concealed hinges, use the height adjustment screw to lift it level. If a screw won’t tighten, the hole has stripped and needs repairing with glue and toothpicks before it will hold.

How do I fix a cabinet door that won’t stay closed?

A door that swings open usually has a hinge that’s loose or out of adjustment, or it’s missing the catch that holds it shut. Tighten the hinge screws and check the adjustment so the door sits flush. If your cabinets rely on a separate magnetic or roller catch, that part may simply need tightening or replacing.

What do the screws on cabinet hinges do?

On concealed European hinges, the small adjustment screws let you move the door in three directions — side to side, up and down, and in and out — so you can line it up perfectly without removing it. The larger screws simply fix the hinge to the door and to the cabinet.

How do I fix a stripped screw hole in a cabinet?

Push a few glue-coated wooden toothpicks into the worn hole, snap them off flush, and let the glue set. The screw then threads into the fresh wood and grips firmly. A wooden golf tee or dowel works the same way for larger holes.

Are cabinet hinges a standard size?

Concealed hinges share some standards — a 35mm cup is the most common — but they vary by overlay type depending on how the door sits relative to the frame. The safest approach is to remove an old hinge and match it exactly, or take it to the store with you.