How to adjust cabinet door hinges [2023]

Having trouble adjusting your cabinet door hinges?

Cabinets can be notoriously difficult to get looking right. There can be all sorts of flaws, from the drilling of holes, to the mechanical components, to the way the cabinet was assembled that can cause you problems.

In this article, I will go over how to adjust cabinet hinges — especially those included in popular RTA cabinet brands.

Most RTA cabinet brands use the same hinges

Surprisingly, many cabinet brands use the same hinges. For RTA cabinet sellers especially, this is the case. In fact, when you buy an RTA cabinet, your hinge is almost certain to look like these:

How to adjust cabinet door hinges for common brands

The first thing to do when you notice your cabinet door isn’t straight, or your door isn’t shutting correctly, is to make sure the hinge was screwed in straight.

If you have RTA cabinets, you will want to check your work in assembling them. Make sure the hinge is straight and level. If it’s not, you should remove the hinge and re-install it.

Once you are confident that the hinge is straight and level, you can use the adjustment screws to adjust exactly how the cabinet door fits.

Here is a diagram of the adjustment screws of the most common RTA cabinet hinge:

The diagram above is of a standard RTA cabinet hinge. The screw on the left is for adjusting the cabinet door to the left or right. This can help if your cabinet door looks crooked or is hitting another door.

Turning this screw to clockwise will move this hinge (and thus this part of the cabinet door) to the right. Turning the screw counterclockwise will move the hinge (and thus this part of the door) to the left.

The screw on the upper right is for adjusting the cabinet door in or out. If the cabinet door looks like it’s too far from the cabinet when closed, you can turn this screw to adjust it. This screw can also be used for adjustment to make sure the door is aligned with another door.

Turn this screw clockwise to move the hinge inward, and turn it counterclockwise to move it outward. This will also move this portion of the door in that direction.

Finally, screw on the lower right is for moving the hinge up or down. This will adjust exactly where the door sits. Turn it to move the door up or down, but remember you will have to turn the other hinges for the door the same way.

Finding high quality cabinet door hinges

The quality of the hinge you use in your cabinet is directly related to how long your cabinets last. If you have cheap hinges, you’re likely to end up slamming the doors closed more, which will wear away the face frame of the cabinet. It will also potentially damage the door.

The good thing is most common RTA cabinet suppliers include excellent quality door hinges in their cabinets.

If you are not purchasing one of these brands, you may want to consider looking for a high quality hinge separately. These can be found in most cabinet stores and home stores.

Conclusion

Adjusting cabinet doors doesn’t have to be hard. A quality cabinet door hinge should be easy to adjust, and requires only a standard flat or Phillips head screw driver. If you have any questions about your specific hinges, let me know in the comments.