Concealed cabinet hinges allow you to place all the focus on your cabinet door finish and design without any hinge hardware sticking out. These hinges are an excellent choice for face-frame or frameless cabinets, and they work well with full overlay, partial overlay, and inset doors—all while keeping your cabinet hinges hidden.
Installing cabinet hinges is easy enough that any beginner can take on the task with just a couple of hours to spare. Here’s everything you need to know about how to install concealed cabinet door hinges.
Prepare Your Materials and Tools
For convenience, you’ll want to get all your tools and materials in order before you start working with your cabinet doors. When installing cabinet hinges, always start by choosing quality concealed hinges. To get started on finding the best hidden hinges for your doors, you can explore our inventory of cabinet hardware.
Once you have chosen durable hinges, you’ll need the following tools for your concealed hinge installation:
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Combination square
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Pencil
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Power drill
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Drill bit for pilot holes
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Phillips drill bit for screws
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A 35-millimeter Forstner bit
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Pozidriv screwdriver
How To Install Hidden Hinges
With the right tools and enough patience, anybody can replace or install hidden hinges on their cabinet doors. Each door will only take about 30 minutes. You’ll be finished installing your cabinet hinges in a matter of hours with just a few simple steps.
1. Measure and Mark Your Door
Concealed hinges are constructed in two parts—the cup and the mounting plate. First, you will need to prepare the door for installing the cup by measuring the door for the proper position.
On the back of the door, use the combination square to draw a line parallel with the edge of the hinge side corners, 7/8 of an inch away from the side. Then mark a perpendicular line 3 1/2 inches from the top and bottom edges of the door.
2. Drill Holes for The Hinge Cups
Hidden hinges attach to the door with the cup attached flush to the door, so you’ll need to use the Forstner bit to drill a 1/2-inch-deep hole at the intersection of the measurement lines. Blow all the wood shavings out of the hole so you can check the fit of the hinge cup. Drill a hole in two corners of each door.
3. Install the Hinges Into the Door
After drilling all the holes, set the hinge cups in the holes. Pre-drill holes lined up with the holes in the hinges, and then drill the screws to attach the hinges. You can use a straight edge or square to ensure that the hinge remains straight before you start drilling.
4. Measure and Mark the Cabinet Boxes
Breaking out the combination square again, you’ll need to mark on the cabinet boxes where the mounting plate will go. Mark a vertical line on the inside of the cabinet 2 1/4 inches from the edge of the boxes—account for a 1/16-inch gap between the door and the cabinet boxes in your measurements. Then, make a perpendicular line 3 1/2 inches from the top and bottom of the cabinet boxes.
5. Install the Mounting Plate on the Cabinet
This step is easiest when you separate the mounting plate from the hinge. Line up the plate so that two screw holes follow the vertical line, and the third screw hole is positioned on the horizontal line closer to the back of the cabinet box. Drill pilot holes with the drill bit, then fasten the hinge with the three screws. Follow these steps for each hinge.
6. Hang the Cabinet Doors
The last step is the easiest. To hang the doors on the boxes, hook the hinges back onto the mounting plates with the door in an open position. Simply press the bar against the mounting plate and close the door to see the result.
7. Adjust the Door
Once your cabinet door is in place, you’ll likely need to adjust the hinge so that the door sits properly on the cabinet boxes. Don’t worry–this is completely normal with concealed hinges. You can easily adjust your door three ways depending on how the door is sitting on the cabinet boxes.
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Up and Down – If the cabinet door has a gap either above or below the door, you’ll need to adjust it using the screwdriver to adjust the middle screw. Turn the screw clockwise to bring the door up and counterclockwise to bring it down.
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In and Out – If the door is not sitting flush against the cabinet box, adjust the rear screw of the hinge to bring the edge of the door closer to the cabinet.
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Side to Side – If there is a gap on either side of the door, then you need to adjust the front screw. Turn it clockwise to bring the hinge side closer to the cabinets or counterclockwise to bring the hinge away from the cabinet.
Refresh Your Cabinet Door Hardware with Ease
With the above steps, you’ll be installing your cabinet hinges with no problem. Whether you are ready to refresh your cabinet doors or need some quality replacement cabinet hinges, Cabinetdoors.com can help.
Check out our inventory of kitchen cabinet doors to get started. Then, explore our full inventory of kitchen cabinet hinges and hardware to complete the look. If you have any more questions on how to install concealed cabinet door hinges, contact us at Cabinetdoors.com today.