Adjusting kitchen cupboard doors and fixing the hinges
Doors that drop, rub, won't close or sit at odd angles: what each hinge screw moves, how far the makers say it goes, and what to do when it won't go far enough.
Updated 30 October 2026 · The Kitchen Resprayer
The short answer
A kitchen door on a concealed hinge has three adjustments: side to side (the front screw on the hinge arm), depth (the rear screw), and height (at the mounting plate on the cupboard side). On Blum's and Häfele's hinges each moves only 2 to 3 mm each way.
Level the cupboard first, then adjust height, depth and side in small turns. If the door still won't sit right, or keeps dropping, the screw holes or the hinge need repairing.
What each screw moves
| Adjustment | Where | Blum CLIP top | Häfele Metalla 310 (110°) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Side to side (the gap between doors) | Front screw on the hinge arm | ±2 mm | ±3 mm |
| Depth (how close the door sits to the cabinet) | Rear screw on the hinge arm | +3 / -2 mm | ±2 mm |
| Height (up and down) | The mounting plate on the cupboard side | Up to ±3 mm | ±2 mm |
From Blum's GB adjustment sheet and Häfele's UK catalogue, read 30 October 2026. Other makes differ a little; IKEA's UTRUSTA adjusts in the same three directions.
Those ranges are small. A door that's out by more than about 3 mm in any direction won't be fixed with a screwdriver: the cabinet is out of level, the screw holes have stripped, or the hinge is worn.
Not every screw is turned the same way. Blum's depth screw is a spiral you turn rather than loosen, and many mounting plates have a cam for height that you also turn. Older slotted plates are the ones you loosen, slide and retighten. Guides disagree on which way each screw turns, so make a quarter turn, close the door, and look.
How to do it
Tools
Level the cabinet first
Height
Depth
Side to side
Tighten and check
Soft close that won't let the door shut
A soft-close damper sized for a big heavy door can stop a small light one from closing fully, or fight a push-to-open catch. You don't need a new hinge. Blum says the BLUMOTION damper in its CLIP top hinge can be switched off for smaller or lighter doors and switched back on again, and IKEA's UTRUSTA hinge has a slide button that turns its damper off, which IKEA suggests with a push opener or if the door closes too slowly.
When the screws have pulled out
A door that keeps dropping however often you adjust it usually means the mounting plate's screws have stripped the chipboard. Two fixes, both cheap:
A repair plate
Plug and re-drill
Replacing a hinge
Match three things: the mounting (clip-on or not), the opening angle, and whether the door sits over the cabinet (overlay) or inside it (inset). Blum makes its CLIP top at 107°, 110°, 125° and 155°, for example. The hinge cup in the door is a standard 35 mm; replacement kitchen doors covers measuring hinge positions if you're changing the doors too.
| Hinge | Price a pair | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Häfele Click On soft-close 110° (Toolstation) | £4.27 | - |
| Wickes 110° soft-close clip-on, 35 mm | £6.50 | Overlay; screws included |
| IKEA UTRUSTA 110° with damper | £9 | Damper switch |
| Blum soft-close inset 110° (Toolstation) | £14.59 | Inset |
| Blum soft-close overlay 110° (Toolstation) | £19.99 | Clip top; damper switch |
Listed prices, 30 October 2026.
Drawer fronts
Drawer fronts drift too. Blum says the fronts on its TANDEMBOX drawers adjust in height and side to side, and the tilt is set at the front of the drawer side. Check the maker's instructions for your drawer; older ones with the front screwed straight onto the box only move by loosening and refixing the front.
After a respray or new doors
Clip-on hinges are why doors can come off for a respray and go back without losing their settings: Blum's CLIP top fronts clip on and off without tools. Once they're back on, check each door's height, depth and side again, the same way as above. If you're changing handles at the same time, kitchen cupboard handles covers sizing and placement.
If the doors line up but the colour's the problem, send two photos for a free respray quote.
Where this comes from
- Blum, CLIP top BLUMOTION adjustment and deactivation sheet
- Blum, CLIP top BLUMOTION
- Blum, CLIP top BLUMOTION assembly
- Blum, CLIP top
- Blum, TANDEMBOX antaro assembly
- Häfele, Metalla 310 110° hinge
- Häfele, Metalla 540 hinge
- Häfele, Metalla 310 155° hinge
- IKEA, UTRUSTA hinge with damper
- IKEA, UTRUSTA hinge
- Bosch DIY, adjusting a cupboard door
- Bromford, align a kitchen cupboard door
- Cleanipedia, how to adjust kitchen cabinet doors
- Furnica, how to adjust kitchen cupboard hinges
- Bookabuilder, adjusting kitchen cabinet hinges
- Toolstation, Häfele hinge repair kit
- B&Q, Gidgit cabinet hinge repair kit
- Toolstation, Häfele Click On soft-close hinge
- Toolstation, Blum soft-close overlay hinge
- Toolstation, Blum soft-close inset hinge
- Wickes, 110° soft-close clip-on hinge
All read 30 October 2026. Firms change their prices and terms; check the current position with them.
Common questions
Raise it with the height adjustment on the mounting plate, the part screwed to the cupboard side. On a cam plate you turn the plate's adjusting screw; on a slotted plate you loosen its screws, lift the door and retighten them (Bromford says loosen the plate screws, not the ones in the door). If it drops again, the screw holes have probably stripped.
Usually depth or the damper. If the door catches the cabinet edge, adjust the depth screw at the back of the hinge arm. If it's a soft-close hinge on a small or light door, the damper may be too strong: Blum and IKEA both make dampers you can switch off. A push-to-open catch fighting a damper does the same thing.
Bosch's advice: check the cabinet is level first, then adjust height, then depth, then side to side, and tighten everything at the end. Make small turns, about a quarter at a time, and close the door to check after each one. It takes about 15 to 30 minutes.
Fit a repair plate over the damaged chipboard: Häfele's hinge repair kit is £2.99 for two at Toolstation, and B&Q sells a Gidgit cabinet hinge repair kit. Or glue wooden plugs into the old holes and re-drill once dry. Turn screws by hand; Furnica warns a power driver can strip chipboard.
Open the door and look. If the arm unclips from the plate by hand, it's a clip-on hinge like Blum CLIP top or IKEA UTRUSTA. A small switch or damper on the hinge means soft close. Hinges are also made in different opening angles (95 to 155 degrees) and in inset and overlay versions, so match all three when buying a replacement.
On many modern drawers, yes. Blum says its TANDEMBOX drawer fronts adjust in height and side to side, with tilt adjusted at the front. Older drawers with the front screwed straight to the box may only move by loosening and refixing the front.
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