Cabinet Hinges – Best Replacement Soft-Close Hinges

What  are soft-close hinges and why might I use them? Soft-close hinges have a little mechanism built right into them that catches the door within an inch or two of closing, and restricts them from banging or snapping closed. This will not only protect your cabinets, but make your kitchen quieter - No more banging cabinet doors!

These hinges also have a little switch on so that you can disable the soft-close mechanism. This is nice, particularly for small doors above a refrigerator or microwave. I typically will turn off one hinge on a smaller door and leave the other hinge do the work. Otherwise, there’s too much restriction and the door may close too slowly.

European hinges are like the Swiss Army knife of cabinet hardware – they're incredibly versatile and adjustable. They're actually a type of concealed hinge (so they hide from view) but with a special superpower: you can adjust them in multiple directions to perfectly align your doors, even if things shift a bit over time. Think of them as having built-in fine-tuning knobs, like adjusting your car's side mirrors.

What are self-closing vs soft-closing hinges?
Think of self-closing hinges as having a built-in helper that pulls your cabinet door shut, kind of like a spring-loaded screen door. Once you push the door most of the way closed, these hinges take over and pull it shut automatically. They're great for making sure cabinets don't get left open, but – fair warning – they can still close with a bit of a snap!

Soft-closing hinges, on the other hand, are like having a tiny cushion of air that catches your door.  When you give the door a push, the soft-close mechanism grabs it in the last few inches and gently guides it closed, preventing any slamming or banging. They're particularly wonderful if you have little ones at home or if you tend to close cabinet doors while juggling your morning coffee!

You can think of it this way: self-closing hinges help make sure the door gets closed (but might do it with enthusiasm), while soft-closing hinges make sure it closes gently and quietly (like having a polite butler who never slams doors). Many homeowners prefer soft-closing these days, but both types do a great job of making sure your cabinets don't stay open by accident.

Getting your cabinet doors perfectly aligned is like hanging a gallery wall of photos – it's all about making everything line up just right. Modern hinges typically let you adjust in three ways: up-down, left-right, and in-out from the cabinet face. If your doors look a bit crooked, a few simple turns of the adjustment screws on your hinges can make everything look picture-perfect again.

Think of overlay doors as being like a lid sitting on top of a shoebox – they rest on the face of your cabinet frame, covering it up. This is the most common type you'll see in kitchens today. With overlay doors, you can choose between full overlay (where the doors cover almost all of the cabinet frame, leaving smaller gaps between doors) or partial overlay (where you can see about 1¼ inch or more of frame around each door, creating a more traditional look).

Inset doors, on the other hand, are like fitting a puzzle piece perfectly into its space – they sit inside the cabinet frame instead of on top of it. When closed, these doors are flush with the face of the cabinet, creating that gorgeous, high-end furniture look. While they're stunning to look at, keep in mind that inset doors need to be installed just right, with perfect spacing all around (usually about 1/8 inch) to work smoothly without sticking.

Here's a friendly tip: while overlay doors are more forgiving if things shift a tiny bit over time (like when the house settles), inset doors need a bit more precision to keep working perfectly.

Imagine having a tiny air cushion that catches your cabinet door every time it closes – that's basically what a soft-close damper does! It's a clever device built into some hinges that grabs the door in the last few inches and gently eases it closed, preventing slams and bangs. It's like having a thoughtful butler who makes sure every door closes quietly and carefully.

If your hinges do not have this feature, you can either replace the hinges or buy the soft-close damper to install on the cabinet frame.

Think of a faceframe cabinet as having a picture frame around the front of the cabinet box – it's that extra bit of wood that frames the opening. Frameless cabinets, sometimes called European-style, skip the frame entirely, like a modern painting without a border. This difference affects which hinges you'll need, since they mount differently on each style.

The mounting plate is like the foundation of your house, but for your hinge. It's the metal piece that attaches to your cabinet frame or wall and holds the hinge arm. Different cabinets need different mounting plates. Getting the right one ensures your doors will hang perfectly and operate smoothly.

Some cabinet hinges have a long arm called the hinge arm. It's that long metal piece that extends from the mounting plate to the cup in your door, allowing it to swing open and closed. The hinge arm has adjustment points that let you fine-tune how your door sits on the cabinet.

What is a hinge boring jig?
Think of a hinge boring jig as your foolproof guide for drilling those perfectly round holes (called "cups") needed for concealed hinges. It's a simple tool that clamps onto your cabinet door and shows you exactly where and how deep to drill, taking all the guesswork out of the process. The jig makes sure you get those holes in just the right spot every time.

What types of hinges are adjustable?
Most modern concealed hinges (especially European-style ones) are like having a fine-tuning kit for your cabinet doors. They typically offer three main ways to adjust your doors: up and down (so you can line up all the doors perfectly), side to side (to get those gaps between doors just right), and in and out (to make sure the door sits flush with the frame). Traditional hinges, like the ones you might see on older furniture or surface-mounted hinges, are more like what-you-see-is-what-you-get – they don't have much room for adjustment once they're installed. That's why concealed hinges have become so popular in kitchens today – they're like having a built-in handyman that lets you tweak your cabinet doors anytime they start to look a little crooked or uneven.

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What are clip-on hinges?
Think of clip-on hinges as the modern solution to hanging cabinet doors – they let you attach and detach doors with a simple click instead of wrestling with screws while holding up heavy doors. You'll mount the base plate to your cabinet frame and the hinge cup into your door (these still need screws), but after that initial setup, the door simply clicks into place with a snap. Need to remove the door for painting or cleaning? Just press the release lever, and off it comes – no tools needed. It's like having a quick-release system for your cabinet doors that makes installation and maintenance a breeze.

Think of your cabinet face like a picture frame. With full overlay doors, the "picture" (your door) covers almost the entire frame, leaving just tiny gaps between doors – usually about 1/8 to 1/2 inch. These give you that sleek, modern look where you see mostly door and very little frame. Partial overlay doors, however, are like having a smaller photo in your frame – they cover less of the cabinet face, typically leaving about 1¼  inch or more of frame showing around the edges. It's really just about the look you prefer, kind of like choosing between a slim or wide picture frame!

Blumotion is like having a luxury car door closer for your cabinets! It's actually Blum's brand name for their soft-close technology – think of it as the "Cadillac" of cabinet door dampeners. When you close a door with Blumotion, it catches it in the last few inches and glides it shut with a smooth, controlled motion. It's like having someone gently catch and close every cabinet door for you, preventing slams and protecting your cabinets.

Corner cabinet hinges are like the gymnasts of the hinge world – they need to be extra flexible! These special hinges are designed to let doors open wide enough to clear adjacent cabinets while still giving you full access to those tricky corner spaces. They typically need to open to 165 degrees or more, unlike standard cabinet doors that usually open to just 110 degrees. Think of them as doing a little extra stretching to reach those hard-to-access spots!

Most cabinet doors you'll encounter are  typically ¾ inch thick. This has become the industry standard because it's sturdy enough to hold up to daily use while still being light enough to hang easily on standard hinges. Some decorative or high-end cabinet doors might be a bit thicker, up to 1 inch.

Cabinet hinge screws are like Goldilocks – they need to be just right! For hinges that mount to a face frame, you'll want  #8 screws that are about 1 inch long. For hinges using mounting plates, use #6 x 5/8 screws.

Use  #6 x 5/8 European concealed hinges screws to attach the hinge to the backside of the cabindet door.

For most face-frame cabinets, your hinge will mount right to the front edge of the frame.

For frameless cabinets, the magic number is usually around 37mm (about 1-7/16 inches) from the front edge of the cabinet. Getting this right helps your doors sit perfectly flush when closed.

For most cabinet doors (up to 40 inches tall), two hinges placed 3-4 inches from the top and bottom edges will do the trick nicely. Taller doors, like those on a pantry cabinet, usually need a third hinge in the middle for extra support. This spacing ensures your doors hang straight and true, without any sagging or wobbling.

For frameless full overlay doors, you typically want about 1/8 inch gap between doors and around the edges. With inset doors (the ones that fit inside the frame), aim for about 1/8 inch all around too, but remember that precise measurements are extra important here since these doors need to fit perfectly within their frame, like a snug puzzle piece. 

Face frame ovelay hinges need a little more space. The recommend clearances (called reveals) are 9/32 inch, just over 1/4 inch. Where two cabinets come together you get 1/2" reveal. Corners typically have at least a 1/2" reveal as well. While these gaps are not as small as a true overlay, you still cover most of the face of the cabinet and get that modern look you like.