Choosing the Right Hinges For Your Cabinet Doors
Learn how to choose the right hinges based on the cabinet type to ensure your cabinet doors fit, function, and last for years.
You’re planning a kitchen project, but when it comes time to pick the hinges, the options feel endless. Soft-close or standard? Overlay or inset? Can you even be sure your supplier can drill for the hinge you’ve chosen? If you choose the wrong hinges, you risk misalignment, sagging doors, or worse – costly redrilling. That’s why choosing the right hinge at the start is essential.
At Cutting Edge, we’ve drilled thousands of cabinet doors over the last 20 years. We know which hinges we can drill your cabinet doors for and how you can avoid costly errors that delay installations or cause problems later on.
By the end of this article, you’ll know how to:
- Choose the right hinge based on your cabinet type
- Choose the right hinge for each cabinet
- Decide how many hinges your door needs
But first, let’s look at why each of these details matters.
What Happens If You Choose the Wrong Hinges?
Many things can go wrong if you choose the wrong hinges. The doors might not sit flush. They could rub against adjacent doors or walls, or they might not open far enough for practical use. In some cases, using the wrong hinges can cause binding (when the door rubs against another) or sagging, especially on tall or heavy doors that aren’t adequately supported.
Incompatibility with your supplier’s drilling system can be just as damaging. Most cabinet door suppliers only work with a specific hinge brand or style, such as Blum or Grass. Using a different brand of hinges may require manual drilling or result in inaccurate holes. That adds time, labour, and risk to your project.
A good hinge choice supports smooth operation, long-term durability, and a clean result. The wrong choice can compromise your entire install, cost you time, and impact your reputation.
But how do you make sure you select the correct type of hinges?
1. Understand Your Cabinet Type First
Before selecting any hinge, you need to identify the cabinet style you’re working with. Cabinets generally fall into two main categories: frameless (European-style) or face-frame.
Frameless cabinets have no front frame and are simple boxes, which means the hinges mount directly to the inside edge of the cabinet wall. These cabinets often work best with European clip-on hinges, especially soft-close styles that offer smooth motion and easy adjustment. Overlay doors are easy to fit precisely since there’s no frame to deal with.
On the other hand, face-frame cabinets include a frame around the front of the box, which adds complexity when selecting and installing hinges. In these situations, you’ll need hinges that mount to the face frame itself.
You can also pair inset doors (which sit flush with the frame) with a face-frame kitchen. This door style requires a unique type of hinges.
Understanding the cabinet structure is essential because it affects everything from the type of hinge to the size of the mounting plate to how the doors align and open.
2. Choose The Type of Hinges
There are many types of hinges, each designed for a specific use case. You should base your decision on the cabinet type and how the doors should look and function.
Many cabinet door suppliers work with a limited set of hinge types, typically because their drilling machines or templates only work with those hinges.
Soft-Close vs. Standard Hinges
One of the first choices you’ll face is whether to use soft-close or standard hinges. Soft-close hinges have a built-in damper mechanism that slows the door just before it shuts, allowing it to close quietly and gently. These are ideal for kitchens and bathrooms, or where noise reduction is a priority.
Standard hinges don’t include the damper, which means doors close more quickly and with an audible click. These are typically more budget-friendly and are a reliable choice for utility spaces or projects where price is a bigger concern than premium functionality.
There’s no wrong answer here, only what’s right for your application.
Overlay, Half-Overlay, and Inset Doors
The door overlay refers to how much of the cabinet frame or box is covered by the door when it’s closed.
- Full overlay doors cover the entire front of the cabinet box or frame, creating a seamless look. These typically pair well with standard 110° clip-on hinges, especially in frameless setups.
- Half-overlay doors are for when two doors share a single cabinet partition. In this case, the hinges need to pull the door back slightly, so both can open without hitting each other. A low-profile mounting plate, such as a 0mm plate, is often used to make sure there’s enough clearance between the two doors.
- Inset doors sit flush with the cabinet frame or box, which requires special hardware to create the more traditional look. Inset hinges allow the door to swing out while fitting within the frame when closed. These often require more precise planning and drilling, especially when it comes to plate height and placement.
Specialty Hinges for Unique Cabinet Situations
Some cabinets, such as angled, corner, or multi-door cabinets, may require specialty hinges to handle those situations without compromising function.
- Use bi-fold hinges for cabinets with double doors that open together, such as upper corner cabinets or lazy susan cabinets. These hinges allow the two connected doors to fold and swing outward in tandem.
- Blind corner hinges let a single cabinet door swing into a recessed or hidden space. These are common in L-shaped lower cabinets where the door must open away from the corner to allow access to deep storage.
- Use angled hinges for corner cabinets or unique box angles that don’t sit at 90 degrees. They allow the door to open fully without binding on adjacent cabinets.
Choosing the right specialty hinge requires a close inspection of how the cabinet is built and how the doors need to function. If you’re unsure, it’s always worth checking hinge specifications or sending your supplier a layout sketch for review.
What Hinges Can Your Supplier Drill For?
Few, if any, cabinet door suppliers can drill for every hinge on the market. Most choose one hinge type or brand to focus on. At Cutting Edge, we can drill for Blum European-style hinges, the most widely known hinge type.
Because of this, we can guarantee precision drilling for any standard Blum configuration, including soft-close, inset, and full overlay options. However, we cannot drill if you plan to use surface-mounted decorative hinges or European hinges from a different manufacturer. You would need to drill the holes yourself or ensure that your hinge type matches our equipment.
This is a critical detail that many contractors overlook. Always confirm hinge compatibility before you order your doors. A quick conversation can save hours of rework and prevent expensive mistakes.
3. Decide How Many Hinges Each Cabinet Door Needs
The quantity of hinges is one of the most overlooked decisions. Using too few hinges, especially on tall or heavy doors, can result in sagging, misalignment, or even hinge failure over time.
The general rule is to use two hinges for doors under 43 inches in height. Once a door reaches between 43 and 65 inches, add a third hinge at the centre. For doors between 65 and 96 inches, space four hinges evenly along the height. Anything taller than 96 inches will require at least five hinges to ensure even stress distribution and smooth operation.
| Door Height | Number Of Hinge Holes | Location |
|---|---|---|
| <43” | 2 hinges | Placed at the hinge location specified |
| 43" – 65" | 3 hinges | Top and bottom hinges placed at the location specified; third hinge hole located at the centre of the door |
| 65" – 96" | 4 hinges | Top and bottom hinges placed at the location specified; additional hinge holes evenly spaced |
| >96" | 5 hinges | Top and bottom hinges placed at the location specified; additional hinge holes evenly spaced |
But door height isn’t the only factor. The weight and material of the door matter too. Solid wood doors, MDF, or custom doors with thick profiles all add weight. Similarly, hardware like large bar pulls, integrated organizers, or glass inserts can increase strain on the hinges.
When in doubt, it’s better to use extra hinges. It’s a small cost that protects against long-term issues and reinforces your reputation for quality installs.
Learn How To Choose The Hinge Location For Your Cabinet Doors
Now that you’ve explored the major hinge types, overlay styles, and compatibility details, you’re equipped to choose the right hinge setup for your next cabinet project. Whether you’re working with standard frameless boxes or specialty corner cabinets, the right hinge can make all the difference in function, quality, and longevity.
We understand how frustrating it is to deal with misaligned doors or have to re-drill cabinet doors. Choosing the wrong hinge can slow you down, hurt your reputation, and cost you in wasted materials and labour. But you don’t have to guess. At Cutting Edge, we’ve helped hundreds of contractors confidently choose the right hinge and get it drilled exactly to spec. Your next step is to learn how to choose the hinge location for your cabinet doors.
