How to Fit Kitchen Doors

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Tools

Materials

Safety

Safety Goggles

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Fitting new cupboard doors is a great way to refresh your kitchen. This guide is going to show you how to fit doors to your kitchen cabinets, with specific emphasis on Wickes Lifestyle Kitchens. Bear in mind that fitting instructions may vary depending on the design and type of cabinet doors, so be sure to always check the manufacturer’s instructions. Watch our handy how-to video first, then follow our guide.

Lay out parts on the floor to check fittings and wear safety goggles.
Screw hinge plates inside the cabinet and insert hinges into the door.
Clamp a timber offcut when drilling handle holes.

Planning and preparation

Before you begin, lay all the parts out on the floor. This is a good way to check you have everything you need and to see how they fit together. Empty the provided fittings into a bowl so they don’t get lost. When fitting cabinet doors to wall units, use a step ladder rather than standing on the base cabinets or worktop. This prevents unnecessary damage to units and keeps you safe.

Tools and materials

How to install hinges

Screw the hinge plates inside your cabinets. Many plates come with the screws already inserted.

Insert the cabinet hinges on the door itself, with the fastening facing outwards, and secure using the screws supplied.

How to fit cupboard doors

Position the door on the cabinet, placing the cabinet hinges onto the hinge plates and use the screws in the hinges to attach.

Using the appropriate screwdriver, tighten the screws to secure the door. Take care not to over-tighten, as this can damage units.

How to adjust kitchen cupboard doors

To move the door up or down, loosen the screws that hold the cabinet hinge plate, adjust and retighten.

To move the door in or out, loosen the screws attaching the cabinet hinges to the hinge plate, move the cabinet door and retighten.

How to attach handles to kitchen cupboard doors

Using a clamp, attach an offcut of timber to the outside of the open door where the cabinet handles will be. This’ll ensure the wood does not splinter as you drill.

Drill holes from the inside of the door, using a drill bit slightly wider than the screw threads. Wear safety goggles and take care when drilling.

Attach your handles with screws.

Aftercare

Check the fixings a few weeks after installation to ensure they remain tight and in place, adjusting them if necessary.

Always use cleaning supplies that are appropriate for your kitchen doors to avoid damaging the material.

Fitting new cupboard doors or handles can transform your kitchen. Just make sure to take your time while installing to guarantee a professional-looking finish. If you’d like more information concerning the cabinets themselves, have a look at our guide on how to build kitchen cabinets.

FAQs

To correctly fit cupboard door hinges, start by screwing the flat cabinet plates securely inside your kitchen unit. Once those are in place, you can press the circular hinges directly into the pre-drilled recesses on the back of your cupboard door, making sure the metal fastenings face outwards before securing them firmly with the supplied screws.

If you’re replacing kitchen cupboard doors, you should first unclip the old hinges to lift the existing doors away safely. Next, screw your new hinge plates into the inside of the cabinet, fit the new hinges flat onto the back of the door, hang the door onto the plates, and finish by clamping a timber block to drill and attach your handles.

To easily adjust kitchen cupboard doors that look slightly misaligned, you need to use the adjustment screws on the hinges. For height adjustments, simply loosen the screws on the cabinet hinge plates, move the door up or down to align it, and retighten them. For depth adjustments, turn the screws that connect the hinges to the plate to move the door in or out.