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Cabinet Hinges Explained – A DIY Guide to Cabinet – or Blum – Hinges

December 06, 2008 By: admin Category: DIY Guides, Mykitchenstore News

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cabinet hingeI thought I would just clarify a few little details about the wonder that is the cabinet hinge.

If you’re a kitchen fitter or carpenter/joiner, you can switch off now, but if you are a mere mortal, listen up because you might learn a thing or two about a fascinating subject.

If you’re still reading, I just lied. It probably won’t be fascinating – but at least it might be useful!

Anyway, here we go. You may recognise this picture as being the same (or similar) to the hinges that are inside your kitchen cabinets. For many they are a mystery – and seem like they might be the most difficult DIY thingy to fix or replace. So here a a few things that might help to demystify them.

First. What are they called? Well apart from cabinet hinge, they might be referred to as a concealed hinge, or more commonly, a Blum Hinge. Blum is actually a reference to the most famous brand of cabinet hinges (rather like a cleaner being referred to as a Hoover). They are all the same thing.

Next. The component parts. They come in two pieces. The hinge itself and the backplate. There are different types of backplate to match the hinge you are buying – if you know your stuff, you will recognise which backplate goes with which hinge, but on mykitchenstore, we have grouped the most commonly used to create a full hinge and backplate set in either a slide on cabinet hinge, or a clip on cabinet hinge. More of which later. The hinge part consists of a round ‘cup’ (item 2 in the diagram above) and a hinge arm (item 1). The cup will generally be a standard 35mm diameter and is the part that is fixed to the kitchen door. A corresponding 35mm hole is drilled into the door to forstner bitaccommodate the cup, which is then screwed into place with two tiny screws supplied with the hinges. If you are wondering how to do this yourself, the best way would be to use a 35mm hole boring bit (often refered to as a forstner bit, shown here to the right). These fit onto any standard drill. You will find a precision drill bit at this link on our site

The backplate is the other separate component (item 3 in the diagram). This is attached to the inside of the kitchen unit using the screws provided. Then, if you have a slide on hinge, the hinge ’slides’ (funnily enough) onto the backplate and is secured with screws. If you have a clip-on hinge then you can simply ’snap’ the arm onto the back plate. Simple as that.

If you are replacing existing hinges, fitting them really is a very simple process as all the positions are marked and the holes already pre-drilled. If you are replacing a kitchen door, if the door has not been pre-drilled by the manufacturer, then simply use the old door as a template to mark where the hole needs to be drilled and then use the hole boring bit. Take care not to drill down too far!

So that’s all relatively straight forward, what else do you need to know? Well the hinges come in a variety of types, which are differentiated by the angle and crank level of the hinge. Want that explained? read on….

Angles. You will see reference to angles attached to these hinges – and what that refers to is the maximum angle that the door will open to when the hinge is fully extended. In the vast majority of instances, you will not be concerned about opening the door much beyond 95 to 110 degrees, but you can purchase them at up to 170 degree angle.

Then there’s Crank. You can buy the hinges at certain Crank amounts. What this refers to is the level to which the door will overlap the edge of the cupboard when it is closed. For example, if you purchase a hinge with 0 (zero) crank, the edge of the door will completely overlap the edge of the cabinet when it is closed (and this is how the majority of kitchen units are designed, so that the door fully overlaps the frame of the kitchen cupboard). If you buy a hinge with 7 or 8 crank, when the cupboard door is closed, you will be able to see part of the edge of the cabinet. In other words, it only partly overlaps the edge of the cabinet. Then if you want what is called an ‘inset’ door, that is that the door sits just inside the edge of the cupbard when the door is closed, then dependant on the thickness of the edging of the cupboard, you will need to buy a hinge with 15 (for cabinets with wall thickness of 16mm) or 17 (for cabinets with wall thickness of 18mm) crank. Has that helped? Or just made you cranky? Hope not! Image below to help if it has though:

cabinet hinge crank

As mentioned before, we have made the process relatively simple for purchasing what is by far the most used variation of the cabinet hinge (or blum hinge). For most situations you would be looking for a 95 or 110 degree hinge with 0 crank. We have an easy-to-buy set of these in both economy (suitable for light doors) and premium options (more robust and suitable for heavier doors). We have them in both Clip On and Slide On variation and the links are below for you to get straight through to them:

1. Slide On Cabinet Hinge and Backplate set, economy

2. Slide On Cabinet Hinge and Backplate set, premium

3. Clip On Cabinet Hinge and Backplate set, economy

4. Clip On Cabinet Hinge and Backplate set, premium

And what if you don’t fit them absolutely accurately? Well you will be pleased to know there is a little margin for error. The hinges are designed to allow for adjustment both vertically and horizontally. A minor adjustment with your screwdriver and a little repositioning should resolve most minor door hanging issues.

So I hope this helps to clarify a little further for you the intracacies of kitchen unit hinges – I’m sure it’s not comprehensive, but it covers most of the bases. If you need further information, then you can always email us at enquiries@mykitchenstore.co.uk to see if we can answer your specific questions. Don’t become unhinged – just ask!

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Replacement Kitchen Doors – You Can Do It, Just Drill and Screw It

November 04, 2008 By: admin Category: Mykitchenstore News

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Replacement Doors… and here’s how! Replacement Doors are pretty much like having a completely new kitchen – and they are suprisingly easy to fit – and you can definitely do it. They come in a myriad of styles and colours, contemporary replacement doors tend toward the more sleek and simple designs in a variety of colours and wood effect finishes. Classic doors have more detail but retain the simplicity that makes them timeless favourites and traditional replacement doors are more elaborate and tend towards the wooden effect finishes than colour.
So what’’s involved with fitting replacement doors? Well in most cases, it’’s really very simple. The vast majority of kitchen cabinet doors come in standard sizes in width and height and are secured using standard fittings. If you open your kitchen door, you will generally find two hinges on the inside these will usually be concealed cabinet hinges (also often known by a well know brand, Blum hinges). The hinges fix via a small back plate that screws onto the wall of the cabinet plus the hinge itself which in most cases sits blum hingeinside a 35mm drilled hole in the door, secured using a couple of small screws. The hinge part fixes to the back plate part either by sliding on and securing with a single screw, or by clipping on. To release the door from the cupboard, all you need do is either flip the clip or undo the screw.
Once you”ve removed the door (and please don”t be worried about doing so, it’’s very easy to put back on!), then you can take a look a the condition of the hinges. As long as they are working ok and still nice and clean, then there’’s no need to replace them, just use them again on your new doors. If not, you”ll need to buy the same style and quantity to refit with the new doors. You can see Clip on Concealed Cabinet Hinges here and download a more detailed guide to replacement doors and fittings by visiting this link and downloading the pdf on the link labelled Replacement Door Guide

So, the next step is to measure your doors, width and height. (Click the following link to see standard sizes for replacement kitchen doors are shown in the table on this page. Then you have a choice whether to have the 35mm holes for the hinges (mentioned above) pre-drilled into the doors when you order them. To do this you will need to provide the supplier with the exact locations of the holes by measuring the distance from the top and side of the door to the hole centers (this is covered in the guide you can download above). If you want to DIY it, then you can use a 35mm Forstner bit (pictured right) attached to your standard drill. There is some leeway for adjustment both vertically and horizontally in the concealed hinges, so get it as accurately centered as you can, but you can make adjustments if necessary.   

So you”ve measured all your doors and drawer fronts and assessed how many cabinet hinges you might need – now you just place your order!. When the doors arrive, fix the hinge part of the concealed hinges into the 35mm holes in the door, and simply attach them to the back plates affixed to the inside of the cabinets.   

That’’s it! New look, new feel kitchen in a few easy steps. Of course if you have any doubts at all, contact a local carpenter of joiner, or kitchen fitter for advice, we have some useful contact on our website. And if you have a bespoke kitchen you may need to contact your supplier to discuss your requirements.

Please note! The above tips are provided for guidance only and I take no responsibility for the success or otherwise of your project (unless of course, you are truly ecstatic with your new look kitchen and want to express your undying gratitude!!)
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