How to Choose and Install Cabinet Doors
Deciding on the right cabinet doors for your kitchen is key to the room’s tone and functionality. Whether you choose from Shaker or Traditional frontals, it will dictate the style that flows throughout the rest of the kitchen.
If you would rather stick with a more traditional look that suits kitchens with a farmhouse or classic theme, then do consider the more detailed elegance of a Traditional cabinet frontal. They are perfect for combining with stylistic details such as our oak plate racks and tongue & groove end panels.
Alternatively, Shaker cabinet frontals are suitable for a variety of kitchen designs, from classic to contemporary. The simple and timeless design can achieve a number of different looks, depending on your choice of wooden worktops and kitchen splashbacks.
At Solid Wood Kitchen Cabinets, our doors are constructed entirely from solid oak and are offered in a variety of finishes. Give your kitchen a natural feel with lacquered doors that have a hard-wearing surface, which also shows off the beautiful grain of solid oak, or choose doors hand-finished in a shade of Farrow & Ball’s eco-friendly Eggshell paint.
Installing Cabinet Doors
Installing our cabinet doors is a relatively simple undertaking; however there are some tools you will require to do the job properly and to a high standard:
- A crosshead ‘Philips’ screwdriver with 5mm head.
- An electric drill with 5mm drill bit.
- Pencil and ruler.
Our frontals are provided with 110˚ hinges to install to base or wall units. To install them, first you will need to drill suitable holes in the cabinets to accommodate for the door hinge mounting plates. We have diagrams for base and wall cabinets, as well as doors and drawers. You can view them by clicking one of the following icons:
Once you have familiarised yourself with the diagrams, use a ruler and pencil to mark the correct points on the cabinets and respective doors where you will need to drill. Next, drill the holes to a depth of 12mm (our oak cabinets are 18mm thick).
Once you have drilled all the required holes, you are ready to start affixing the plates to the cabinets. They simply push into the holes you have drilled, and can then be tightened into place by turning the outer two screws on the plate. Tightening the screws will cause the plastic casing that surrounds them to expand, holding them firmly into position. Should you wish to remove the plate for any reason, simply undo the screws.
To prepare cabinet doors for the 110˚ hinges, a large hole must be drilled to accommodate the door mechanism, measuring 35mm wide and 14mm deep, with 8mm holes either side, 45mm apart and offset from the centre of the large hole by 9.5mm.
For further information on the suggested location of these holes, please check the doors and drawers diagram linked above.
To attach the hinge mechanism, simply push it into the hole and tighten the two screws either side, which will expand to hold the mechanism firmly in place. Next, clamp down the hinge’s lever to hold the hinge firmly in place.
All our hinges are provided with Blum® soft-close mechanisms inbuilt as standard. You will notice that on our standard 110˚ hinges, there is a small switch to turn the mechanism on and off.
This is particularly useful in full-height cabinets, where you may need to adjust the speed soft-close mechanism to ensure that the door does not close either too fast, or too slowly. Where four or five hinges are in use, consider having two or three hinges with the soft-close mechanism enabled, and the others disabled, though perfecting the speed will vary depending on the weight of the cabinet door and any attached accessories (such as wirework).
Now that your hinge is firmly attached to the cabinet doors, you can clip it onto the cabinet mount. It’s a very straightforward process of simply pushing the hinge onto the bracket, and clamping down.
Once in place you can use the three screws to adjust the alignment and position of the cabinet door. As shown in the image, the left hand screw adjusts the sideways movement, the middle screw will move the hinge up and down, and the right hand screw will move the hinge toward or away from the cabinet. Once you are happy with the position, attach the included cover plate.
As well as our 110˚ hinges for standard cabinet doors, we offer two other different types of hinges: 155˚ for L-shaped cabinet doors and 60˚ for bi-fold cabinet doors. The 60˚ hinge does not have soft-close built in, but the 155˚ hinge has a mechanism included that retrofits to the top of the hinge by simply clipping to the top.
As the hinge closes, it contacts the grey plastic part of the soft-close mechanism which then allows the door to slowly close rather than closing too quickly and slamming.
By following this guide, it should make installing cabinet doors in solid wood kitchens that much easier. If you are having any trouble with the installation, either get in touch with us via telephone or email, or seek assistance from a professional kitchen fitter.
If you would like to see working examples of our cabinet doors and Blum® hinges, why not visit our Gloucester showroom. One of our customer advisers will happily show you exactly how they work and how easy they are to install.
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