Kitchen cabinet hinges.  I bet that’s not a phrase that you think of very much.  But did you know changing your hinges can make your kitchen cabinets take on a whole new look??  Honestly, neither did I.  But it’s true, let me show you.

Today’s post is not a sexy one.  There is a before and after but it’s not all that exciting (until we get to the kitchen reveal).  But without hinges, your cabinets wouldn’t work at all, so they are essential. 

When we started the kitchen remodel, my husband really wanted to do all new cabinets.  I talked him out of it because the ones we have are functional, solid wood and really just needed refreshing (not to mention new cabinets are very expensive!).  So he conceded but said he really hated the hinges.  The hinges? I can’t say I ever thought a day about our kitchen cabinet hinges.  But they really bothered him, so they were on the list of things to re-do. Here’s what they looked like: 

As part of the renovation, we also added a few new cabinets and those came with the concealed hinges already installed.  So to tie it all together and give it a cohesive and more modern look we bought concealed hinges, also called overlay hinges, also called European hinges (why all the different names for the same thing??).  

This post contains some affiliate links to help you find the products I’m talking about.  Any affiliate income from the blog goes to support more awesome projects.  For my full disclosure policy, see here.

How to Install Overlay Kitchen Cabinet Hinges 

The best deal I found on the hinges were from my favorite hardware source, dlawlesshardware.com.  They are very reasonable compared to big box stores (BUT be sure you order the right thing because returns are a bit more difficult).  I ordered a set in the most common dimension ½” overlay and waited for them to come.  When they arrived, I realized I had the wrong ones…. Here’s what I didn’t do – and what you should.

Measure the Overlay.

I assumed cabinets were pretty standard, well I was wrong. 

Measure your overlay like this: measure the width of your cabinet door, and subtract the width of the cabinet opening. Divide by 2.  My opening was 21”w my cabinets were 21.5”w so my overlay was ¼”. Clearly that’s why the ½” overlay hinges did not work.  I also learned they make overlay hinges that are adjustable – spend the extra money and get the adjustable ones – you’ll need that feature, trust me!

Remove existing hardware.

Back to the cabinets.  Take down the cabinets and remove all existing hardware. 

Paint or stain your cabinets. {I saved the touch-up and top coat for after hinge installation, a few scratches are inevitable.}

Prep for new hinges.

Next, you’ll need one of these clever little jigs that come with the a large drill bit.  Align the jig to the edge of the door, mark the center and drill your hole to the depth of the bit.  This is the exact size for the hinge to fit in. 

Be as precise as possible here. And if your existing holes are in a place that may mess up your new holes, fill them!  I didn’t and paid for it later. 

I laid the newly painted cabinets on a blanket to do this drilling.  It saves the paint from getting too messed up, you will make a mess with wood shavings though, so have your shop vac handy. 

Reinstall Cabinets.

Now attach your new kitchen cabinet hinge with a few screws, and screw the hinge back to the frame of the cabinets.

The other screws on the hinge allow you to adjust the cabinet door side to side and up a down a bit – use your adjustments to get your doors level. 

And wa-lah, new kitchen cabinet hinges.  I’m not going to lie – this project sucked.  It was all my user error but I just had some trouble from ordering the wrong hinges to drilling my holes in slightly the wrong spot – one of those DIY projects ya know?  After some perseverance though, the doors are back up and ready for their final coat of paint and hardware – I can’t wait to show it to you all put back together.  Here’s a sneak peek. UPDATE: See the kitchen reveal here. 

So a little tedious, yes.  But worth it to make these old cabinets look more modern and updated – yes. Take your time, learn from my mistakes, and new kitchen cabinet hinges are a project you can accomplish! 

Jenni