How to Install New Cabinet Doors on Existing Cabinets

To install new cabinet doors on existing cabinets, take off the old doors, attach hinges to the new doors, screw the hinges (or their mounting plates) to the cabinet, then use the hinge adjustment screws to even out the gaps. If your new doors were sized and bored correctly, the whole job is a screwdriver-and-patience project. Most of the time goes into the final adjustment, not the hanging.

Before You Start: Confirm the Doors Match the Hinges

New doors only hang right if the hinge, the bore and the overlay all agree. Check these three things before you pick up a drill:

• Hinge type. Concealed (European) hinges use a 35mm cup bored into the back of the door. Older surface-mount or semi-concealed hinges screw onto the face or edge of the door and don’t need a cup.
• Cabinet construction. Face-frame cabinets have a solid wood frame around the opening, so the hinge plate screws to the frame. Frameless cabinets have no frame, so the plate mounts to the inside of the cabinet side.
• Overlay. How far the door covers the opening (for example, 1/2" or 1-1/4" overlay) has to match the hinge you’re using. A door sized for one overlay won’t sit right on a hinge built for another.

If you ordered doors bored for a specific hinge, use that hinge. Mixing brands on a single cabinet rarely ends well.

Tools and Materials

Step-by-Step: Hanging the New Doors

1. Remove the old doors and label everything

Empty the cabinets first so you aren’t reaching around dishes. Most concealed hinges unclip from the plate with a lever or button at the back of the hinge arm; others unscrew. Support the door with one hand while you release the hinges so it doesn’t drop.

Put a strip of painter’s tape inside each opening and write a number on it. Write the same number on tape on the back of each new door. This saves you from mixing up doors that look identical but differ by 1/8".

2. Decide whether to reuse the mounting plates

If the new doors use the same hinge system and overlay, you can often leave the existing plates on the cabinet. If you’re changing hinge type or overlay, remove the old plates and hardware. Fill old screw holes that land where new screws will go (see step 4).

3. Attach the hinges to the doors

Lay the door face down on a towel or moving blanket. Press the hinge cup into the 35mm bore, square it to the door edge with your combination square, and drive the two screws.

Use screws shorter than the door is thick. A 3/4" door with a bored cup leaves very little wood behind the cup, and a long screw can poke through or raise a bump on the face. Pilot holes help keep screws straight and prevent splitting.

4. Mount the plates to the cabinet

For face-frame cabinets, hold the door in position against the frame, mark where the hinge arm lands, and screw the plate to the frame. For frameless cabinets, plates typically sit on a line set back 37mm from the front edge of the cabinet side; many existing cabinets already have holes on that line.

If an old screw hole is stripped, glue a few wooden toothpicks or a golf tee into it, let it dry, trim it flush and redrill a pilot.

5. Hang the doors

Clip or slide the hinge arms onto the plates and snug the screws. Hang every door before adjusting any of them. You can’t judge the gaps until you can see the whole run.

6. Adjust for even gaps

Concealed hinges usually have three adjustments:

• Side-to-side (the screw closest to the door): moves the door left or right and closes up the gap between a pair of doors.
• Depth (the screw farther back on the arm): moves the door in or out so it sits flat against the cabinet.
• Height: usually slotted plate screws or a cam on the plate; loosen, shift the door up or down, retighten.

Aim for a consistent gap between neighboring doors, usually around 1/8". Slip spacers between doors while you adjust to keep things even. Make small turns, close the door, check, repeat.

7. Finish up

Stick a felt or clear bumper near the top and bottom corners on the latch side of each door. Then install knobs or pulls. A hardware jig makes this much faster and more consistent.

Safety Notes

• Wear safety glasses when drilling, especially on upper cabinets where shavings fall toward your face.
• Get a helper for tall pantry or oven-cabinet doors. They’re heavier than they look and awkward to hold level while you drive screws.
• If your cabinets have under-cabinet lighting wired inside or near the face frame, check where wires run before drilling new plate holes. Turn off the circuit if you’ll be working close to fixtures or wiring. If anything needs rewiring, call an electrician.
• Don’t overtighten screws into old face frames. Dry, aged wood strips easily.

Common Problems and Quick Fixes

FAQ

Can I reuse my old hinges on new doors? Sometimes. If the old hinges are concealed hinges in good shape and the new doors are bored and sized for the same hinge and overlay, they can work. Worn or mismatched hinges are a common reason new doors look crooked, so new hinges are usually worth it.

Do I need a hinge-boring jig? Not if your doors arrive bored for your hinges. If you bore them yourself, use a 35mm Forstner bit in a drill press or a dedicated jig, and set a depth stop so you don’t drill through.

How many hinges does each door need? Two for most standard doors. Tall doors, heavy doors and wide doors need more. Check your hinge maker’s guidance for your door size and weight.

How long does it take? Hanging goes quickly once you get the rhythm. Plan extra time for adjusting, since getting a whole wall of doors even takes several passes.

Get Doors Made for Your Cabinets

Our Cabinet Doors category has made-to-size doors in 9 wood species and 64 thermal foil (RTF) colors, finished in-house and shipped nationwide with no minimum order. You can order them bored for your hinges, and you can request samples to check color and finish before you commit. Ship time is shown on each product page and counts from when payment clears; transit time depends on the carrier. Questions? Email information@craftedcabinet.com.