How to Adjust Self Closing Hinges
The self-closing hinge allows cabinet doors to close by themselves without slamming shut, which can be especially useful in high-traffic areas such as bathrooms and kitchens. Unfortunately, if your self-closing hinges aren’t adjusted properly, they can cause your cabinets to bind and even prevent the doors from opening and closing smoothly and evenly. Fortunately, adjusting your self-closing hinges is an easy process that you can complete in just minutes with the right tools and equipment – no special skills required! Here’s how to adjust self closing hinges on cabinets of any size.
Adjust Self Closing Hunders on a Dresser
It’s pretty common for dresser drawers, cabinets and other furniture pieces to come with self-closing hinges. However, sometimes when you pull to open a drawer, it won’t actually latch closed on its own. This can be frustrating because it means one or more of your doors are hanging open every time you walk past them. Plus, if they're in an area where people can see them (like in a kitchen), they'll just look sloppy. Luckily, adjusting these self-closing hinges is actually easy if you have a few tools on hand—and in just minutes. Read along to learn how you can get those cabinets closed again! The great news about adjusting these hinges is that no matter which type of hinge system your piece of furniture has, it will work exactly the same way. To adjust your hinges, all you need are basic household tools like pliers and screwdrivers.
Additionally, you should have some basic knowledge about using power drills so that you don't strip out any screws while working on things. As long as those two things are true, anyone should be able to fix their own self-closing hinge issues without issue! So let's take a closer look at what makes up different types of self closing mechanisms found in modern furniture, what might go wrong with them, and then finally how to go about fixing them.
Adjust Self Closing Hinges on a Desk
As you probably know, self-closing hinges are used on cabinet doors and drawers. They allow a door or drawer to automatically close when it’s pushed inward from an open position. Since they automatically latch when closed, self-closing hinges reduce wasted time spent trying to shut a drawer that was accidentally left open. To adjust self closing hinges properly, you need a Phillips screwdriver and a hammer. The screws holding in most self closing hinges come loose over time due to repeated opening and closing of doors or drawers that have them installed on them. Occasionally, adjusting them is necessary so they don’t stick.
Here’s how to do it: 1) Open any cabinets or desk drawers with self closing hinges that are sticking. 2) Unscrew all four adjustment screws with your Phillips screwdriver by turning them counterclockwise. Once all four are unscrewed, take out each hinge with your hands, keeping note of where each goes because there will be two small springs inside. 3) Use your hammer to tap down any sharp edges on each hinge—the reason for doing so is simple: if sharp edges exist after reassembly, one could get cut during regular use.
Adjust Self Closing Hinges on Cabinet Doors
Cabinet doors that don’t stay closed when you push them can be annoying—and even pose a safety hazard. Fortunately, adjusting these hinges is an easy do-it-yourself project that only requires a screwdriver and a little elbow grease. Here’s how it’s done: Before you start, make sure there isn’t something obstructing your hinge from closing all of the ways, like small items underneath it or next to it on either side of cabinet doors. Remove any obstruction if possible.
Next, use your screwdriver to turn off the self-closing mechanism. This should be located on one side of each hinge, usually right above where screw holes are for attaching hinge plates to cabinet frames or backsplashes. If not, look for a set screw or tab within reach. Once you have turned off the self-closing mechanism, pull down on the door to manually close it completely. Make note of how far down you have to pull the door in order for it to close completely—you will adjust so that number later. Now comes the tricky part: adjusting tension screws so that door stays shut without being pulled open by hand but still opens with minimal effort using an automatic closer system once again.
Also Read:
How to Adjust Old Cabinet Door Hinges
How To Install Self Closing Cabinet Hinges?