Installing Invisible Hinges in Kitchen Cabinets

Consider using invisible hinges, if you've chosen a sleek set of cabinets to fit in with the aesthetic design of your kitchen, but you're concerned about unsightly hinges breaking up the appearance of the space. Invisible hinges are discreet and hidden from view. They won't interrupt the flow of space outside of the cabinet. Read on for a brief how-to guide on installing invisible hinges in your kitchen cabinets.

Remove the Existing Cabinet Doors and Measure the Overlap

If your cabinet is already fully mounted, carefully remove the doors by unscrewing the hinges and discarding them. If you're installing a new cabinet door, bypass this step and move on.

With the cabinet door off, measure the width of the door as compared with the width of the cabinet, to get an idea of what the overlap is. Also, measure the height of the opening. This is important because it tells you exactly where to put the hinges so that your cabinet closes properly. The hinges should be placed at the far left edge of the cabinet base, 2 to 4 inches above the base and below the top. Make a mark of that measure on the cabinet side.

Attach the Hinge Pieces

With the cabinet hinges area marked off, use the template to properly note where the door hinges should go. Next, use your electric drill to drill holes where the cabinet hinge holders will go. This is the same distance that you've marked in the previous step, though you can mark it once again to be sure that it will line up as well. You can then attach the 2-piece invisible hinges by screwing in the attaching screws with the Philips head screwdriver.

Attach the Hinges to the Door

Before mounting the door onto the hinge pieces mounted in the cabinet, you need to attach the other part of both of the hinges to the door itself. Make sure that the hinge markings line up exactly, then measure the same distance on the door and mark where the hinges will need to line up. Next, screw in the second part of the hinges to their place on the cabinet door itself. This can typically be done with just a screwdriver and doesn't require the drill.

Mount the Cabinet Door

Finally, mount the door onto the cabinet by connecting the cabinet mounting hinge with the hinge piece that you attached to the side of the cabinet. Make sure that all of the pieces are properly connected, then check to be sure that the cabinet door will fully open and close without any difficulty. If it doesn't, you may need to remove the door and continue to adjust the hinges.