Can I fix my cabinet hinge, or do I need to replace it?
August 31, 2010 9:41 AM   Subscribe

The hinge on our kitchen cabinets has come apart, and I don't know if I can repair it. Replacement is only $6 or so, but I'll have to wait on delivery. It's a salice hinge, and there are 2 pieces, one on the door and one on the cabinet. There's some linkage that hooks the two pieces together, but I didn't install them so I have no idea how they fit together. Here is a picture of a similar hinge, with an annotation of where the separation has happened. Anyone familiar with salice hinges? Anything I can do, or should I just replace and be done?
posted by ivey to Home & Garden (6 answers total)
 
Is the screw to the left of your blue arrow still there? I'm not intimately familiar with this particular hinge (Salice makes a lot of similar hinges) but it looks like the parts should slip together, and be tightened with that screw. The joint allows you to adjust the position of the door slightly right or left.
posted by jon1270 at 9:46 AM on August 31, 2010


Best answer: Just replace it - it's easy.
We had to replace the same kind of hinge. Give Home Depot a try - they have several types of this hinge. We had to go to a specialty cabinet store to get the exact kind we needed though
posted by smelvis at 9:47 AM on August 31, 2010


Best answer: Oh yeah, this happens to mine all the time. Unless you are actually looking at broken metal, I doubt you need to replace it.

The piece that you are pointing to (to the left of the arrow, which is attached to the frame) slides into a set of guides on the door, then gets tightened into place with the screw. What happens is the screw comes loose, the piece slips out, and then the strong spring in the hinge makes it hard to straighten out the joint so you can slip it back in.

I pry the joint flat with a screwdriver, then slip it back into the guides, then tighten the screw. Compare the one that has come across to the one that's come apart, and you'll see how it goes. It may be easier with someone to help.
posted by ottereroticist at 9:53 AM on August 31, 2010


"pry the joint flat" > "pry the joint out"
posted by ottereroticist at 9:54 AM on August 31, 2010


Response by poster: jon1270: Yes, the screw is there.

ottereroticist: With you so far. It did snap in, but I was able to pry it out, no trouble.

Tightening the screw doesn't seem to make the joint hold. As I tighten/loosen, the joint slips left or right.
posted by ivey at 10:11 AM on August 31, 2010


Response by poster: On further inspection, I'm looking at broken metal. The piece attached to the frame has a little lip that slides next to the piece that goes into the guides. The screw is attached to that lip, and that's what has broken off. Since it's attached to the screw, I couldn't see it very well.

In my case the win goes to smelvis, but hopefully the next person with this problem will be an ottereroticistist.

Thanks everyone!
posted by ivey at 10:20 AM on August 31, 2010


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