Kitchen cabinet hinges...why?
Discussion
We are extending and replacing our kitchen. Looks wise it will all be fairly modern, shaker units in a pebble grey colour, black worktops, island with an induction hob, brushed stainless handles. I was happy with a higher end Howdens kitchen, however Mrs H-D had her heart set on a full solid wood carcasses/doors jobbie. It was more expensive but I was starting to come round to it.
However we've realised that pretty much every bespoke/solid kitchen manufacturers only have simple visible butt hinges, rather than the concealed hinges. IMHO this seems daft due to...
1-Totally ruins the aesthetics on a modern kitchen (granted it's probably OK in a traditional kitchen with an Aga/Belfast sink, traditional knobs/handles)
2-Zero ability to adjust the door fit, and presumably a solid wood kitchen is definitely going to move a bit, especially when you add in underfloor heating, bifolds etc)
3-No "detent" for the door to be open, it could swing "over-open" and start bouncing into things
4-You will need catches to keep the door closed
5-The hinges will just become a dirt/dust/grease trap
I must be missing something here...is there a problem fitting concealed hinges to a solid carcass?
However we've realised that pretty much every bespoke/solid kitchen manufacturers only have simple visible butt hinges, rather than the concealed hinges. IMHO this seems daft due to...
1-Totally ruins the aesthetics on a modern kitchen (granted it's probably OK in a traditional kitchen with an Aga/Belfast sink, traditional knobs/handles)
2-Zero ability to adjust the door fit, and presumably a solid wood kitchen is definitely going to move a bit, especially when you add in underfloor heating, bifolds etc)
3-No "detent" for the door to be open, it could swing "over-open" and start bouncing into things
4-You will need catches to keep the door closed
5-The hinges will just become a dirt/dust/grease trap
I must be missing something here...is there a problem fitting concealed hinges to a solid carcass?
Hard-Drive said:
We are extending and replacing our kitchen. Looks wise it will all be fairly modern, shaker units in a pebble grey colour, black worktops, island with an induction hob, brushed stainless handles. I was happy with a higher end Howdens kitchen, however Mrs H-D had her heart set on a full solid wood carcasses/doors jobbie. It was more expensive but I was starting to come round to it.
However we've realised that pretty much every bespoke/solid kitchen manufacturers only have simple visible butt hinges, rather than the concealed hinges. IMHO this seems daft due to...
1-Totally ruins the aesthetics on a modern kitchen (granted it's probably OK in a traditional kitchen with an Aga/Belfast sink, traditional knobs/handles)
2-Zero ability to adjust the door fit, and presumably a solid wood kitchen is definitely going to move a bit, especially when you add in underfloor heating, bifolds etc)
3-No "detent" for the door to be open, it could swing "over-open" and start bouncing into things
4-You will need catches to keep the door closed
5-The hinges will just become a dirt/dust/grease trap
I must be missing something here...is there a problem fitting concealed hinges to a solid carcass?
solid timber kitchen owner here, inframe shaker style. No movement in 4 years(with UFH and a wet system also), hinges stay clean, you don't need to adjust the door as the idea is that its fitted correctly first time round. However we've realised that pretty much every bespoke/solid kitchen manufacturers only have simple visible butt hinges, rather than the concealed hinges. IMHO this seems daft due to...
1-Totally ruins the aesthetics on a modern kitchen (granted it's probably OK in a traditional kitchen with an Aga/Belfast sink, traditional knobs/handles)
2-Zero ability to adjust the door fit, and presumably a solid wood kitchen is definitely going to move a bit, especially when you add in underfloor heating, bifolds etc)
3-No "detent" for the door to be open, it could swing "over-open" and start bouncing into things
4-You will need catches to keep the door closed
5-The hinges will just become a dirt/dust/grease trap
I must be missing something here...is there a problem fitting concealed hinges to a solid carcass?
What type of kitchen as surely you'd only use butt hinges with an inframe style, which by design is more traditional.
I spoke to the supplier, they can do the concealed hinges as a cost option...seems a bit daft to me as personally I would have thought it's more work to fit the butt hinges compared to the Blum hinges.
Our chosen style is a Shaker...I just cannot understand why you'd go butt hinges on that design, although I do get that it would look right on an inframe design.
Our chosen style is a Shaker...I just cannot understand why you'd go butt hinges on that design, although I do get that it would look right on an inframe design.
a good ball bearing flush or butt hinge shouldn't sag over time, so shouldn't need the adjustability if it's fitted correctly. Some of the normal ones have a bit of slop in them that the ball bearing ones don't have.
So it's mostly just down to visual preference.
Labour-wise - Concealed hinges like Blum takes no time at all to fit, and can't imagine the product cost if much different as they are only about £5 with all the covers etc.
So it's mostly just down to visual preference.
Labour-wise - Concealed hinges like Blum takes no time at all to fit, and can't imagine the product cost if much different as they are only about £5 with all the covers etc.
Might be a tooling issue depending on how the things are being knocked out? If it's all CNC it makes no difference, otherwise the concealed hinges will end up needing the jigs to get everything drilled correctly which isn't quite so complex for a basic hinge.
I bought the Blum tooling for something I put together as it was much simpler than doing it by hand and I didn't have the option of CNC, especially for the doors.
I bought the Blum tooling for something I put together as it was much simpler than doing it by hand and I didn't have the option of CNC, especially for the doors.
Yeah I've made MDF doors for stuff and just drilled out the big hole on the doors after marking them out off an existing door.
There's enough adjustment on them to cover any cockups apart from the big 'too deep' mistake you only do once
They're soft close too - I'd have thought that was a big plus.
There's enough adjustment on them to cover any cockups apart from the big 'too deep' mistake you only do once
They're soft close too - I'd have thought that was a big plus.
Having a job reconciling ‘fairly modern’ and ‘Shaker’ but never mind. I’d be asking why have big, fat ugly self closers, that will, eventually sag/screws pull out/rust/look grotty when you can have a nice discreet butt hinge, which if it has phosphor bronze washers will outlast the kitchen it’s in: though maybe longevity isn’t an issue when the kitchen is ripped out after five years to comply with the latest fad.
andy43 said:
Yeah I've made MDF doors for stuff and just drilled out the big hole on the doors after marking them out off an existing door.
There's enough adjustment on them to cover any cockups apart from the big 'too deep' mistake you only do once
They're soft close too - I'd have thought that was a big plus.
Ditto. You just need a forstner bit of the right size, and off you go. I always thought the key point of this style of concealed hinge was that they gave the adjustability needed to disguise the "bang it together" nature of flat pack carcasses ... plus they were designed to work with the inherent flimsiness of chipboard and MDF by spreading the load round the edges of a big hole.There's enough adjustment on them to cover any cockups apart from the big 'too deep' mistake you only do once
They're soft close too - I'd have thought that was a big plus.
If I was having custom made cabinets I wouldn't expect the adjustability nor the load spreading to be necessary. Soft close and holding the door closed would be nice, though.
Hard-Drive said:
I spoke to the supplier, they can do the concealed hinges as a [b]cost option/[b]...seems a bit daft to me as personally I would have thought it's more work to fit the butt hinges compared to the Blum hinges.
Our chosen style is a Shaker...I just cannot understand why you'd go butt hinges on that design, although I do get that it would look right on an inframe design.
I think you've answered your own question there. It's like BMW Stereo systems, the base installation is so bad everyone pays extra for the Harman Kardon upgrade, and wonders why BMW can make cars that are great at everything except the stereo...Our chosen style is a Shaker...I just cannot understand why you'd go butt hinges on that design, although I do get that it would look right on an inframe design.
We’ve got a solid in-frame butt-hinged kitchen and it would seem like something was missing without the hinge being visible. I guess it’s down to personal preference.
I also thought I’d miss ‘soft close’ hinges but there’s something satisfying about snapping the doors on and off the catches. It feels traditional.
I also thought I’d miss ‘soft close’ hinges but there’s something satisfying about snapping the doors on and off the catches. It feels traditional.
There's a lot to be said for a traditional butt hinge when the style of furniture warrants it. They can look especially good if the frame has a cockbead the same width as the hinge knuckle and the hinge is cut in. (not much room for adjustment here, it's got to be perfect first time. )
And then butt hinges can be ordered in any one of a multitude of finishes to match your knobs and handles. (this is not necessarily a cheap option )
https://www.armacmartin.co.uk/products/207c-broad-...
Self close/soft close ? Sadly no but if you can't help yourself slamming cupboard doors, then a mag catch with a leather covered keep may be for you. (leather available in four colours )
https://e-magnetsuk.com/product-category/magnetic-...
)And then butt hinges can be ordered in any one of a multitude of finishes to match your knobs and handles. (this is not necessarily a cheap option
)https://www.armacmartin.co.uk/products/207c-broad-...
Self close/soft close ? Sadly no but if you can't help yourself slamming cupboard doors, then a mag catch with a leather covered keep may be for you. (leather available in four colours
)https://e-magnetsuk.com/product-category/magnetic-...
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