How to fix cabinet door that won t stay closed

My kitchen cabinets don't stay closed. I am not sure if they are warped or if the hinges are somehow damaged. I don't want to put magnets on the frames unless absolutely necessary. Any ideas how to fix this? It looks so sloppy with some of the doors partly open.

Through most of my high school days, I lived in a 1960s construction house that had settled a lot. Some doors wouldn't close all the way, the paint on the walls and ceilings had cracked and, worst of all, there was a specific spot on the kitchen floor that when stepped on would cause two or three cabinet doors to swing open.

If you have similar issues in your home, there is a very simple fix you can apply to every cabinet door in your kitchen or bathroom in minutes and without breaking the bank.

Here's how it's done.

What you will need

The most important parts of this hack are the magnets. While just about any magnet will help, what you're actually looking for are neodymium magnets, also known as rare-earth magnets. These have a much stronger pull than your typical ferrite magnets.

You can usually find them near the fasteners in your local hardware store. You will need at least one magnet per troublesome cabinet door.

You will also need one large binder clip per cabinet or some other thin piece of metal. I chose to use binder clips because they're cheap and easily removable if you decide to upgrade to something more official later on.

How to hack your cabinets

On the inside corner of the door, find a place where the magnet will make contact with the cabinet trim. Use the adhesive to mount the magnet.

Next, line up and attach the binder clip. Pull the arms back and stretch the clip over the trim inside the cabinet, then pinch the sides of each arm to remove them from the binder clip.

When you close the cabinet door, you should feel a small amount of pull from the magnet. This will help keep the door closed when it would otherwise swing open.

As inconspicuous as this is, it obviously isn't meant to be a permanent solution, especially when you consider that more permanent latching mechanisms for cabinet doors are relatively inexpensive. However, this is useful if you have only a few cabinet doors that won't stay closed and it will hold you over until you can find a more permanent solution.

Stubborn cabinet hinges are almost always the result of abuse. Hinges may start sticking if the door continually gets slammed or closed too hard, or when an object gets stuck between the door and the cabinet. When the door is closed forcefully, it bends the hinge or loosens the screws. When this happens, the door will not shut all the way on the top or bottom. Even if you force it closed, it will spring back out. You can remedy this situation by using methods that cabinet installers use all the time.

1. Push the door closed with your fingers. Allow the door to spring back open. The door will fail to close at either the top or bottom. This means that one of the hinges is bent, causing the door to angle from open to closed at one end. Choose the hinge on the end of the door that is closed.

2. Fold a matchbook cover or piece cardboard of similar thickness four times. Open the door and insert the matchbook cover between the door and the side of the cabinet just above the hinge. Close the door.

3. Open the door and remove the matchbook cover. Close the door again. If the door will still not close properly, fold the matchbook cover again, and repeat inserting and closing the door.

4. Open the door and remove the matchbook cover. If the door will still not close, add another matchbook and repeat Steps 2 and 3 until the door closes tightly. The idea is to bend the good hinge slightly to get it the same as the bent hinge.

1. Open the cabinet door and push it shut it again. If the cabinet door fails to close completely or fails to stay closed, the spring tension is too light.

2. Open the door and hold it open with one hand. When the door is in the open position it will expose two screws on each hinge. These are slightly recessed into the body of the hinge. Use a screwdriver to turn them both clockwise one-quarter turn at a time to add tension to the internal spring. Test the door. If it still won't close, turn the adjusting screws one-quarter turn at a time until the door closes and stays closed.

3. Open the door and let go of it, or push it slightly. If the door slams shut hard or bounces and then shuts, it has too much tension. Turn the adjusting screws one-quarter turn counterclockwise and test the door. When it closes with a moderate amount of pressure and stays closed without bouncing off the face of the cabinet, the tension is adjusted properly.

   Things You Will Need

   • Matchbook cover or piece of cardboard

   • Screwdriver

   Don't be intimidated about bending a hinge. This is always done after the cabinets are installed to align and position doors. It only requires a small tweak, and the doors will close. If you bend it too far, use the palm of your hand to push hard on the door to bend the hinge down a bit.

   The matchbook procedure will only work on the standard, flush mount hinges typically used on cabinets. If you can't see the hinge from the front of the cabinet, you may have European or mortised hinges.

In most parts of a home or office, cabinet doors get a lot of use. Imagine you open and close a cabinet door 5 times every day. After a decade, you will have swung that door more than 18,000 times. So it’s not surprising that after years of consistent use, sometimes a cabinet door won’t close as cleanly as it used to. Perhaps the door sits crooked on the cabinet box, or juts out from the cabinet face. The cabinet door might also swing closed at an odd angle and make a lot of noise in the process.

None of these problems are surprising or rare for a cabinet door that’s older or gets a lot of use – but all of these issues are annoying. Fortunately, all of these problems are fixable, too, with some advice from the cabinet door experts at Cabinetdoors.com. If your cabinet doors won’t stay closed, try the following adjustments and fixes. With a little work, you can correct cabinet doors that won’t close.

How to Keep Cabinet Doors Closed: Diagnose the Problem

Have you ever found yourself standing in your room feeling frustrated and thinking, “Why won’t my cabinet doors close?” If so, there is a solution, but first you need to figure out why your doors won’t close properly. With all the use and abuse cabinet doors go through, problems can take many forms. The hinges could be rusted and bent, the wood of the cabinet doors may have warped with time, or things just may have loosened up over time. To determine why your cabinet doors won’t stay closed, here’s what to do.

1. Examine the doors and hinges – Look over each part of the cabinet door, inside and out, opening and closing each door to see if it rubs or catches. This helps you identify why each cabinet door doesn’t close all the way and pinpoint whether there is an issue with the hinge or with the door.

2. Fix any issues with the hinges – If the hinges seem to be the problem, fix any loose screws or replace worn hinge pins on older hinges first to see if that resolves the issue. If your hinges are painted, you may just need to replace them.

3. Mark the problem on the doors – If the doors are overlapping, catching, or rubbing, mark the edges causing the problem. This will help you decide if it’s fixable or not.

4. Take the doors off the hinges – Taking the cabinet doors off the hinges may also give you a closer look at areas that are rubbing or catching, resulting in the cabinet door not closing.

5. Confirm your diagnosis – Once the door is removed, you should see signs of why your cabinet door won’t close if you didn’t before. This also gives you a chance to inspect the inside and outside of the cabinet boxes for signs of wear and tear you may not have noticed before.

Once you have confirmed your diagnosis of the problem, it’s time to decide how to keep cabinet doors closed. Look for a solution that not only solves your problem right now, but will ideally keep it from becoming a problem again any time soon. 

How to Fix a Cabinet Door that Won’t Close: Select the Solution

Once you know why each cabinet door doesn’t close all the way, simply select the appropriate solution. Finding the problem first ensures you choose the right solution for how to keep cabinet doors closed:

• How to Fix Cabinet Doors that Rub – If you have double doors that rub against each other when closed, try adjusting each of the hinges. You will see two screws on the hinge. Make small quarter turns to the screw closest to the cabinet door to adjust its position left and right. After adjusting the doors just enough to eliminate the rubbing, visually inspect that they’re still in alignment. If you live in a hot or humid climate and the doors have swollen, this should resolve the issue. In some cases, you may need to sand the edges that have been rubbing against each other, then refinish them to keep them from swelling further.

• How to Adjust Cabinet Hinges That Won’t Close – Most hinges allow for adjustments in three directions. We covered left/right adjustments in the previous entry. To adjust up/down, slightly unscrew the base plate the hinge locks into and move the doors until they’re level at top and bottom. To bring the cabinets closer or further to the cabinet box, use the hinge screw farthest from the doors (the one not used for left/right). Keep in mind that while most hinges are adjustable, no hinge is immortal. All hinges wear down with time and use until they eventually require replacement.

• How to Fix Cabinet Doors That Overlap – When your cabinet doors overlap when closed, it may be possible to adjust the hinges to fix the problem. However, if adjusting the hinges doesn’t resolve the overlap, it’s likely you will need to replace either the doors or the hinges. Often, when cabinet doors overlap, it implies there’s damage to one or the other. As long as that damage doesn’t extend to the cabinet boxes as well, you can simply replace the doors or hinges, fix the overlap, and get great-looking cabinets.

• How to Fix Warped Cabinet Doors – Depending on how badly the doors are warped, you may be able to hide the evidence of warping by adjusting the hinges. However, there’s no way to reverse the effects of warping. Unfortunately, there’s not a lot of great ways to prevent it either, especially if you live in a humid climate. Having your cabinet doors professionally finished and caring for them properly throughout their life can help, but once the warping begins, you’ll just have to do your best. If the hinge adjustments fail, the only other option besides replacing the cabinets entirely is to replace only the cabinet doors using new replacement doors that are free of warping.

• How to Fix Cabinet Doors With Damage – The fix depends entirely upon the type of damage. Ideally, fixing the damage is as easy as refinishing the door. In that case, simply remove the doors and unscrew the hinges and hardware. Then thoroughly sand the doors and inspect whatever damage is left. If necessary, fill any holes, dents, or small cracks, then sand again, focusing on any rough or uneven spots. Then apply the paint or stain of your choice. In cases of extensive damage, it may be impossible to hide the evidence or fix what’s wrong with the door, leaving cabinet door replacement as the only viable option.

When You Can’t Fix Cabinet Doors That Won’t Close: Consider Your Alternatives

When you have cabinet doors that won’t close and adjustments or fixes don’t correct the problem, you only have a few alternative options left. Consider the following options:

• Live with it – You could try to get used to it for the time being. Some people can learn to live with cabinets that hang crooked or jut out, but those people are rare. Additionally, you could be putting the integrity of your cabinet boxes at risk.

• Replace the cabinets entirely – Replacing cabinets will fix nearly every cabinet problem you have and leaves you with the benefit of brand-new cabinets. However, it’s important to note that installing new cabinets is expensive, time-consuming, and messy.

• Replace your cabinet doors – Keep your existing cabinet boxes and replace just the cabinet doors and hinges. Homeowners typically pick this option since it provides the look of new cabinets at a fraction of the cost.

If you can’t stomach looking around a room and seeing your cabinet door won’t close, but you don’t have the budget for a full kitchen renovation either, you still have a great option. Replacing your cabinet doors is a fantastic solution when your cabinet doors won’t stay closed and they can’t be fixed. At Cabinetdoors.com, we can help you find replacement cabinet doors that fit your cabinets perfectly.

Cabinet Doors Won’t Stay Closed? Get Replacement Cabinet Doors at Cabinetdoors.com

As long as your cabinet boxes are still in good condition, you can have brand new custom-built cabinet doors cut to the exact same size as your existing doors. Along with being easy to install, these custom-sized doors also let you update the style and finish of your cabinetry, which gives your whole room an exciting new update. You can choose the door design, wood species, and finish you want, and order the cabinet doors in the exact sizes you need. We’ll make them to your specifications, then ship them directly from our factory to your door.

That means you’ll not only get a custom product built for you, but you’ll also get that product at a fraction of the cost that you’d find at a big box retailer. That’s because we are the manufacturer, so you won’t have to pay for a middleman. Even better, the workmanship on our high quality products is guaranteed, so you can trust that you’ll get an excellent product every time. You can even get new, soft-close hinges with your cabinet doors—and holes bored for them, too—so you can start with new, quality products all around.

When it comes to figuring out how to keep cabinet doors closed, sometimes the best solution is to start fresh. In terms of overall costs and benefits, replacing cabinet doors is usually the smartest alternative. You can get the look of a full cabinet remodel, without the cost or the hassle of tearing out your cabinets.

How to Keep Cabinet Doors Closed: Take the Next Step

Now that you know how to fix cabinet doors that overlap, how to adjust cabinet hinges that won’t close, or how to fix a host of other issues, it’s time to make a decision. You’ll need to decide whether you can repair your doors or hinges, or whether you’ll need to replace them. You may opt to try a few things first to correct a cabinet door that doesn’t close all the way, or you may decide that the best course of action is replacement.

The decision is entirely up to you, but if you prefer what replacement cabinet doors have to offer, Cabinetdoors.com is your source for custom replacement cabinet doors at fantastic prices. At Cabinetdoors.com, you’ll find an extensive array of style choices, all at 30-50% below retail prices. Even if you just need to replace a couple doors and want to match them to your original doors, you can get a custom cabinet door that meets all your specifications and fits your cabinets perfectly.

Take some time to explore our website and get inspired by our fantastic selection of cabinet doors. You can also learn how to measure for overlay and order the right size doors, get tips for replacement and tricks for installation, and explore soft-close hinge options. If you need to replace your drawer fronts, we offer those, too. In short, you can expect to find all the information and assistance you need on our website, or by contacting us online or by phone at 800-342-1010. When it comes to cabinet doors, Cabinetdoors.com always delivers.