The kitchen can be the busiest room in the house, but the constant slamming of cabinet doors against the frame can also take its toll, leaving dents, scuffs, and even cracks in the cabinets. Luckily, there are ways around this noisy problem. Soft close hinges are an affordable way to do away with racketeering while keeping those expensive cabinets clean.
Soft close hinges are very similar to standard concealed hinges commonly used in kitchens and bathrooms. The difference lies in the mechanism that stops the door an inch or two before it touches the frame, closing it softly and silently.
If you’re delirious from the sound of knocking in your cabinets, read on to find out how to choose the right soft-close hinges for your home and learn about some of the best options on the market.
With various types of soft-close hinges to choose from, choosing a hinge that is compatible with your existing cabinets can be a little confusing. Then learn about types of cabinet hinges and how to pair them with different styles of cabinets.
There are two types of cabinets: frameless and front. On frameless models, the sides extend to the front of the cabinet, while on cabinets with a front frame, the trim runs along the edges. One type of hinge is often incompatible with another, so it’s important to determine which type of cabinet to use before purchasing.
Face frame hinges and frameless cabinets are available in full, partial and recessed finishes. Be sure to select the type of hinge that matches the design of the cabinet.
It is important to understand that these hinge styles are not interchangeable. Recessed hinges are only available for recessed cabinet doors and overlay hinges are only available for compatible cabinet doors.
The soft-close hinge is attached to the cabinet door by inserting it into a cup drilled into the door. These cups are 35mm in diameter and 11mm deep. As this is the standard size for all concealed hinges, existing concealed hinges can be easily replaced with new soft close hinges.
Retrofitting old cabinet doors with standard hinges is a little trickier because soft-close hinges require drilling this cup hole.
The soft-close hinge also has three handy screw adjusters that allow you to fine-tune the door’s orientation after installation, leaving room for error when installing the hinge. These controls allow you to move the door approximately 2mm up or down, left or right, closer to or away from the cabinet.
The list below narrows down to some of the best soft close hinges by type. These hinges have a solid construction and are suitable for a variety of cabinet styles.
High quality construction, adjustable for easy installation and six sizes for different span widths set these soft-close cabinet hinges apart from the pack. Nickel plated rolled steel hinge fits ¾” to 1½” frame escutcheons, making it one of the most versatile brands of soft close hinges.
Three-way adjusters simplify installation by allowing you to fine-tune the position of the door after installation without the need for precise hole placement. The diameter and depth of the cups are standard 35mm and 11mm, respectively. Furniture hinges with soft closing are available in packs of 10, 20 and 50 pieces.
Using these sections to cover hinges, replacing standard hinges in the kitchen or throughout the house can be a less expensive undertaking. This kit includes enough quality hinges to upgrade 10 cabinet doors at one of the lowest prices on the market.
Like the more expensive options, they feature nickel-plated stainless steel construction and three adjustment options for easy installation. They also include door bumpers, making them ideal for new cabinets. Konigeehre hinges fit cups up to 35mm in diameter and 11mm deep and have a ½” overlay on the cabinet frame.
Thanks to its innovative design, the Blum Blumotion soft close hinge is a premium product that will easily decorate your closet. The unique clip mechanism allows users to attach and detach cabinet doors in seconds, eliminating the need to attach fasteners when securing the door.
They also offer more control than most competitors, with a switch to turn the soft-off feature on and off. The Blum Blumotion clip top top hinge fits ½ to ¾ inch indoor doors and standard cup sizes 35mm diameter x 11mm deep. They are sold in packs of eight.
These Probrico hinges for full frame cabinets have a solid construction and adjusters to make them easy to install. They use hydraulic cylinders powerful enough to turn a standard cabinet door into a soft close door with just one hinge change. These hinges feature nickel-plated cast iron construction and are ideal for heavier cabinet doors that use more.
Hinges for cupboard doors with mortise cup 35 mm high x 11 mm wide for doors 14 to 22 mm thick. Probrico hinges for soft close kitchen cabinets are available in sets of 1, 2, 4, 5, 10 and 20 pairs.
These frameless hinges are highly adjustable for easy installation and are ideal for frameless cabinets. The 3-way adjustable design allows the user to adjust the hinge up and down, side to side, front and back, so minor drilling errors for hinged hardware can be easily corrected.
Each hinge fits a hinge cup with a diameter of 35 mm and a depth of 10.5 mm and is suitable for doors with a thickness of 14 to 20 mm. They are designed to fit ⅝ to ¾ inch frameless cabinet covers. DecoBasics cabinet hinges are available in various packages, from 2 to 100 pieces, and in full or partial designs.
These well-made hinges fit a wide range of coverage widths and are ideal for a variety of kitchen cabinets. Universal hinge sizes fit 1¼”, 1/2″, and 3/4″ escutcheons, and the nickel-plated steel construction makes them ideal for kitchens and other high-traffic cabinets.
For ease of installation, the adjuster allows the user to move the door from left to right, front to back, and up and down with a standard Phillips screwdriver. Each loop fits a standard cup with a diameter of 35mm and a depth of 11mm. Ravinte soft close hinges are available in packs of 10, 20, 30, 50 and 60 pieces.
Multiple adjustment points and a sturdy construction make these soft close hinges ideal for full coverage cabinets. The hinges fit standard hinge cups with a diameter of 35 mm and a depth of 11 mm. The studded design eliminates the need to attach the door to the hinge when installed in a cabinet.
Once installed, the three-way adjusters allow you to fine-tune the position of each cabinet door. DecoBasics hinges are available in packs of 2 to 100 and are cost effective for replacing hinges on a large number of cabinets.
All soft-close cabinet hinges are installed with drilled cups on the door, so cabinet doors that do not have this design must be retrofitted before adding soft-close hinges. This is where the Kreg clip comes into play, allowing the user to create a standard cup hole (35mm diameter, 11mm deep) for a cabinet door hinge. The kit includes a fixture that attaches to the body, as well as a cutting attachment to create holes suitable for a standard drill chuck. A measurement scale built into the fixture allows users to make precise alignments, while a depth gauge ring ensures drilling is at the correct depth. NOTE. This kit does not include hinges, which must be purchased separately, and the door must be at least 14mm thick to work with this clip.
If you still have questions about how a soft close hinge works or how it fits, keep reading to find answers to these and other questions about this type of hinge.
Yes, soft close hinges can be installed on older cabinets. To do this, it is necessary to drill a cup with a diameter of 35 mm and a depth of 11 mm in the back of the cabinet door in order to install new soft-closing hinges. The best way to do this is to use a tool like this one from Kreg.
As a rule, one soft-closing hinge is enough to dampen cabinet doors. Heavier cabinet doors may require two doors to support the extra weight.
The soft close hinge has three adjustment points on the hinge, all of which can be changed with a Phillips screwdriver. The horizontal adjustment screw moves the door from left to right or right to left depending on how you turn the screw. The vertical adjustment screw moves the door up and down, while the third screw moves the door closer to or away from the frame.
When you close a cabinet with a soft-close hinge, the hinge grabs the cabinet door a few inches before closing, so it closes slowly. The self-closing hinge has a mechanism that automatically closes the door when it is fully closed a few inches.
Post time: Nov-15-2022