Cupboard door adjustment in Exeter
Professional cupboard door adjustment services in Exeter and surrounding areas. Local, reliable handyman - no job too small.
Price Guide
£60
Typical Duration
15-20 mins
Location
Exeter, Devon
Cupboard door adjusted to hang straight and close without rubbing. Hinges tweaked, screws tightened, gaps evened out - working properly again.
Kitchen Doors Looking Drunk
One sitting higher than the others? Happens to everyone.
Cupboard doors get opened and closed thousands of times. Eventually screws loosen, hinges shift, doors drop. Suddenly they're rubbing on the frame, not closing flush, or sitting at a wonky angle.
💡 Pro tip: Modern cabinet hinges have 3-way adjustment (up/down, left/right, in/out). Once you know which screw does what, it's a 2-minute fix. But if you don't, it's just confusing.
Why Fix It?
| ✅ Adjusted Properly | ❌ Left Wonky |
|---|---|
| Doors close smoothly | Rubbing and sticking |
| All line up nicely | Obviously misaligned |
| Screws tightened | Getting worse |
| 15-minute fix | Looks shoddy |
What's Included
🔧 The Service
- Assess why door's misaligned
- Tighten loose screws
- Adjust hinge positions
- Check door closes without rubbing
- Even up gaps between doors
- Fix stripped screw holes if needed
📦 You Get
- Cupboard door that works properly
- Straight and level alignment
- Smooth closing
- No rubbing or catching
- Looks fitted properly again
Pricing
| Number of Doors | Time | You'll Pay |
|---|---|---|
| Single door | 15-20 mins | £60 |
| 2-3 doors | 20-30 mins | £60 |
| Full run of kitchen cupboards | 30-45 mins | £60-£85 |
Based on £60 minimum (first hour). Multiple doors barely add time.
Perfect If...
✅ Door rubbing on frame - catches when closing
✅ Dropped corner - door sitting wonky
✅ Gaps uneven - some doors flush, others sticking out
✅ Multiple doors - whole kitchen needs aligning
Why Choose Us for Cupboard door adjustment in Exeter?
Doors close properly without rubbing
Straight and level alignment
Hinges adjusted correctly
No expensive replacement needed
What to Expect
Step 1: Diagnosis
Check which doors need adjusting and why - loose screws, wrong hinge position, or stripped holes.
Step 2: Adjustment
Tighten screws, adjust hinges using the built-in adjustment screws. Fix any stripped holes properly.
Step 3: Fine-Tuning
Check all doors line up flush and gaps are even. Make sure they all close smoothly without rubbing.
🔧 DIY Tips
Want to adjust them yourself? Here's the basics:
🔧 Tools you'll need
- Screwdriver (usually Phillips, sometimes Pozidriv)
- Maybe an Allen key (some hinges use hex screws)
- Patience (it's fiddly)
📐 Understanding modern cabinet hinges Most have 3 adjustment screws:
- Up/Down: Moves door higher or lower on the cabinet
- Left/Right (depth): Brings door closer to cabinet or further out
- Side-to-side: Adjusts gap where door meets cabinet
🔧 Which screw does what
- Front screw (closest to door): Usually adjusts depth (in/out)
- Back screw (on the hinge plate): Usually side-to-side adjustment
- Oval holes in mounting plate: Let you move hinge up/down
📝 Adjustment process
- Open door fully
- Identify which way the door needs to move
- Find the adjustment screw for that direction
- Quarter-turn at a time - these are sensitive
- Close door and check
- Repeat until perfect
⚠️ Common mistakes
- Turning screws too much (a little goes a long way)
- Not tightening loose mounting screws first
- Adjusting the wrong screw (there's usually 4-6 on each hinge)
- Giving up too quickly (it's trial and error)
💡 Pro trick: If screw holes are stripped (screws spin but don't tighten), remove hinge, stick matchsticks or wooden cocktail sticks in the holes with wood glue, let it dry, then refit. The screws will grip the new wood.
Rather leave it to a pro? No problem - that's what I'm here for. Give me a call.
Good to Know
🚪 Full kitchen looking wonky? Get all the doors adjusted in one visit. I'll go through systematically and get them all sitting right. Much faster than you trying to figure out which screw does what on each one.
Soft-close hinges have the same adjustments, just with the added damper mechanism. Adjustment works the same way.
Really old cupboards with simple hinges (no adjustment screws) are trickier. Sometimes means slightly repositioning the hinge or packing it out. I can still make them work better.
Frequently Asked Questions
What causes cupboard doors to go wonky?
Usually loose hinge screws (wood gets stripped over time), or the adjustable hinges need tweaking. Sometimes the cupboard itself has settled or the door has warped slightly. Most are fixable with adjustment - you don't need new doors.
Can you fix doors that rub on the frame?
Yes - usually they need the hinges adjusted up/down or in/out. Modern cabinet hinges have adjustment screws for exactly this. Takes 5 minutes once you know which screw does what.
My cupboard doors don't line up with each other - can you fix that?
Absolutely - one's probably dropped or shifted. I'll adjust the hinges so they all sit flush and level. Makes a massive difference to how the whole kitchen looks.
What if the screw holes are stripped and won't hold?
Common problem. Fix is either longer screws, filling the holes with matchsticks/dowel and glue, or moving the hinge slightly to fresh wood. I carry what's needed to sort it properly.
Will the adjustment last or will it drop again?
If it's just loose screws, tightening them lasts for years. If the wood's stripped, I'll fix it properly (longer screws or filled holes) so it holds. If hinges are worn out, I'll tell you - but usually they're fine.
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