Better Homes and Gardens (Australia)
Door dramas How to replace hinges and rollers to fix dodgy kitchen doors
Don’t put up with dodgy doors in your kitchen. Improve the look and functionality with a few simple fix-ups done with basic tools
PROJECT 1 BIFOLD DOORS
Bifold door hinges are common failure points for kitchen doors, as wear and tear makes them sag and not properly close. Replacing the hinges is an easy fix so they will sit pretty.
Here’s how
STEP 1 Unclip the hinges between the bifold doors. Remove the second door.
STEP 2 Use a screwdriver to unscrew the existing hinges from the door still on the cabinet. Also unscrew the hinge plates from the second door you removed.
STEP 3 Replace hinges and hinge plates with new bifold hinges. It’s a good idea to take the old hinges when you buy the new ones to make sure you get the right type. We used Blum bifold hinges from Bunnings.
STEP 4 Reattach the second leaf of the door to the new hinges of the door le on the cabinet. Check the door closes properly. You may have to adjust the hinges using the adjusting screws so the door closes properly with an even gap to adjacent doors.
PROJECT 2 SLIDING DOOR
Cavity sliding doors are convenient space savers – until they don’t slide. The door rollers are the problem and, while it may look built-in, it’s not hard to take out the door to get at them.
Here’s how
STEP 1 Locate the screws in the bottom edge of one of the pelmets that’s hiding the door track. Use a screwdriver to remove.
STEP 2 If the pelmet does not come out, it’s being held in by paint. Use a sharp utility knife to cut paint where pelmet meets frame.
STEP 3 Remove pelmet to expose door track. Move door and li it off the track.
STEP 4 Remove unbroken roller and take it to the hardware store so you can
find an exact match to replace the broken one.
STEP 5 Remove broken roller from door and a ach new roller to it. Use a spanner to tighten the nut holding the roller.
STEP 6 Rea ach roller body to top of door. Li door back on track and test. Adjust roller height so door closes evenly against frame. How this is done depends on roller system. Tighten with a socket and wrench.
STEP 7 Rea ach pelmet to hide door track. Touch up paint if necessary.
WHAT’S A SLIDING DOOR THAT DOESN’T SLIDE? A WALL!