How to adjust furniture hinges yourself: three adjustment axes, which screw does what, and how to set even gaps between door fronts.
Three adjustment axes
A modern hinge adjusts in three independent directions. Each direction has its own screw on the mounting plate. All adjustments are made without removing the door, using a cross-head screwdriver.
- Lateral (left/right): door moves parallel to the face of the carcass
- Depth (in/out): door moves towards or away from the carcass edge
- Height (up/down): door rises or drops — adjusted on the mounting plate
Which screw does what
Screw positions vary by manufacturer, but the logic is the same for Blum, Hettich, and most other brands.
- Lateral screw: on the side or top of the mounting plate. Turning it moves the door left or right
- Depth screw: the bolt fixing the plate to the carcass. Loosen it — slide the plate in or out — retighten
- Height adjuster (Blum): an eccentric or slider on the plate itself. Hettich uses a separate mechanism
- Blum Clip Top: lateral and depth are two separate screws on the plate body
Adjustment sequence
- 1. Height first: get all doors in a run aligned on the same horizontal line
- 2. Then depth: make all doors flush in the same plane
- 3. Lateral last: set the 2–3 mm gap between doors
- Don't adjust all three at once — you'll lose track of what changed what
Correct gaps
- Between adjacent doors: 2–3 mm along the full height
- Between a door and the carcass side panel: 2–3 mm
- Between the bottom door and the floor or plinth: 3–5 mm
- Between the top door and the underside of the wall unit above: 3–5 mm
- Gaps must be equal at top and bottom — parallel alignment matters
Diagnosis: what's wrong with the door
| Symptom | Cause | What to adjust |
|---|
| Door sticks out at the front | Plate set too far from carcass | Depth — move in |
| Door sits too far back | Plate set too close to carcass | Depth — move out |
| Door skews sideways | Lateral not set | Lateral screw |
| Door higher/lower than neighbour | Different height settings | Height adjuster |
| Gap wider at top than bottom | Door is racked | Depth on the top hinge |
| Door won't close fully | Edge catching or hinge fouling | Depth + lateral |
Adjusting the soft-close
If the soft-close engages too sharply or doesn't pull the door fully shut — some hinge models have a closing force adjustment.
- Blum Blumotion: a small slider on the hinge body — '+' firmer, '–' softer
- Clip-on buffer: replace if it has lost its spring — it simply presses into its socket
- Door doesn't close at the last moment: check depth — the door may be catching on the carcass edge
Efficient approach: dial in one hinge to perfect, note the screw positions, then replicate on the rest. Faster than adjusting each independently from scratch.
When adjustment won't fix it
- Play in the hinge: adjustment won't remove slop — the hinge needs replacing
- Cup hole drilled off-centre: the door cannot be properly aligned from that position
- Carcass is racked: fix the carcass geometry first, then adjust the hinges
- Heavy door that sags: add a third hinge — adjusting two extreme ones won't solve a weight problem