Keep Kitchen Cabinet Doors From Opening Too Far.

My kitchen cabinets have euro style concealed hinges that open slightly more than 90 degrees. This is fine in most cases, but in the corner where two cabinets meet the doors open too far and the handle from one door bangs into the face of the other door, which leaves a mark.

Step 1: Remove Hinge and Inspect It

I discovered the euro style hinges on my cabinets were the type that opened about 110 degrees which is why they caused one door to bang into the other. At this point I could go buy some new hinges that only open 90 degrees, but that's no fun... I'll modify these instead.

Step 2: Take the Hinge Apart

I discovered that the hinge comes apart easily by simply removing the U shaped pin shown in the photo. On my hinges there is no pressure on the joint when the hinge is open, if you have a different style or a soft close hinge you may find this a bit more difficult to do.

Step 3: Choose a Washer for a Spacer

When I observed how the hinge opens I saw that these two flat surfaces touch when it is fully open. So, if I could make them touch sooner the hinge would not open as far. I dug around in my hardware drawer and found a flat washer that looked like it might fit. The thickness of the washer/spacer will directly impact how wide the hinge will open so experiment on your own.

Step 4: Insert the Spacer and Reassemble the Hinge

After finding a washer that fit I reassembled the hinge.The washer seemed to stay in place nicely as I flexed the hinge open and closed. (Once I was sure this spacer was the best choice, I came back and fastened the washer in place with a drop of epoxy, just to be sure it would stay in place.)