#How to rehang a door

E very kitchen has a cupboard door that doesn't shut properly, or drops to the floor when we try to open it. Many of us have lived with them for years. Until now that is - all you need is a screwdriver and little know how.

The special hinges on cupboard doors have an array of screws holding them in place. The trick is working out which screws to adjust. The concealed hinge has a clever design, which allows the door to swing open without the need for extra space to the side of the cupboard. It does this by allowing the part of the hinge attached to the door to extend, moving the door outwards as it swings open. There are three ways to adjust it.

1. Vertical position of the door

This is controlled by adjusting the position of the inner part of the hinge. Different models have different ways of controlling this. The simplest have oblong screw holes. To adjust these, loosen the A and B screws (see diagram above) on both the top and bottom hinges of a door, and move the door up or down before tightening the screws again. Other models have solid, round holes for the A and B screws and a separate cam screw (at position C in the diagram) that can be adjusted to move the inner part up or down a few millimetres.

2. Distance of the door from the cupboard

This is controlled by the D screw. On some models this may be a cam adjusting screw that you turn to move the door. On these models the outer and inner parts clip together and this screw simply controls their position. On other models, this screw may actually fix the outer part of the hinge to the inner part. In this case, loosening the screw will enable you to slide the outer part in or out before tightening it again.

3. Horizontal position and alignment of the door

If a door is wonky, or too close or too far from its neighbour, screw E can be adjusted. Tightening it will pull the door closer to the hinge and away from the neighbouring cupboard. For a door that is not parallel, you'll need to tighten only one of these screws, on the top or bottom hinge, to straighten it up.

4. A wobbly door

This is a sign that the screws holding one of the hinge parts is loose - usually the A and B screws that fix the inner part of the hinge to the cupboard, or the D screw that holds the outer part of the hinge in place. Tightening these should fix the problem.