Cabinet Repair: Fixing Sagging Doors, Drawers & Hinges
Cabinet doors that hang crooked, drawers that stick or fall off their tracks, and hinges that no longer hold are daily annoyances in a busy kitchen. Often the cabinet box itself is sound and only the hardware or a small section of wood has failed. Replacing the whole run is rarely necessary when the right repair is made.
Cabinet repair is mostly about diagnosing whether the issue is hardware, the door, or the cabinet box. Doors drift out of alignment as hinges loosen and screw holes wear; drawers fail when slides bend or wooden runners wear smooth. In humid kitchens, the particleboard or MDF used in stock cabinets can swell where water has wicked in under a sink. A good repair restores smooth operation and protects the surrounding cabinetry from further damage, all without a full remodel.
How the job is done
- 1
Inspect and identify the real fault
We open and close every door and drawer to find what is actually failing. The fix for a worn hinge screw is very different from a delaminating cabinet floor, so the diagnosis comes first.
- 2
Re-anchor or replace hinges
Stripped screw holes are filled with glued wood dowels or matchsticks and re-drilled so screws bite again. Bent or sloppy hinges are swapped for matching ones and adjusted on all three axes.
- 3
Realign doors and reset gaps
With solid hinges in place we adjust the doors so the reveals are even and they sit flush. Soft-close dampers are checked and tuned if the cabinets have them.
- 4
Repair or replace drawer mechanisms
Worn wooden runners are sanded and waxed or upgraded to metal slides. Loose drawer boxes are re-glued and clamped square so corners stop racking apart.
- 5
Address swollen or rotted box parts
Water-damaged cabinet floors and back panels are cut out and replaced with sealed plywood. We trace the leak source so the new material does not fail the same way.
- 6
Test, lubricate, and clean up
Every door and drawer is cycled, hardware is snugged, and tracks are lubricated. We leave the kitchen clean with everything operating quietly.
What a pro checks
- A pro checks whether screw holes are stripped before blaming the hinge; most loose doors are simply chewed-out screw holes.
- Under-sink cabinet floors are the first place to fail in humid kitchens, so we always look there even if the complaint is elsewhere.
- A common DIY mistake is over-tightening hinge screws into particleboard, which strips the hole and makes the sag worse.
- Matching existing hinge style and finish matters; mixing concealed Euro hinges with old face-frame hinges rarely works cleanly.
- Before any repair, empty the cabinet so weight is off the box and the true alignment can be seen.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a swollen cabinet be saved or does it need replacing?
It depends on how far the swelling has gone. Surface swelling on a door may be cosmetic, but if the cabinet floor has crumbled and lost strength, that panel usually needs to be cut out and replaced. We can tell you which during the inspection.
Why do my cabinet doors keep drifting out of alignment?
Most often the hinge screws have loosened or the holes have worn oval over years of use. Once we re-anchor the screws into fresh material and adjust the hinges, the doors hold their position again.
Is it worth repairing cabinets or should I just replace them?
If the boxes are structurally sound and you like the layout, repair is usually the sensible path. Replacement makes more sense when most boxes are water-damaged or you want a new design. The cost depends on the scope, so it is best to book a look.
Can you fix a drawer that keeps falling off its track?
Yes. We determine whether the slide is bent, the runner is worn, or the drawer box has gone out of square, then repair or upgrade the hardware so it glides and stays seated.
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