The Dreaded Hinges

I hate hinges. No matter how accurately I measure, the hinges never seem to attach the door exactly where I want it.


In the past, I've always been too scared to use fully concealed hinges because it takes too much work to cut out the ridiculous slots required to embed the hinge in. However, I managed to find a self-closing, half overlay, Euro hinge for faceframeless cabinets that did not require any fancy slot cutting. I used the instructions that came with the hinge and took my time with the measurements. The best part about most of these Euro hinges is they have a mixture of oval and round screw holes. If you start by screwing in the oval holes, you can hold it together well enough to make minor adjustments. I borrowed from my dad's nickel trick to space the gaps around the door and in the end...I got lucky. The damn thing fits perfectly when closed!


I had planned on removing the hinges prior to priming and painting but forget it. I don’t want to touch these babies. Better to spend an hour taping the hinge or painting around it than to risk stripping the screw holes or messing with the alignment.

After attaching the door, I patched a couple cracks with wood putty and sanded most of the cabinet.

At one point in my brother’s furniture building career, he refused to use sandpaper because he believed even the finest grit could not compete with his perfectly tuned scrapers and blades. This blew my mind. I love sandpaper! I love running my finger across wood freshly sanded with 220 grit. Nothing beats it.