Took me 5 years to realize I was over-tightening my cabinet hinge screws

Was installing a set of European hinges last week and the door kept binding no matter what I did, then a guy at the supply house told me to back the screws off a quarter turn - suddenly everything aligned perfect. Has anyone else had a simple tweak like that totally change how their hardware performs?

3 comments

3 Comments

nora_barnes4d ago

I read once that overtightening is the #1 mistake in cabinet hardware installs and it makes total sense now.

roseb474d ago

10 out of 10 times when I see stripped screws on a job it's from someone trying to crank them down like they're torquing a lug nut. @nora_barnes is totally right, overtightening is the enemy here. I stripped out a good pull handle on my own kitchen island once because I thought tighter meant more secure. Turns out it just means a busted thread and a wobbly handle.

eric_wright773d ago

My buddy Mike put a face frame together with drywall screws once and cranked every single one until the head popped right through the wood like a button through a buttonhole. He sat there staring at six useless holes for a solid minute before he finally googled what a pilot hole was.