Why one hinge can move a door in three directions
A European cup hinge is two pieces joined by an arm: a 35 mm cup recessed into the door, and a mounting plate screwed to the cabinet side. The arm between them carries the adjustment screws, which is why one hinge can shift the door along all three axes without unscrewing anything from the wood:
- Sideways — the screw on the arm nearest the door cup. Moves the door left or right: fixes uneven seams and doors rubbing their neighbour.
- Depth — the screw at the back of the arm, furthest from the door. Moves the door in or out: fixes a door standing proud of the frame, or one that binds on the carcass edge when it swings.
- Height — the plate's screws, usually in slotted holes. Moves the whole door up or down: fixes a bottom edge scraping the base.
So the diagnosis comes first, and it is entirely visual: stand back and look at the whole run of doors. Lower than its neighbour is height. An uneven seam or a proud face is sideways and depth. Wobbling on the hinge is neither — that's a loose plate.
The two mistakes everyone makes
- Loosening the plate without supporting the door. The moment those screws come loose the door slides down under its own weight, so you end up adjusting a door that has already moved. Hold the door's weight with your free hand — or with a wedge under it — before you loosen anything.
- Using a drill. The adjustment threads inside the arm are fine. A power driver cams out and chews them, and after that no amount of turning does anything. A manual PZ2 screwdriver, quarter turns at a time.
One thing worth knowing: those three screws move the door, they don't tighten it. Turning them harder doesn't make a door more secure — it just shifts it. If a door aligns and then drops again within weeks, the plate's fixing holes have stripped. Pack them with glued toothpicks, or fit a larger repair screw or a hinge repair plate — that's a different job from adjusting.