Childproofing a TV Unit: Soft-Close Flap Fittings and Door Locks

May 15, 2026

Childproofing a TV unit requires replacing rigid fittings with damped flap stays and soft-close hinges to prevent uncontrolled slamming and trapped fingers.

A standard lowboard is often factory-fitted with basic hinges or rigid drop-down flap stays. Particularly with heavy fronts made of MDF or coated chipboard, this presents injury hazards for young children. When a flap drops downwards without damping, high leverage forces come into play. The technical solution lies in retrofitting the moving furniture hardware. By specifically using gas struts, soft-close concealed hinges, and invisible magnetic locks, the furniture becomes child-safe without changing its external appearance.

This guide is aimed at fitters and experienced DIYers. Upgrading a standard unit takes around one to two hours, depending on the number of front panels.

Required Tools and Materials

For replacing fittings on TV units and TV benches properly, have the following tools and materials ready:

Cordless drill/driver with torque adjustment
Cross-head bits (PZ2 for chipboard screws, PH2 for fitting screws)
Tape measure or folding ruler
Bradawl or awl for marking pilot holes
Where applicable, a 35 mm diameter Forstner drill bit (only when making new doors)
Wood screws (countersunk, typically 3.5 mm x 16 mm)
Replacement fittings (soft-close hinges, gas struts, magnetic child safety locks)

Step 1: Secure Heavy Flaps with Gas Struts

Many modern media furniture units, such as a 160cm TV unit or a wide 180cm TV unit, feature broad downward-opening flaps. To secure these, existing scissor stays or friction flap stays must be replaced with flap fittings featuring an integrated gas strut.

Calculating the Correct Strut Rating

The force of a gas strut is specified in Newtons (N). A common mistake is selecting a strut that is too powerful. An oversized gas strut acts like a compressed vehicle suspension spring: the flap requires extreme effort to close and constantly exerts pressure against the hinges when shut.

As a rule of thumb: 1 kg of flap weight requires approximately 10 N of force. If the front panel weighs 4.5 kg, for example, a strut rated at 50 N or 60 N is required. For very substantial solid timber fronts, heavy-duty gas struts are used, achieving ratings from 100 N to 150 N.

Fitting the Strut

Dismantling: Remove the old flap stay completely.
Cabinet fixing: Mount the round or oval mounting plate of the new strut to the inside of the cabinet carcass. Refer to the manufacturer datasheet for the exact measurement (often 250 mm to 260 mm from the front carcass edge on standard flaps).
Front fixing: Secure the counterpart bracket to the inside of the flap. The distance measurement from the installation manual must strictly be observed here as well, otherwise the stroke (the extension travel of the strut) will not suffice to hold the flap at a 90-degree angle.
Clipping in: Press the ball socket of the gas strut onto the mounted plates until it audibly clicks into place. The thick section of the strut (cylinder) must point upwards towards the cabinet, and the thin piston rod downwards towards the flap. This ensures the internal seals remain lubricated.

Step 2: Equip Doors with Soft-Close Hinges

If the TV unit features standard side-hung doors, these can be secured by replacing the hinges. Concealed cabinet hinges with soft-close damping decelerate the door over the final centimetres and pull it shut softly and silently. Trapping fingers in slamming doors is thus technically prevented.

Determining the Correct Concealed Hinge

Before replacement, the door overlay type must be identified:

Full overlay: The door rests fully over the cabinet side panel when closed. The hinge crank is 0 mm.
Half overlay: Two doors share a central partition panel. The hinge is slightly cranked (usually 9.5 mm).
Inset: The door sits flush inside the cabinet carcass aperture. The hinge is heavily cranked (usually 16 mm).

The diameter of the cup hole in the door is generally 35 mm. The drilling depth ranges from 11.5 mm to 12.5 mm.

Replacement and Adjustment

Loosen the fixing screws of the old cruciform mounting plate on the carcass and remove the door.
Unscrew the old hinges from the door.
Insert the new concealed hinge into the existing 35 mm cup hole. Ensure the hinge is aligned at an exact 90-degree angle to the door edge, and secure it with two wood screws (3.5 mm x 16 mm).
Mount the new mounting plate to the carcass. Use the existing System 32 drillings for this (line boring with 32 mm spacing and 37 mm distance from the front edge).
Clip-on assembly: Position the door and press the hinge arm onto the mounting plate until it engages.
Adjust the door alignment using the three adjustment screws on the hinge arm (height, depth, and lateral overlay).

Step 3: Retrofit Drawers with Soft-Close Runners

When a TV unit includes drawers for remote controls or accessories, these are often only fitted with basic roller runners. These can easily be pulled out entirely and, in the worst case, drop to the floor.

The solution is installing soft-close drawer runners. These ball-bearing telescopic slides incorporate a self-closing damper. For optimum access, full-extension drawer runners are recommended, allowing the drawer box to extend 100% out of the carcass without dropping out.

Measure the depth of the existing drawer. Common lengths for media units range between 250 mm - 450 mm.
Dismantle the old runners from the carcass and drawer box.
Screw the carcass member of the new runner into the system holes of the carcass using Euro screws.
Fix the narrow drawer profile to the lower side edge of the drawer box.
Slide the drawer horizontally into the carcass until the ball cages of the ball-bearing slide engage.

Step 4: Install Invisible Magnetic Child Safety Locks

To prevent young children from opening damped flaps or doors in the first place and accessing electronic equipment or cables, mechanical locking is required. Surface-mounted plastic latches spoil the appearance of the furniture. Fitting internal magnetic locks is far more professional.

These locks consist of a catch mechanism screwed to the inside of the front panel and a strike plate mounted underneath the top panel or to the carcass side. As soon as the door closes, a spring-loaded latch engages into the strike plate. The door can no longer be pulled open. Only when the supplied magnetic key is held against the corresponding spot on the outside of the front does the magnetic field draw the latch down and release the door.

Ensure precise spacing during installation. The strike plate must not be fitted too far back, otherwise the door will have play and rattle when closed. A gap of 1 mm to 2 mm between front panel and carcass is ideal.

Common Installation Mistakes

Confusing soft-close with push-to-open: This is a serious technical mistake. Soft-close pulls a door shut with damping. Push-to-open (or tip-on) ejects a handleless door using spring pressure. Both mechanisms work in opposition and must never be combined on the same door or drawer. A push-to-open door strictly requires hinges without a closing spring (unsprung).
Incorrect screw length: If 20 mm long screws are used to secure mounting plates to a 16 mm thick chipboard panel, they will pierce through the outside of the carcass. Always use screws with a maximum length of 16 mm.
Drilling hinge cup holes out of square: If the Forstner bit is not positioned perfectly perpendicular, the concealed hinge will sit crooked in the recess. The door can then no longer be adjusted cleanly using the adjustment screws. Ideally, use a drill stand.

FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions

Can I clip soft-close dampers onto my old hinges? Some manufacturers offer add-on dampers for their existing hinge series. However, these must match the brand and model series of the existing hinge precisely. Because TV units are often supplied with unbranded hinges, complete replacement with a new concealed hinge featuring integrated damping is usually the safer and technically superior solution.

How many hinges do I need per door? For standard TV unit doors with a height of up to 900 mm and a weight of up to 6 kg, two hinges are sufficient. If the door is heavier (e.g. solid timber) or wider than 600 mm, a third hinge should be positioned centrally to prevent the front from sagging.

How do I ensure the flap stays level when open? The horizontal position (90-degree angle) is determined by the exact positioning of the flap stay fixing points. If the pilot holes deviate by just 5 mm from the specification, the flap will either sag downwards or rest tilted upwards. Always measure the mounting points precisely with a folding ruler.

Will new drawer runners fit into the old holes? Ball-bearing slides feature standardised hole patterns that generally line up with the 32 mm system drillings in the carcass. However, the pilot holes on the drawer box itself usually need to be newly drilled, as the profile height differs from old roller runners.