Hinges Suitable for Pelipal Bathroom Furniture — Replacement 35 mm Concealed Cup Hinges

November 26, 2025

Replacement hinges for bathroom furniture from well-known manufacturers are generally based on the standard 35 mm cup diameter and can be replaced with compatible concealed hinges featuring an identical overlay type.

Bathrooms place high demands on furniture fittings. High humidity, fluctuating temperatures, and daily use place enormous stress on the mechanics of cabinet doors. When the door of a vanity unit or mirrored cabinet sags, scrapes, or the soft-close mechanism fails, replacing the hardware becomes unavoidable. The question often arises whether an original spare part from the furniture manufacturer — such as for Pelipal units — must be sourced, or if compatible alternatives deliver the same technical performance.

This guide explains the technical differences, shows you how to determine the exact replacement part you need, and helps you choose the correct hinge.

What is an Original Hinge and What is a Compatible Replacement Part?

Furniture manufacturers generally do not produce their own hardware. They source it from large, specialised furniture technology suppliers. This means: a hinge fitted at the factory in a bathroom cabinet is a standardised component produced in large batches for the furniture industry. Sometimes the cover cap bears the furniture brand's logo, but the underlying mechanism is standardised.

The core of this mechanism is the concealed cup hinge. It consists of a hinge arm and a round metal cup recessed into a precisely drilled hole in the cabinet door. The industry standard for this drilling diameter is 35 mm. Compatible replacement parts use this exact measurement as well as standard hole spacings for the fixing screws. The difference between the factory-fitted fitting and a compatible replacement is therefore usually just the brand name, not the technical function or accuracy of fit.

Differences and Technical Features: What Matters During Replacement

To replace a defective hinge on a bathroom cabinet with a suitable model, three core technical parameters must match. Comparing the old fitting directly with the new replacement requires checking the following points:

1. The Cup Diameter

Measure the diameter of the circular recess on the inside of your cabinet door. For almost all modern bathroom furniture, this is exactly 35 mm. Only very small, lightweight doors (such as in narrow pull-out units) occasionally use 26 mm. For standard applications, you will definitely need 35 mm concealed hinges.

2. The Overlay Type (Cranking)

This is the most critical factor during selection. The overlay type determines how the closed door rests against the carcass (the cabinet frame). Choosing the wrong overlay means the door cannot be mounted or closed properly.

Full overlay: When closed, the cabinet door almost completely covers the side panel of the carcass. The hinge arm is straight. For this, you need full overlay concealed hinges.
Half overlay (twin overlay): Two doors share a central partition wall. Each door covers only half the edge of the panel. The hinge arm has a slight bend (crank). Half overlay concealed hinges are suitable here.
Inset: The door does not sit on the carcass edge, but sits flush inside the cabinet frame. The side panel remains visible from the front. The hinge arm is heavily cranked. For this, you require inset concealed hinges.

3. The Opening Angle

The opening angle defines how far the door can swing open. For standard vanity units or wall-hung bathroom cabinets, an angle of 110° is standard practice. It offers sufficient freedom of movement without the door hitting adjacent furniture or walls. Corresponding 110-degree concealed hinges / cabinet hinges cover almost all regular applications. Wide-angle hinges (e.g. 155°) are rarely needed in bathrooms, mostly only for cabinets with internal drawers.

4. Damping (Soft-Close)

Many older bathroom units are still fitted with unsprung or non-damped hinges. Replacing them offers an opportunity for an upgrade. An integrated cylinder in the hinge arm cushions the door just before it closes and pulls it shut silently. Concealed hinges / cabinet hinges with damping (soft-close) not only reduce noise but also protect the material by preventing hard impacts against the carcass.

Which Replacement Hinge Suits Which Scenario?

The choice of replacement part depends on the exact installation situation in your bathroom.

Two-door vanity units: When two doors meet in the middle and are fixed to the outer cabinet walls, they are full overlay doors. Here, a full overlay hinge is the correct choice. Look for integrated damping, as these doors are often closed firmly in daily use.

Mirrored cabinets: Mirrored doors are heavier and more delicate than standard wooden or MDF doors. A hard impact can damage the glass. Here, a compatible replacement hinge with soft-close is technically essential. Also check the drilling depth of the cup; mirrored units sometimes use shallower cups, though the standard depth of around 11.5 mm is generally sufficient.

Tall bathroom cabinets: Tall doors on bathroom cabinets are often supported by three or even four hinges. If a single hinge fails (e.g. a broken spring or leaking damper), you should replace all hinges on that specific door for mechanical reasons. Much like changing tyres on a car, hardware on a door should ideally be replaced as a complete set. Differing spring tensions or damping characteristics between old and new hinges can otherwise cause the door to pull unevenly or fail to close neatly.

Mounting and Mounting Plate Compatibility

A crucial technical tip for replacement: always replace the complete system consisting of the hinge and the cruciform mounting plate (the counterpart screwed to the internal carcass wall).

The clip mechanisms used to attach the hinge to the plate vary between manufacturers by fractions of a millimetre. A new compatible hinge will rarely clip securely onto an old mounting plate from a different brand left inside the cabinet.

However, because the drill holes in the carcass wall usually follow the standard System 32 (32 mm hole spacing), the new cruciform mounting plate can be screwed easily into the existing holes. You only need a suitable cross-head screwdriver — make sure to use the correct drive type, usually PZ (Pozidriv) or PH (Phillips), to avoid damaging the screw heads.

FAQ: Common Questions on Replacing Bathroom Furniture Hinges

Can I use any 35 mm concealed hinge for my bathroom cabinet? Yes, provided the overlay type (full overlay, half overlay, or inset) matches the original design. The 35 mm dimension refers only to the cup hole in the door. The hinge geometry must match the position of the door relative to the carcass wall.

Why does my old cabinet door no longer close smoothly? In soft-close hinges, a small cylinder filled with oil or gas is integrated into the hinge arm. Due to wear, age, or mechanical overload, this medium can leak out. The soft-close function is then broken beyond repair. The hinge must be replaced completely with a new soft-close model.

Do I need to drill new holes into the cabinet side panel? Generally, no. Factory-produced furniture almost always uses System 32 for fixing cruciform mounting plates into the carcass. The hole spacing on new mounting plates is matched to this. Only the small fixing screw positions on the hinge cup in the door might vary slightly, where screws can usually be driven directly into the material with light pressure.

What does 3D adjustment mean? Modern concealed hinges / cabinet hinges feature adjustment screws on the hinge arm. This allows the door to be adjusted in three dimensions after installation: height, depth (distance from the carcass), and lateral overlay (gap alignment). This is essential for achieving an even reveal between doors.