How to Make a Cabinet Door: Hardware & Fitting Guide

August 25, 2026

Building your own cupboard fronts is an effective way to update a kitchen, utility room, or bespoke storage unit. While crafting the panel itself requires basic joinery skills, understanding how to make a cabinet door that operates smoothly comes down to hardware integration. Accurate measuring, correct hinge cup drilling, and precise handle alignment ensure your handmade doors hang level and open effortlessly.

1. Calculating Door Dimensions and Overlays

Before cutting any timber or board material, determine how the door sits against the cabinet carcass. The vast majority of modern units use overlay doors, though inset designs are also an option:

Full Overlay: The door covers almost the entire front edge of the cabinet side panel (typically leaving a 2 mm to 3 mm reveal). For an 18 mm carcass wall, the door usually overlays 15 mm to 16 mm.
Half Overlay (Twin Doors): Used when two adjacent doors share a single central divider. Each door overlays half the edge width (typically 8 mm to 9 mm).
Inset: The door sits completely inside the carcass frame, requiring a consistent 2 mm clearance gap around all four edges.

Always subtract a small margin (typically 3 mm to 4 mm overall) from carcass height and width to prevent adjacent doors from binding when opened together.

2. Drilling 35mm Hinge Cups for Concealed Hinges

Concealed European-style hinges require a round recess (cup hole) drilled into the back face of the door. When working out how to make a cabinet door compatible with standard hardware, drilling these recesses accurately is critical.

Hinge Placement and Drilling Dimensions

Cup Diameter: Use a dedicated 35 mm Forstner bit. A standard wood drill bit will tear the veneer and cannot create a flat bottom.
Cup Depth: Most concealed hinge cups require a depth of 11.5 mm to 12.5 mm. Use a depth stop on your drill press or cordless drill to avoid piercing the front face.
Edge Distance (Drilling Margin / Tab): The distance from the door edge to the perimeter of the 35 mm hole is usually between 3 mm and 5 mm (commonly 4 mm or 5 mm for standard overlays). Check your hinge manufacturer’s technical chart.
Top and Bottom Spacing: Centre your hinge cups between 70 mm and 100 mm from the top and bottom edges of the door. For taller doors over 900 mm, add a third hinge in the centre.

3. Mounting the Mounting Plates to the Carcass

Concealed hinges attach to mounting plates secured to the inside wall of the cabinet. Most modern carcasses use standard 32 mm system spacing, with pre-drilled holes set 37 mm back from the front edge.

If you are retrofitting or building from scratch, mark your mounting plate centres to match the vertical positions of the hinge cups on the door. Fix the plates using appropriate wood screws or Euro screws, ensuring they sit square to the edge.

4. Hanging and Adjusting the Doors

Modern clip-on or slide-on hinges allow 3-way adjustment once the door is mounted to the carcass:

Lateral Adjustment (Side-to-Side): Turned via a screw on the hinge arm to correct gaps between adjacent doors.
Vertical Adjustment (Height): Loosening the mounting plate screws or turning a cam screw shifts the door up or down.
Depth Adjustment (In/Out): Moves the door closer to or further from the carcass face to ensure the door sits flush without rubbing.

5. Positioning and Installing Handles or Knobs

The final step in mastering how to make a cabinet door is fitting the pull hardware. Consistency across all doors is essential for a professional finish:

Base Units: Knobs or handle centres are generally positioned 50 mm to 75 mm down from the top edge on the opening side.
Wall Units: Hardware is typically mounted 50 mm to 75 mm up from the bottom edge.
Using a Drilling Template: Create or purchase a simple drilling jig to guarantee every screw hole is identically placed without measuring each door individually. Always drill from the front face through to the back with a scrap block clamped behind to prevent tear-out.