Retrofitting Concealed Hinges for Nobilia Kitchens

A cup hinge, commonly known as a concealed hinge, is an internal pivot mechanism for furniture doors, featuring a 35 mm cup diameter and a hole pattern based on System 32 in modern kitchen cabinets.

Kitchen cabinet fronts are subjected to substantial mechanical stress during daily use. When doors start sagging, squeaking or banging shut, replacing the fittings is often necessary. Anyone looking to maintain an existing fitted kitchen or upgrade it with soft-close damping requires replacement parts tailored precisely to factory-drilled hole patterns. This guide is aimed at fitters and experienced DIYers looking to retrofit concealed hinges / cabinet hinges as replacements for Nobilia kitchens or similar modular cabinet systems.

Key Factors for Compatibility

To ensure a new hinge fits Nobilia carcasses properly, the geometric parameters must match exactly. The hinge functions as the working gear of the cabinet door – if drilling dimensions deviate by even a millimetre, the mechanism can bind or the reveals can no longer be aligned flush.

Cup Diameter and Drilling Depth

The standard across nearly all modern kitchen manufacturers is a cup diameter of 35 mm. Smaller 26 mm variants are generally not used on standard kitchen doors. The drilling depth in the timber (usually MDF or melamine-faced chipboard) is typically between 11.5 mm and 12.5 mm.

Cup Hole Pattern

Alongside the large 35 mm hole, the cup is secured to the front with two fixing screws. The distance between these two drill holes (drilling centres) is commonly 45 mm or 52 mm in European standards. If you wish to reuse existing drill holes, the replacement hinge must match this measurement precisely. If dimensions differ, the fixing screws (usually 3.5 x 15 mm or 4 x 16 mm chipboard screws) can be driven freshly into solid material, provided they cover the old holes.

System 32 and the Cruciform Mounting Plate

Attachment to the cabinet carcass is achieved via the cruciform mounting plate. Kitchens like those from Nobilia are structurally engineered around System 32. This means:

• The distance between drilling centres in the carcass side panel is exactly 32 mm.
• The distance from the front drill hole to the front carcass edge is 37 mm as standard.

If your cabinet matches these dimensions, our mounting plates will be fully compatible with the existing hole grid.

Selecting the Correct Door Overlay

A critical factor when replacing hinges is the overlay type. This defines how the door rests against the carcass side when closed.

• Full overlay: The door almost completely covers the front edge of the carcass side panel. This is standard for single cabinets or the end units of a kitchen run.
• Half overlay (twin overlay): Two doors share a single central carcass divider. The crank of the hinge arm is more pronounced here.
• Inset: The door sits flush inside the carcass frame, leaving the front edges of the cabinet sides visible. The crank of the hinge arm is at its maximum.

Suitable Replacement Hardware for Nobilia Kitchens

Replacing old hardware also provides an ideal opportunity for a technical upgrade.

Retrofitting Soft-Close

A frequent reason for replacement is achieving quiet closing action. Concealed hinges / cabinet hinges with integrated soft-close feature a hydraulic cylinder built into the hinge arm. This slows down the door over its final centimetres of travel and pulls it gently shut. Note: Soft-close is a damping system and must not be confused with push-to-open mechanisms, which are used for handleless fronts to pop the door open via pressure.

Adjusting the Opening Angle

The standard opening angle for regular base and wall units is 110°. For this purpose, concealed hinges / cabinet hinges 110 degrees serve as a direct replacement.

In specific cases, particularly with corner units or cabinets containing internal pull-outs, greater clearance is required. In these applications, concealed hinges / cabinet hinges 165 degrees are used. These wide-angle hinges swing the door completely clear of the internal carcass aperture, allowing a full-extension runner inside to glide out without colliding with the door edge.

Installing and Adjusting Concealed Hinges

Installing compatible fittings requires only basic tools: a cross-head screwdriver (PZ2) and, if needed, a cordless drill driver.

Removal and Preparation

1. Detach the old door by pressing the release catch at the rear of the hinge arm (clip-on mechanism) or loosening the fixing screw on the mounting plate.
2. Unscrew the old cruciform mounting plates from the carcass wall and the hinge cups from the door.
3. Inspect the 35 mm recess in the door for damage. If the screw holes in the carcass are stripped, they can be prepped with repair dowels or threaded insert nuts to provide a secure hold for the new screws.

Installing the New Fittings

1. Fasten the new cruciform mounting plates into the existing 32 mm hole pattern on the carcass.
2. Insert the hinge cup into the 35 mm hole in the door. Align the hinge at a 90-degree angle to the door edge and screw it firmly into place.
3. Offer the door up to the carcass and clip the hinge arm onto the mounting plate (characterised by an audible "click" on clip-on models).

Adjusting the Door Reveals (3D Adjustment)

Modern cup hinges feature adjustment screws on the hinge arm for precise millimetre adjustments of the door gaps:

• Depth adjustment: Moves the door closer to or further away from the carcass (gap between door and cabinet).
• Lateral adjustment: Alters the horizontal gap between adjacent doors (door tilt).
• Height adjustment: Carried out by loosening the screws on the cruciform mounting plate (typically +/- 2 mm via slotted holes).

Further Compatible Upgrades for Kitchen Systems

When revamping a modular kitchen carcass, improvements rarely stop at the doors. Standard dimensions throughout the interior can be utilised to replace or add compatible components for Nobilia systems.

The depth of standard kitchen base units provides ample room for modern runner mechanisms. When replacing old roller runners, kitchen cabinet pull-out units based on ball-bearing telescopic runners offer significantly higher load capacity (often up to 35 kg or 45 kg) and smoother stability.

For a standard base cabinet with a 600 mm external width, a kitchen cabinet pull-out 60 cm offers an exact-fit solution for accessible pot and pan storage. The internal carcass width with 16 mm thick side panels measures exactly 568 mm – the exact standard dimension these pull-out systems are designed to fit. To maximise interior order, the drawer can be finished with a kitchen drawer organiser.

If the lower section of the carcass has suffered moisture damage over the years around the plinth, replacing the cabinet legs is also recommended. Compatible furniture legs featuring an M10 thread allow continuous height adjustment to compensate accurately for uneven floors.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Can I retrofit individual soft-close hinges in my kitchen? Yes, you can use replacement parts as an alternative to Hettich or other factory-fitted brands. You can either replace all hinges on a door with soft-close variants or (on lighter doors) combine one soft-close hinge with an un-damped hinge. The overlay type and mounting plate configuration must match.

How do I measure the cup diameter correctly? Use a vernier caliper to measure the internal diameter of the large circular hole drilled into the timber door. On kitchen cabinets, this measurement is almost universally 35 mm.

Why is my door not closing properly after replacing the hinges? This is usually caused by incorrect adjustment or choosing the wrong overlay type. Check whether a half overlay hinge was accidentally installed instead of a full overlay hinge. If the overlay is correct, use the depth and lateral adjustment screws on the hinge arm to relieve mechanical tension.

Do mounting plate screw holes always line up? If your carcass is drilled according to System 32 (32 mm spacing, 37 mm setback from the front edge), standard cruciform mounting plates will align. If the timber screw holes have widened through wear, use slightly thicker screws (e.g. 4.0 mm instead of 3.5 mm) or insert wooden dowels with glue before redrilling.