Anti-Trap Protection for Children's Hands: Retrofitting Soft-Close Hinges for IKEA Pax

A soft-close hinge hydraulically brakes the closing movement of the furniture door over the last few centimetres, preventing fingers from being trapped.

Anyone wishing to childproof an existing wardrobe or prevent heavy cupboard doors from slamming shut loudly can replace existing standard hinges with models featuring integrated damping. Especially with widespread carcase systems such as IKEA Pax, this retrofit is a straightforward procedure because the drill holes are based on industrial standards.

This guide is aimed at installers and experienced DIY enthusiasts. It explains the technical requirements, the correct selection of fittings, and the step-by-step replacement of the hinges. For an experienced person, the installation time per door is around 10 to 15 minutes.

Technical Requirements and Materials

Before beginning disassembly, the compatibility of the new fittings must be ensured. Wardrobe doors in the Pax system generally use a standardised concealed cup hinge. The large cup hole in the door that accommodates the hinge mechanism has a diameter of 35 mm. This is the most common dimension in European furniture manufacturing.

Required Tools

• Cordless screwdriver or manual screwdriver
• Bit or screwdriver with a Pozidriv drive (size PZ2). Do not use a Phillips drive (PH), as this can damage the screw heads of the fittings.
• Folding rule or calliper to check hole spacings
• Bradawl or a 3 mm wood drill bit (if new fixing holes for the hinge cup need to be drilled)

Choosing the Right Hinges

For the replacement, you will need concealed hinges / cupboard hinges with damping (Soft Close). When buying, pay strict attention to the following three parameters:

1. Cup diameter: Choose concealed hinges 35 mm. Smaller 26 mm variants will not fit into the existing recesses in the cupboard door.
2. Crank / overlay type: On a standard wardrobe, the door rests over the carcase side walls when closed. For this, you need a hinge for full overlay (concealed hinges full overlay). If the door instead sits flush between the side walls (which is rare on standard Pax doors), an inset hinge would be required.
3. Opening angle: For standard wardrobe doors, an angle of 110° is ideal. It allows comfortable access without the door knocking against adjacent pieces of furniture. Suitable models can be found under concealed hinges / cupboard hinges 110 degrees.

Step-by-Step Guide: Installation and Adjustment

The damper cylinder in the hinge acts like a car shock absorber, gently absorbing the kinetic energy of the closing door. For this mechanism to function smoothly, the hinge must be installed free of mechanical tension.

Step 1: Removing the Existing Cupboard Door

Open the door completely. Most modern hinges feature clip-on technology. Press the release button at the rear end of the hinge arm (towards the wardrobe back panel) and pull the arm away from the mounting plate. Work from the bottom to the top. When releasing the topmost fixing, you must hold the door firmly to prevent it from falling out.

Step 2: Removing the Old Fittings

Lay the door flat on a soft surface (e.g. a blanket) to avoid scratching the decor finish. Undo the two screws to the left and right of the hinge cup. Carefully lever the old concealed hinge out of the cup hole. Then remove the old mounting plates from the side walls of the wardrobe carcase.

Step 3: Checking Dimensions and Preparing the Door

Test-fit the new soft-close hinge into the 35 mm hole. The cup must sit completely flush. Now check the spacing of the side fixing holes. Depending on the manufacturer, the drilling pattern is 45 mm or 52 mm. If the holes of the new hinges do not align exactly with the old ones, never drive the screws in at an angle. Instead, pre-drill with a 3 mm drill bit to a depth of around 10 mm to prevent the chipboard from splitting.

Step 4: Securing the Mounting Plates in the Carcase

The wardrobe carcase features a continuous line of holes. This standardised System 32 grid (hole spacing 32 mm) makes positioning straightforward. Screw the new cruciform mounting plates into the exact positions where the old ones were located. Use the supplied Euro screws (usually with a blunt tip and coarse thread for optimal grip in pre-drilled holes).

Step 5: Screwing the Concealed Hinges into the Door

Insert the new hinges into the door. Align them at an exact 90° angle to the door edge using a set square. A crookedly mounted hinge arm cannot be clicked onto the mounting plate in the carcase later. Screw the cups tightly in place using chipboard screws (typically 3.5 mm x 15 mm).

Step 6: Hanging the Door

Bring the cupboard door up to the carcase. Place the hinge arm of the top hinge onto the cruciform mounting plate from the front and press the rear section until it audibly clicks into place. Repeat this for all other hinges working downwards.

Step 7: Adjusting the Gap Pattern (3D Adjustment)

After hanging, the door often hangs slightly out of alignment. Soft-close hinges feature adjustment screws for precise alignment:

• Height adjustment: Loosen the screws on the cruciform mounting plate in the carcase slightly, slide the door vertically into the desired position (typically +/- 2 mm of play), and retighten the screws.
• Side / lateral adjustment: Turn the front screw on the hinge arm. This moves the door to the left or right. Set the gap between two doors to an even 1.5 mm - 3 mm.
• Depth adjustment: Loosen the rear screw on the hinge arm slightly. You can now change the distance between the door and the carcase. The door must not rub against the carcase when closed.

Common Installation Mistakes

• Incorrect overlay type selected: If the door does not close after installation and protrudes excessively, you have probably installed an inset hinge instead of a full overlay hinge. Check your selection (concealed hinges inset).
• Overtightened screws: The chipboard of furniture doors is unforgiving of excessive force. Use the cordless screwdriver only on a low torque setting. If screws strip the hole, a threaded insert / Rampa socket or a hinge repair plate provides a remedy.
• Mixing soft-close and push-to-open: A soft-close mechanism slows the door down. A tip-on mechanism (push-to-open) requires momentum to push the door open. These two systems work against each other and must not be combined on the same door.

FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to replace all hinges on a door? Not necessarily. For very light doors, it is often sufficient to replace only one or two hinges with damped versions while the rest are replaced with or kept as classic concealed hinges / cupboard hinges. However, for heavy, 236 cm high Pax doors, it is advisable to replace all four hinges, as the weight would otherwise overload an individual damping cylinder.

How many hinges do I need per door? This depends on the door height and weight. As a rule of thumb:

• Up to 900 mm height: 2 hinges
• Up to 1600 mm height: 3 hinges
• Up to 2000 mm height: 4 hinges
• From 2400 mm height: 5 hinges

The cupboard door closes too fast or too slowly despite soft-close. Why is that? Some high-grade hinges feature a small switch on the hinge cup to activate or deactivate the damping action. Check whether all dampers are switched on. If the door is extremely heavy (e.g. a solid mirrored door), the strength of the integrated dampers may not be sufficient. In this case, a separate clip-on damper or a drill-in furniture damper can be retrofitted as wardrobe accessories.

Do these hinges also fit other pieces of furniture? Yes, as long as the cup hole has a diameter of 35 mm and the overlay type matches, these fittings can also be used for kitchen cabinets, chests of drawers, or bathroom furniture.