No-mortise vs. mortise hinges for kitchen cabinets

[Roger Jensen]

I'd prefer to use no-mortise hinges for a set of kitchen cabinets I am building with inset doors. I'd like to know if anyone has had any negative experiences with them and would strongly recommend going with traditional mortised hinges. Since these are my first cabinets I'm willing to trade off a bit of elegance/long-term wear for simplicity of installation.

Thanks,

Roger

[Abe Hachmann]

I have used non mortise hinges many times for inset doors. They work really well and are very simple. Although for kitchen cabinets I would use european style hinges as they are much more durable.

[Roger Jensen]

Thanks Abe. You haven't found the European hinges to be too big and bulky? I like the way non-euro hinges open 180 degrees and don't obstruct the door. The adjustablity of the euro hinges would be a big plus, however.

Roger

[Ben Grunow]

Just did my whole kitchen with non mortise (Cliffside w/finial in satin nickel) and they are great.

Make sure to get brass hinges not steel as the steel ones have too much slop for my taste.

I beveled hinge sides of my doors as well to prevent them from being hinge bound and it worked. I think this is a must.

No pics so I must be lying.

[glenn bradley]

Just the sheer number of hinges in a kitchen build would push me towards no-mortise but Euro will be easier. Much more adjustable and therefor forgiving of the newbie. Once your jig is setup it is pretty hard to drill the holes wrong. The no mortise hinges I've used have been great but the adjustability makes your positioning and your door-work more critical. Just food for thought.

[Peter Quinn]

I prefer traditional butt hinges for strength and looks on big or thick inset doors , but i think non mortise hinges are strong enough for standard sized 3/4" doors. I prefer the look of a butt hinge with the door open, may not be worth the effort for that minor issue. With the doors closed its hard to know the difference. Euro hinges make adjustment much easier but eat space and look, well, modern to be kind. But you can get soft close and self close feature using Blumotion which is nice.

Your hinge thickness is your door gap with a non mortise hinge, so make sure to fit the doors to that thickness. I frankly don't think it takes much longer to install butt hinges than non mortise hinges if you are proficient with a trim router, but the doors need to be very flat as there is little room to adjust for plumb.

[Brian Peters]

If you're going to take the time to fit inset doors, and well (3/32nd gaps) go with mortised hinges, especially on thicker (1") doors. I've used both and there are a lot of steel non mortise hinges out there that are very cheaply made. I like solid brass hinges they are usually better made and hold up much longer. Mortising should be easy, a trim router with a clamping jig in a vice works well, router bit with a collar and you are set. Once you're setup it is only a little time extra to mortise them.

[Roger Jensen]

Thanks for the advice.

I had been looking at full wrap-around versions like the Amerock (http://www.woodcraft.com/images/products/124244.jpg), but I don't think they have the quality of some of the solid brass versions. The plus is that they offer a degree of movement vertically and horizontally until you drive in the final screw.

I know it sounds odd for someone planning to do inset doors (I think they look a lot better), but I'm intimidated by the idea of mortised hinges for 14 doors.

Thanks again,

Roger

[Jim Becker]

The downside to no-mortise hinges on inset doors is that they effectively dictate your reveal/opening on the hinge side to a specific measurement. If the visible hinge barrel isn't part of or important the actual design of the kitchen, consider Euro hinges. I've completely been won over by them for ease of installation and adjustability.

And I'll say that your desire to do inset doors isn't odd at all...I wouldn't have them any other way! What I've done is modify the way I do my cabinet carcases so that the inside edge of the door openings is flush with the inside edge of the face frames. In that manner, I can use standard "frameless" hinges. Spacers are used between the carcass boxes to keep things lined up. While you lose a slight amount of space, you also get easier mounting of doors, drawers and shelves.

[Abe Hachmann]

Roger

Yes I have run into that problem. That is how I ended up with no-mortice hinges on one project. I was getting ready to drill the cup holes and realized that the hinge would be protruding through my flat panel door stile. So back to woodworker.com to pick out different hinges. I find the reveal to be somewhat limiting and time consuming to get perfect all four sides. I usually mount the doors unfinished and joint, and sand off very small amounts of door to get it right before they are finished.

[Robert Chapman]

I use Blum euro hinges on all my cabinets. There are a huge number of choices for virtually any application and they are very forgiving during installation. Most models are adjustable on three planes and you can have self closing and soft self closing if wanted.

[Joe Scharle]

Latest Shopnotes has an article on these.

[Peter Quinn]

Blum (and possibly others) make euro hinges for inset doors using traditional face frame applications. Cost is similar to other hinges, the mounting plates are specific to the application. A call to WWHardware can set you up with the correct parts for your application as the Blum catalogue can be obtuse.

I understand your fear of mortising hinges, but with a simple jig made from 1/2" MDF on a table saw, a top bearing mortising bit and a sharp chisel mortises are nearly as quick and at least as easy as non mortising hinges in my experience, particularly if you get hinges with removable pins. I agree with the post above that for heavy doors or thick doors brass butt hinges provide a level of performance unmatched by any non mortise hinge I have seen.

I hope you will at some point attempt a mortised hinge. Once it clicks you will be surprised how easy it can be.