Why Won't My New Kitchen Cabinets Close Properly Anymore After a Few Months?

In most cases, this isn't a serious defect: European-style hinges loosen slightly with normal daily use, and normal humidity swings in the house make the wood and cabinet boxes move a little. It's usually a five-minute adjustment per door, not a sign your cabinets are faulty. If several doors on the same wall stop closing properly at once, or an entire cabinet box looks out of alignment, it's worth a look from your contractor, especially if the cabinets are still under warranty.

What's Happening?

Modern kitchen cabinets are mounted with European-style hinges that adjust on three axes: depth, height, and side-to-side. The small screws on these hinges gradually loosen with repeated opening and closing, especially during the first months of heavy use in a brand-new kitchen.

At the same time, the wood and the melamine or MDF panels in the cabinet boxes absorb and release moisture with the seasons. A kitchen installed in summer, when the air is humid, can see its doors shift slightly once the heat comes on in the fall and indoor air dries out. That's not a manufacturing flaw — it's the material responding to its environment.

Finally, a door that closes poorly can simply mean it was never perfectly adjusted to begin with, and the small misalignment became more noticeable with time and use.

Is It Dangerous?

No, it isn't dangerous. A misaligned cabinet door poses no safety risk to your home or family. It's a cosmetic and usability issue, not a structural one.

That said, a few signs call for a closer look rather than a quick hinge adjustment:

• An entire cabinet box appears to have sagged or pulled away from the wall (not just one door)
• Anchor screws are visibly pulling out of the wall or floor
• A growing gap between two neighbouring cabinets that used to be well aligned at installation
• A musty smell or staining under the sink, which could point to a leak causing wood movement rather than normal ambient humidity

In those cases, the problem is likely more than a hinge that needs tightening.

Most Common Causes

Why This Happens in Quebec

Quebec's climate is particularly hard on kitchen wood and panels because of the swing between a hot, humid summer and a winter where heating dries indoor air down to very low levels, sometimes under 20% relative humidity. That annual cycle makes materials move in a predictable way: it's normal to see doors close a little differently depending on the season, especially in the first year after a renovation, while the materials "acclimate" to the house.

Older Montreal-area triplexes and duplexes, where a kitchen renovation is often built onto a structure that isn't perfectly square to begin with, can amplify this effect: cabinets that were perfectly aligned at installation can look slightly off once the house "settles" through its freeze-thaw cycles.

How to Check It Yourself

You can fix most cases yourself in a few minutes:

• Open the door and find the two round screws on the hinge attached to the cabinet box
• The screw closest to the door's edge usually adjusts depth (front-to-back)
• The other screw usually adjusts the side-to-side position
• Turn in small quarter-turn increments and close the door to check alignment after each adjustment
• Also check that the screws holding the hinge to the cabinet box haven't simply worked loose

What you shouldn't do yourself: force a hinge that looks cracked or broken (it needs replacing, not adjusting), or try to move an entire wall-mounted cabinet box if you aren't sure how it's anchored — a bad drill hole can damage the countertop or the wall.

Can I Ignore It?

Yes, in most cases you can ignore it without serious consequences — it stays a cosmetic issue. A door that rubs slightly or closes a bit crooked won't damage your kitchen.

That said, waiting too long has two real downsides: a door that keeps rubbing can prematurely wear the finish or paint at the contact point, and a hinge left badly misaligned puts more strain on its anchor points over time, which can speed up wear on the screws holding it into the cabinet wood. An adjustment done early stays simple; a cabinet box whose screw holes have been "chewed up" by years of play sometimes needs reinforcement or a part replacement.

How Much Does It Cost?

If the problem affects the whole kitchen and the cabinets are less than a year old, check your warranty first before paying — most kitchen renovation contractors cover post-installation adjustments for 6 to 12 months.

When to Call a Professional

• Multiple doors or drawers from the same project stop closing properly at once, suggesting an installation issue rather than a simple adjustment
• A hinge is visibly cracked, bent, or makes an abnormal metallic noise
• A cabinet box seems detached from the wall or countertop, not just a misaligned door
• You've tried adjusting it yourself and the problem comes back within a few weeks
• The cabinets are still under warranty and you want the fix documented by the original contractor

A professional can check whether the cabinet box itself is square, whether the wall anchoring is adequate, and whether the issue comes from a material defect — things a screwdriver alone won't reveal.

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