I have a Blum 74559 hinge that's falling off the door due to heavy use. This hinge is originally part of an Ikea kitchen system. The original installer didn't use any screws to fasten the hinge to the door – it was just pressure fit in. But that's not working now as the door is falling off with use. Now I need to properly install it, presumably using screws. There are predrilled holes in the door that the little metal sleeves slip into, and there are also other holes on the door side of the hinge that could be used if I drill the door. I found the original manual for these but they don't show any additional screws being used.
Does anyone know the recommended fastener for this application?
Best Answer
This hinge may have been installed as a press-fit, but it wasn't supposed to have been installed that way. Someone just didn't finish the job.
Take the hinge to a local retailer (a local hardware store, a woodworking store like Rockler or Woodcrafters, or even a big-box home improvement store) and find screws that will go through these holes in the hinge:
and into these pre-drilled holes in the cabinet door:
Usually the screws have a flat head, a tapered under side (this is called a "bugle head" or "flat head" screw) and a very coarse thread with a flat bottom. The flat head and tapered side will fit nicely into the counter sunk recess in the hinge, and the coarse threads and flat bottom hold well in the particle board of the door. You do not want a pointed tip wood screw (likely to go right through the face of the door), nor do you want a machine screw (the fine threads will not get a good bite in the particle board and will pull out).
Generally, the screws will come with the hinges, but a well stocked hardware store or a woodworking specialty store should be able to come up with something. You might find them at a big box store, or you may have to buy a hinge just for the screws.
Since you know that it's a Blum hinge, you may try contacting them via their web site to find out where you can buy (locally or online) replacement screws, as those would be sure to fit your application.
I'd suggest that since the screws weren't installed in this hinge, it's likely that they're missing from all the hinges and that the rest of them are just one good slam away from popping out of their press-fit just as this one did. Now's as good a time as any to check the rest and buy enough screws to finish the job that the previous person left undone.