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roo514_gw

Does this cabinet door swing open the wrong way?

roo514
9 years ago

I just had cabinets installed and my first instinct when looking at them was that the single cabinet to the right of the corner was installed incorrectly. That it should swing open to the left, not to the right as shown in the pic. But now I'm not so sure. Which way would a door in a corner typically open?

Comments (15)

  • rwiegand
    9 years ago

    I'd have hinged it on the other side so that it would be easier to access the cabinet, but I don't think there is a clearcut right/wrong about at. The handle symmetry is a little better the way it is. How far does the door swing open? I'd definitely want 170 deg hinges on it so that it opens out of the way rather than the typical 110 deg hinges.

  • xc60
    9 years ago

    I just looked at a ton of photos on Houzz and from what I saw there, I would say yes. Much easier access with the hinge on the other side as well.

  • jellytoast
    9 years ago

    I, too, would have it open on the other side. Accessing the cabinet looks awkward the way it is now. Can you just flip the door around and attach it to the other side?

  • roo514
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks for the feedback.

    rwiegand - no idea what kind of hinges are installed but I was going to check them out tonight to see how wide the door opens

    I don't think you can just flip the door and install the handle on the other side because wouldn't the holes now be on the bottom right?

  • fishymom
    9 years ago

    My corner cabinet was hinged on the right side in my old kitchen. In my new kitchen, it is hinged on the left side because of the pullout blind pantry.

  • annkh_nd
    9 years ago

    What's in the corner? Is it some sort of pullout, or just a blind corner?

    If it's a blind corner, I think the door is hinged on the wrong side. I have wide shoulders and would break the door off trying to dig stuff out of the corner.

  • rwiegand
    9 years ago

    Yes, if you flip the door you will have extra holes for the handle at the bottom corner. You'd need a new door to flip it or a repair of the holes. Changing the hinges is trivial, the wider opening ones will just swap out.

  • jellytoast
    9 years ago

    Oh, that's right, roo ... your hardware holes would be in the wrong spot! Any chance you have an identically sized cabinet in your kitchen with another oddly opening door? I have two identical cabinets with opposite opening doors and my installer had them mixed up in the layout so they both opened the wrong way. I noticed it before they were installed, though.

  • Fori
    9 years ago

    I think the way it is is better--you won't get handle dings in the (sink?) cabinet. It'll have to open more than standard, as mentioned above, but it's probably the best of a tight situation as is.

    Can YOU get into it okay?

  • Bunny
    9 years ago

    I'm sorry, but it looks weird and illogical. Also, it won't be easy to just open the door slightly to get something from right in front. You'll always have to open it wide in order to give yourself room.

  • Buehl
    9 years ago

    It's probably hinged that way to reduce filler and to allow a bigger opening in the cabinet. As Ajc71 mentioned, you may not be able to switch the hinges b/c there may not be enough room to open the cabinet door (another reason I like corner susans - they eliminate the need for filler in corners!).

    The door needs to have room to clear the door around the corner - and that includes the handles on both doors. I suspect you won't be able to open the door very wide if you switch hinge sides.

    Can you get hinges for the door that allow the door to open 170o as Rwiegand suggested?

  • robo (z6a)
    9 years ago

    One of my blind corners was accidentally installed that way top and bottom and I made them switch it. It is highly inconvenient. They had to replace the doors as they'd already drilled for handles. The weird thing is they installed the other side correctly. When I contacted the cabinet company they totally acknowledged it was on the wrong way.

    To me just eyeballing it looks like you have at least 3" of filler, which should be enough filler to make everything work if you switch it.

    This post was edited by robotropolis on Thu, Apr 17, 14 at 9:52

  • bpath
    9 years ago

    If the door ends up staying as it is, be sure to install pullout shelves, otherwise it'll be a pain to reach in there and get stuff out from the back.

  • roo514
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks, everyone! I went back to check the cabinet door and it doesn't open any wider than the other doors, so it's probably the usual 110 degrees. It's not a blind cabinet (I have another drawer/door on the other side of the peninsula since I didn't want to have to crawl inside to get stuff).

    I'll ask my contractor about buying a new door and installing it with 90 degree hinges to see if we can avoid hitting the sink cab. Actually, if I had to do it over again, I'd have put in a drawer base there instead and this wouldn't be an issue .. oh well! I'll think about installing a pullout.

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