How to remove stuck hinges?
by
Teri Sweeney
+3
I want to remove my kitchen cabinet doors, to have open shelving, but I can't get the hinges out. The screws and hinges are probably around 90 years old, and have been painted over many times. Any suggestions?
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Have you tried D 40?
You may need to drill out the hinge screw heads on the frame.
Use the corner of a flat head screwdriver or tip of a knife to break and dig out the paint out of the screw head. Then take a screwdriver, place it on the head, and gently strike the screwdriver with a hammer. This will loosen the screws in the holes just enough to be removed.
Can you take a flat head screwdriver, pry it under the hinge and pop it out? If its covered in paint you could try cutting some of the paint with a utility knife to make the hinges easier to pop out.
You can try using a paint remover first and scrape as much paint away as you can. Also I've used an xacto knife to carefully loosen paint that's really embedded in and around screws and hinges. If all else fails you may have to drill them out.
Apply a stripper to remove paint from the hinges or scrape them off. If the screws are stripped, try a "fat" rubber band like the post office uses on the head then remove. You might have to use a wood chisel and hammer to free them.