Warped cabinet doors

Pamela Miller
by Pamela Miller
We discovered that some of our kitchen cabinet doors are warped (they flare out a little at the bottom edge), after our one year builder warranty expired and after we discovered that the manufacturer went out of business. What can be done to fix this?
  13 answers
  • Jeanny Jeanny on Jun 20, 2015
    I have the same problem. Somebody help, please!
  • B. Enne B. Enne on Jun 20, 2015
    What are they made of? Do they have a panel or are they plain slab doors, which would be easier to fix? Can you post a pic?
  • B. Enne B. Enne on Jun 20, 2015
    Thanks for adding the pic. :) When you said warped, and flared I expected an obvious bump or wave. I'm definitely NO expert, but... Are you sure it isn't your piano hinge, or the hinges on the right side? My corner cabinet is doing that too, and I think the European hinges need tweaking, since the doors are still true. The cabinet company that made my cupboards used European hinges in the middle too, so they wouldn't be ''obvious''...It just seems like my doors are too heavy, and twist each time I open the cupboard. I have cheap MDF, and was thinking of using a magnetic catch, like some people use in wall units or very old kitchens. Short of buying new doors from a company that carries a similar profile, I wonder if a flat magnet and plate would work you if it isn't the hinge? http://www.lowes.com/Hardware/Cabinet-Hardware/Magnetic-Cabinet-Latches/_/N-1z0yk8l/pl#!
  • Most of the time when wood is warped there is no fixing it, you have to replace it.
  • D & K D & K on Jun 20, 2015
    Is that a dishwasher adjacent to the cabinet door? If so there's a very good chance the heat and steam coming from this caused this to happen. Most cabinet woods are pretty stable but add a little heat and steam and the natural stresses in the wood take over.
    • See 2 previous
    • Pamela Miller Pamela Miller on Jun 20, 2015
      @D & K Thank you! I will give that a try.
  • Wanda.ll Wanda.ll on Jun 21, 2015
    Here is my take on this problem. Take door off hinge place it some where very flat.Then put something very heavy on it to weight it down. It has gotten damp and warped. You might have to put in shower with hot water to get it rewet and do this. Other wise get a cabinet man to make you another door and re stain and install.
  • 512181 512181 on Jun 21, 2015
    You can try a friction roller catch at the bottom so it closes. It will be a little harder to open the door, but it should pull the bottom in. I have used this on a wall storage cabinet. You could try a magnetic catch too, but that may not be strong enough.
  • Diane Diane on Jun 21, 2015
    We had the same problem with a similar cabinet. A magnetic latch was installed on the bottom corner of the cabinet, and it works perfectly...
  • Carol Freihaut Carol Freihaut on Jun 21, 2015
    Same thing here on a top cabinet door. Small strip of velcro fixed it for me.
  • Robert Snow Robert Snow on Jun 21, 2015
    An old trick I used to use when building cabinets years ago was if a door is warped try to attach the part of the door that is sticking out and block the other part of the door to try and warp it in the other direction . If it's to warped to badly it may not work . I always had good luck with this trick . A lot of stuff today is pressed wood so I am not sure how this old trick will work . Good luck !!!!
  • Jackie Jackie on Jun 23, 2015
    The Velcro sounds like a simple ,yet perfect solution.My son is going to try this tomorrow.
  • Ray Phillips Ray Phillips on Jun 25, 2015
    As a retired builder, "always tired" take the door off the piano hinge and lay it flat, but put a piece of wood about 1" thick under the corner that is warped out, Sorry put the outside down. wet the stile and rail and put something heavy on the door and let it stay for a day or so and hope it come back to the original shape.
  • Kmdreamer Kmdreamer on Jul 07, 2021

    There not warped you need to adjust the hinges with a screw driver that’s all turn one way see how it is turn another see how it is