If you’ve lived in a house with other people for any length of time, you’ve most likely experienced trying to be quiet in the kitchen while others try to work or sleep. This can be a challenging and frustrating task if your kitchen cabinets and drawers are noisy! Even if you are not trying to keep quiet for others, a slamming cabinet door or rickety drawer can be quite the nuisance. Here are some options for putting a stop to the noise, once and for all:
The Source of Noisy Kitchen Cabinets
Even if you live in an older home, it’s still hard to believe that builders would really install wood cabinet doors knowing they would be slamming against the hard wood frame (surely it crossed someone’s mind how loud this would be, right?!) Most older kitchen cabinets were installed with a rubber bumper on the corners of each door and drawer to soften the impact when it closes. Unfortunately, these bumpers wear down and come off over time, and most people don’t replace them.
Options for Quieting Loud Kitchen Cabinets
The Good Option: Stick-on Bumper Pads
The easiest and cheapest solution is to replace the stick-on bumper pads on each cabinet door and drawer. They are available at most home improvement stores and some grocery stores, and are fairly inexpensive. Although you’ll still hear the cabinet door shut, the sound is significantly!
The Better Option: Soft-close Dampers
Installing soft-close dampers on each cabinet door is a more costly and time consuming than picking up some stick-on bumpers, but it will make all the difference for noisy cabinets! The dampers catch the door before it hits the frame and slowly close it the remainder of the way, preventing the loud slamming sound.
The Best Option: Self-close Cabinet Hinges and Drawer Glides
Self-close hinges and drawer glides make closing doors and drawers perfectly smooth and silent. This option is a common upgrade in new-build homes and is a popular request among our clients undergoing a kitchen remodel. While replacing all of the hinges and drawer glides in your kitchen is a lot more work, and is more expensive, it’s a surefire way to get the peace and quiet you long for!
Quick Fixes for Snapping , Clicking or Squeaky Hinges
Slamming cabinet doors aren’t always the issue: sometimes hinges themselves are the source of the sound when it comes to noisy cabinets. If you’ve ever opened a cabinet and heard a loud creek echo throughout your kitchen, you know how bothersome it can be! Loud hinges may need to be oiled with WD-40, Petroleum Jelly, or another type of household lubricant. Another clever option is to swap out a noisy hinge with one from a less-used cabinet. The replacement hinge should be quieter if it has not been used much.
These are a few of the different ways you can maintain your kitchen cabinets to keep them functioning efficiently and quietly. If you have questions or need assistance installing new hinges and drawer glides, Medford Remodeling would be happy to help! Contact us today for more information about cabinet repair and maintenance!
Warm Regards,
The Medford Remodeling Team
