I was quite excited when we started stocking the Soft-Close Door Bumper from Grass. Many newer cabinets come with soft-close cabinet door hinges. But if you have older or economy cabinets like I do, then they likely have regular self-closing hinges that produce a thud sound when the cabinet door closes. I don’t particularly like that sound. And replacing all of the hinges would be costly and a little wasteful, since they are perfectly good hinges.
The Grass soft-close door bumpers are pretty inexpensive and install in just a few minutes. They only work on cabinets with overlay doors and self-closing European concealed hinges, so double check before you purchase. If your door has two cabinet door hinges, you should only need one bumper. If your door is over 60” tall and has three hinges, then use two bumpers—one at the top and one at the bottom.
To install, you’ll need a drill, 3/32″ drill bit, Phillips screwdriver and a vacuum. Put the bumper up at the top corner of your cabinet on the hinge side. Drill your pilot hole 1/4″ deep on the hinge side of the cabinet (not the top). Then, using the same bumper, go around to all of the cabinets and drill all of your pilot holes. Once you’re done, go back and install each one with your hand screwdriver. Do not use power tools for installation. Go back one more time and vacuum up all the dust and wood shavings you made.
There is an adjustment screw on the back you can use to adjust in or out, which varies the closing speed of the door. You might need to make an adjustment if you have a really heavy or really light door.
Don’t forget about the cabinets in the bathroom or laundry room! This is a quick weekend project. I’ve given these as Christmas or housewarming gifts before. Everyone likes them, especially when I tell them I’ll even install the bumpers myself.
