Any ideas how to fix or replace cabinet door on Casita?

[calidave]

Hi All, I have a cabinet door in my Casita Spirit Deluxe 2018 that opens horizontally and over time the hinges get loose and the door droops. I could replace the hinges but the holes they are using are now a bit worn themselves. Couple solutions I'm thinking of could be relocating the hinges to the top or alternatively I could get bigger hinges and a lighter door. I would love to hear if anyone else has tackled this or from anyone with a good idea! Thanks Dave

[mary and bob]

Not my idea, and don't know if it works, but I've read that for a quick fix for oversize holes is to insert a couple toothpicks with wood glue, then use the original screws. Might work, but I expect negative comments. Remember NOT MY IDEA, but I would try it.

[Gerry]

I rebuilt all my doors and really most of the interior using, much lighter, white cedar. Fixing you problem might be as easy as replacing the screws with bolts and cap nuts on the inside. You may have to drill the hole in the fiberglass the size you need. As far as drooping, are you talking about keeping the door open ??? If so I use a short piece of half inch, CPVC pipe, to go from the bottom of the cupboard floor to the clasp I've installed to hold door shut when traveling.

[justa25thTA]

Mary and Bob's idea will work to tighten up the screw holes. If you pull the trim down at the top of the opening you can put the wood part of a match stick inside, this gives you a bit more to grab. Once the hinges are secure you can also give the door a bit of a yank upwards to bend the hinges slightly. I had this issue with several doors on my brand new 2024 Casita and these two steps worked.

[jerrybob]

Originally Posted by justa25thTA

Mary and Bob's idea will work to tighten up the screw holes. If you pull the trim down at the top of the opening you can put the wood part of a match stick inside, this gives you a bit more to grab. Once the hinges are secure you can also give the door a bit of a yank upwards to bend the hinges slightly. I had this issue with several doors on my brand new 2024 Casita and these two steps worked.

Yep.....the perfect solution......give it a try.

[Esther315]

We cut some sections of zip ties, put them in the enlarged holes, and screwed the door back on. Easy fix.

[calidave]

drooping I meant the cabinet door is no longer level.

[calidave]

A brand new 2024 had a similar problem. hmm, thinking of just removing the cabinet doors. If you are familiar with the Spirit Deluxe these are the cabinets on either side of the dinette at floor level, across from the kitchen.

[justa25thTA]

Originally Posted by calidave

drooping I meant the cabinet door is no longer level.

I would try to gently twist the door to get it level again.

[LarryB.]

All the cabinet door hinges on Casitas are "drilled" into a piece of 1x2 pine furring strip inside the cabinet behind the hinge.

Simply remove the wood screws on the hinge that go thru the fiberglass and reposition the furring strip so that you can get the screws to "bite into" a new spot on the furring strip. For good measure, since pine is a soft wood, you could replace the furring strip with a piece of hardwood.

I wouldn't reposition the hinges so that the door opens up as that would require hand-holding the door when accessing the the items inside the cabinet.

On my Casita, the only door that opens up is the door above the fridge and microwave. To eliminate the need to manually hold the door open I installed a spring that holds it open for me.

[rdteeler]

Hello I think anyone with a casita has experience the same as you “ included myself . The fix is to remove the door hinges and the cheap particle biard backer that the hinges screw into replace those with real wood. That’s a true fix . Replaced all of them in my 2013 Spirit Deluxe …

[BradleyCrandall]

I used small nuts and bolts with a body washer inside the cabinet, but you have to drill the hinges just a little bit.
This idea makes a permanent fix.
Also, I put a small half round rubber bumper on that On that cabinet door closest to the bathroom door so when the bathroom door opened, it would not open the cabinet door like they do.

[CHICO DAN]

Yes... this is your best simple hinge repair..

"Cabinet Door Hinges
All the cabinet door hinges on Casitas are "drilled" into a piece of 1x2 pine furring strip inside the cabinet behind the hinge.

Simply remove the wood screws on the hinge that go thru the fiberglass and reposition the furring strip so that you can get the screws to "bite into" a new spot on the furring strip. For good measure, since pine is a soft wood, you could replace the furring strip with a piece of hardwood.

I wouldn't reposition the hinges so that the door opens up as that would require hand-holding the door when accessing the the items inside the cabinet.

On my Casita, the only door that opens up is the door above the fridge and microwave. To eliminate the need to manually hold the door open I installed a spring that holds it open for me."

AND...Replace the poorly designed cabinet door "push button" closure with Cam Locks !
All my push button closures have Failed over time leaving Food, Books and Items strewed over the entire Cabin !
______________

[ShelbyM]

Those two doors, being hung horizontally, put too much weight on the hinges. The hinges bend, the doors droop. One fix is to attach some sort of shim on the inside of the door. It rests on the frame when the door is closed, supporting the door

[Jann Todd]

Originally Posted by calidave

Hi All, I have a cabinet door in my Casita Spirit Deluxe 2018 that opens horizontally and over time the hinges get loose and the door droops. I could replace the hinges but the holes they are using are now a bit worn themselves. Couple solutions I'm thinking of could be relocating the hinges to the top or alternatively I could get bigger hinges and a lighter door. I would love to hear if anyone else has tackled this or from anyone with a good idea! Thanks Dave

I haven't had any of my Casita doors on my 2007 give me a problem but I have used the wood match with glue put into the screw hole in my kitchen cabinets at home. Great fix and quick. Put the screw in while the glue is wet and it won't come out. If you have doors that open upwards put a curtain pin that is a lot like an S hook into the carpet above the door and put a small decorative chain on the door on the side and then the chain can be hooked onto the pin to hold the door open.