Hydraulic Solution

Hydraulic Hinges for Cabinet Doors

A cabinet door that closes itself slowly and quietly changes the way a kitchen or furniture piece feels to use. STONN hydraulic solutions cover the damper units and hydraulic hinges needed to add controlled closing to existing hinges or to replace standard hinges entirely.

How Hydraulic Damping Works

A hydraulic damper is a small cylinder filled with oil and a piston. When the door closes and reaches the last 15-20 degrees of travel, the damper arm engages and the oil slows the door down to a controlled stop. The force needed to slow the door is proportional to its speed, so a door pushed hard will still close slowly and a door pushed gently will close at the same controlled speed.

The oil in the damper does not break down under normal indoor use. Cabinet doors open and close hundreds of times a year, and the damper unit is designed for more than 80,000 cycles before the damping effect reduces noticeably.

Hydraulic Hinges

The hydraulic hinge combines the pivot and the damper in a single unit. There is no separate damper clip to fit. The hinge looks the same as a standard concealed hinge from the outside. The damper is built into the hinge body and engages automatically when the door is closing.

STONN hydraulic hinges are available for 35 mm cup diameter, which is the standard size for almost all European-style concealed hinges. They fit the same pre-drilled hole pattern as standard hinges, so you can replace existing hinges without changing the door or the cabinet frame mounting plate.

Opening angles available are 95 degrees for standard overlay doors, 110 degrees for semi-overlay and inset doors, and 165 degrees for full-overlay corner cabinet doors that need to open past the cabinet edge.

Add-On Damper Clips

If you already have concealed hinges fitted and want to add soft-close without replacing the hinges, the add-on damper clip is the practical option. It clips onto the existing hinge arm. When the door closes, the clip arm contacts the cabinet frame and the damper slows the last part of the closing movement.

These clips work with most major concealed hinge brands where the hinge arm is the standard shape. They do not require any drilling or modification of the existing hinge or cabinet. Fitting takes about 30 seconds per door.

Applications

Hydraulic damping is most commonly used on kitchen cabinet doors, but it is equally useful on bathroom vanity units, wardrobe doors, and office furniture. Any door that is opened and closed frequently and where a slamming door is annoying or would damage the cabinet frame over time will benefit from a soft-close mechanism.

Cabinet Types

The STONN hydraulic range covers doors for wall cabinets, base cabinets, and tall cabinets. For overhead doors that swing up rather than out, a different mechanism called a flap fitting is the appropriate choice. Check the individual product listings for door size and weight limits for each hydraulic hinge model.