How to change kitchen cabinetry handles?

[fayelouise]

Hi there,

We painted our kitchen over the weekend and it looks great! But we are having an issue fitting the new handles... The old handles seem to be 128mm (hole to hole), and the new handles we bought are also 128mm (hole to hole) and some of the handles just aren't fitting. It's as if some of the holes are ever so slightly too close together (by around 1-2mm). The holes are clean, no paint drips or anything in them, and some of the handles do fit (albeit a little snugly). The new handles are good quality and we've used the brand before so I'd be surprised if they were inconsistent. I'm stumped! Can anyone help? I've thought about widening one of the holes on each cabinet/drawer slightly but wondering if there's a different solution or a recommended way to do this.

Thanks in advance for your advice!

[EricL]

Hello @fayelouise 

By the sounds of it the old handles had a much tighter tolerance. I suggest redrilling the holes using a drill bit that is just ever so slightly bigger than the existing hole. I recommend doing both sides so that spread will be even and prevents one side from carrying all the extra space. 

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric