We bought the house from a flipper who “redid” the 45 year old kitchen. And by redid, I mean he replaced the old solid wood cabinets with the cheapest builder grade particleboard cabinets he could source. (My neighbors are still rocking the original cabinets, and while dated, theirs are holding up better than mine.)
After three years of use by my kids, hinge screws are starting to pull out of the cabinet frames.
Before I re-install the hinges and doors, I have to repair the holes so the screw has something to hold onto.
*** This repair technique will also work for furniture, especially that flat-pack stuff you bought in college and have been lugging about for years. ***
All you need for this is
- Wooden toothpicks
- Wood glue and a small dish to pour it onto
- Damp paper towels
- Utility knife or side-cutting pliers
Probably three toothpicks per hole. Break the toothpicks in half.
Pour the glue onto your dish. I use a bit of parchment paper, but anything disposable will do.
Coat the pointed end of the toothpick in glue and push it all the way into the screw hole. Repeat until you can’t get any more picks in the hole.
Do this for every hole where the hinge pulled out of the cabinet.
Use the damp towels to clean the glue squeeze out.
Let the glue dry overnight.
Using the utility knife or side cutters, clip the excess toothpicks off flush with the cabinet frame.
When you re-install the hinges, pre-drill a pilot hole, but install the screws with a manual screwdriver. (I usually use a driver to get them almost in & finish by hand) I’m pretty sure the reason these screws are pulling out is that they were overdriven with an impact driver.
Modern Anachronist 