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Carpenter Trick to Repair Furniture

Why would I shove toothpicks in a hole in my antique cupboard door, you may ask…

Well, an old timer carpenter taught me this trick,

and it really works fantastic!

What’s the trick?

HometoCottage.com Old Carpenter Trick

Super simple…

When you have a loose screw, (probably should do a different treatment for the mental sense of a ‘loose screw’… I’m just talking the literal sense of loose screw today) due to the hole it’s screwed into being just a bit too big, like I did one day, I realized, when I opened the door of a very old cupboard I have in the breakfast room, and the top of the door fell off the cupboard, barely holding on by the bottom hinge!

Oops, I would recommend fixing those loose cabinet and cupboard doors before it gets to that point, or it can lead to a lot bigger problems. (which is actually true with the mental sense as well, now that you mention it) I’m lucky it was me using the door when it happened, so I could catch it and relieve the tension on the bottom hinge immediately. I’m afraid if it would have let loose when one of my grandchildren were opening it, either or both the door and cupboard could have split.

So here’s how to fix it:

(according to my old carpenter friend that taught me the carpenter trick to repair furniture)

HometoCottage.com too big of hole in door

I removed the door from the cupboard and laid it on a flat surface, (it will need to lay flat overnight, so pick a spot that it can sit for a while)

HometoCottage.com squirt in wood glue

Then I squirted in a bunch of Carpenter’s Wood Glue.

(in this case, I do prefer wood glue, I believe it is stronger and works better for this project)

HometoCottage.com shove in toothpicks

The next thing I did was to fill the hole with toothpicks…

one at a time, shoving the last ones in as hard as I could. A couple of thoughts about this: be sure to try to get the toothpicks all the way to the bottom of the hole, this is important because one of the issues with loose screws can be the hole is too deep. And secondly, try to completely fill the hole, some of the glue will ooze back out the hole, that’s OK. For effect, I showed you all the toothpicks long at one time,

HometoCottage.com snip

but in reality, it’s much easier if you snip off each one once as it’s inserted in the hole. It is important to get the top of the toothpick flush with the cupboard door so that your hinge, when placed back on it, will lay flat on the door.

HometoCottage.com toothpicks and glue filled hole

Once the holes were filled with snipped toothpicks and glue, I let it dry overnight. It’s hard to define separate toothpicks in this photo, but each screw hole did take several toothpicks to completely fill it.

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Basically, what you’re creating is a wood-based wood filler that will have the strength to give the screw something to grip onto.

HometoCottage.com carpenter trick repair done

It’s important when you are ready to put the hinge back on the door,

that you pre-drill the holes for the screws.

This always helps prevent the screw slipping around and not going into the wood in the exact spot we’re aiming for and helps prevent the wood from splitting. Just be sure you don’t go too deep, or use too large of a drill bit, (but if you do, now you know how to fix it!)

The old screws that were holding the hinge were in really bad shape and I wasn’t able to reuse them, but these new screws work great and hold the door on really well.

HometoCottage.com tv and primitive cupboard-001

All done!

This primitive cupboard is very old, and I am loving this addition of it to our breakfast room, I’m so glad that I was able to easily fix the hinge so that it hopefully will be in use for a long time into the future too.

Are you looking for a fun treasure like this cupboard to add character to your place? I love Ebay for a fantastic resource!

Did you know I now offer e-decorating? I can help you with your decorating needs via email, without having to step foot in your home. If you’re interested in more information, visit my e-decorating site: Frame and Frills. I’d love to help you with your project!

Here are more carpentry tips and ideas:

Blue-and-White-Backsplash-Tile
Cabinet-Door-Gallery
how to install a floating shelf
install door knocker in a hollow steel door
Wallpaper Mural
Repurposing-Vintage-Screen-Door
transform-hall-closet-into-library
Creating a Built-In Faux Fireplace
wall mounted potrack
antique inspiried kitchen island
shutters do's and don'ts
DIY Faux Exposed Brick Chimney
DIY Frosted Glass  Privacy Window
DIY Cedar Closet Lining
How to Change a Door Lock
tips to refresh basement steps
Old Time Carpenter Taught me this Trick
Wallies
How to Make a Chandelier Longer
DIY Wide Plank Laminate Flooring
How to add a fireplace to any room
Composite Decking
Tips on Creating a Kitchen Island Feature
Changing Popcorn Ceiling to Knockdown
Closet-Transformation
how to mount a shelf when there's no stud
Easiest DIY Beadboard ever
Nautical Cottage Bathroom
DIY wall mounted potrack
How to install a farmhouse sink

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Welcome to Simple Decorating Tips! I’m Liz, the author, and I’m so glad you’re here!

My goal is to encourage you with DIY tips, techniques and tutorials so you feel empowered to join in the fun! Along with this DIY blog, I have a DIY shop, Frame and Frills!
Frame and Frills is in Wisconsin. I stock amazing DIY products! Fusion Mineral Paints, ReDesign Transfers, Decoupage, Waxes, loads of DIY Goodies, re-done Furniture and more! Even if you're not close to where the shop is in Wisconsin, good news... I ship nationwide, (USA) daily! Check out the link here and let's get your DIY on!
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Welcome to Simple Decorating Tips! I'm Liz, the author, and I'm so glad you're here! My goal is to encourage you with DIY tips, techniques and tutorials so you feel empowered to join in the fun! Along with this DIY blog, I have a DIY shop, Frame and Frills!
Frame and Frills is in Wisconsin. I stock amazing DIY products! Fusion Mineral Paints, ReDesign Transfers, Decoupage, Waxes, loads of DIY Goodies, re-done Furniture and more! Even if you're not close to where the shop is in Wisconsin, good news... I ship nationwide, (USA) daily! Check out the link here and let's get your DIY on!


Disclosure Policy: According to FTC guidelines, I want you to be aware that some of the content of this blog may be a source of income and therefore may be used to promote products, services, or other businesses. I will only choose to promote products/services/businesses that I feel will be beneficial to my readers. While I hope to generate a small profit for my time and effort to create this blog, I hold myself to the highest standard of integrity. I appreciate my readers, and make it my goal to deliver quality, honest material on this blog through each post. Thanks for reading along, Liz

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Sharing is great! Please feel free to share this blog with your friends, as well as on Facebook and Pinterest and Flipboard and Houzz and YouTube the more the merrier! I appreciate you stopping by. But please remember that all photos, images, text and content are owned by SimpleDecoratingTips.com. So anything you share, please be sure it always links back to my original post it came from. Please do not remove watermarks, crop or edit anything without written permission from me first.

Disclosure Policy: According to the FTC guidelines, I want you to be aware that this blog is a source of income and may occasionally incorporate endorsements or testimonials and shopping links. It is important to me to disclose this to you. The content of this blog is a source of income and therefore may be used to promote products, services, or other businesses. I will only choose to promote products/services/businesses that I feel will be beneficial to my readers. Products provided to me by my advertising partners for my review are given to me free of charge with no cost to myself. This does not ensure a positive review of the product in any way. While I hope to generate a small profit for my time and effort to create this blog, I hold myself to the highest standard of integrity. I appreciate my readers, and always make it my goal to deliver quality, honest material on this blog through each post. Thanks for reading along, Liz

Disclosure Policy According to Federal Trade Commission guidelines, I want you to be aware that this blog is a source of income and may occasionally incorporate endorsements or testimonials. It is important to me to disclose this to you. The content of this blog is a source of income and therefore may be used to promote products, services, or other businesses. I will only choose to promote products/services/businesses that I feel will be beneficial to my readers. Products provided to me by my advertising partners for my review are given to me free of charge with no cost to myself. This does not ensure a positive review of the product in any way. My truthful opinion will be what I state, no matter if I'm getting paid or not. Accuracy and truth are the priority for me on this blog's information, no matter if it's about a product or anything else. Not every product or service or store etc. may be mentioned in each and every post as an affiliate. While I hope to generate a small profit for my time and effort to create this blog, I hold myself to the highest standard of integrity. I appreciate my readers, and always make it my goal to deliver quality, honest material on this blog through each post.

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