How To Repair Stripped Screw Hole

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If yous accept a loose hinge and you lot can't tighten it because the screws but spin in place, the screw holes are probably stripped. If the loose holes are in a solid piece of forest like a door frame, drill them out and fill them with wooden dowels to create a new surface for the screws to go into. If yous desire a quicker method that doesn't require boring out the holes, effort filling the stripped holes with golf tees, matchsticks or toothpicks, wood anchors, or cyanoacrylate glue. Employ longer screws in the loose holes if they are but starting to go stripped.

1. 1

   Remove the loose screws and the hinge plate with a drill or screwdriver. Use a screwdriver or electric drill to unscrew the loose screws all the way. Gear up the screws aside and swing the hinge plate abroad so information technology'south not covering the loose holes.^[one]

   • If you are fixing just a few loose screw holes for something that has multiple hinges, like a door, you can put a wedge underneath it to support it while yous unscrew the loose hinge and fix the stripped holes. If all the hinges take loose screws, information technology will be easier to just completely remove the door.
   • If at that place is pigment over the hinge, you can piece effectually it carefully with a utility knife or box cutter to free it and then you can swing the plate away.

   Tip: This method works best for hinges that are fastened to a thick, solid piece of wood, such equally a solid wooden door or door frame.

2. 2

   Drill out the loose holes with a ³⁄_eight  in (0.95 cm) drill fleck. Attach a ³⁄_viii  in (0.95 cm) drill bit to an electric drill. Drill direct into each of the stripped holes, going at least 1 in (ii.5 cm) deep, to diameter them out.^[2]

   • This will make all the stripped holes a uniform size that you lot can fit a piece of wooden dowel into perfectly.

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3. 3

   Saw a ⁱⁱⁱ⁄₈  in (0.95 cm) diameter wooden dowel into ane in (2.v cm) long pieces. Measure and mark 1 in (2.five cm) long sections along an unabridged piece of dowel. Use a manus saw or any type of power saw you lot take available to cut the pieces.^[3]

   • Yous will demand a i in (ii.5 cm) long piece of dowel for each loose hole yous demand to set up.
   • If you use a handheld saw, clamp the wooden dowel to a workbench or put it in a vise to hold it steady while you cut the pieces.
   • A wooden dowel is a round piece of wood that comes in rods of varying diameters and lengths. It is available at home improvement centers, woodworking supply and craft shops, or online. If you don't have the tools to cut the dowel yourself, you can buy pre-cut wooden dowels.

4. 4

   Coat a 1 in (two.5 cm) long, ³⁄₈  in (0.95 cm) diameter dowel in carpenter'south glue. Squeeze a drib of carpenter'due south glue out onto the side of the slice of wooden dowel. Utilize your fingers or a scrap piece of dowel to spread the carpenter'southward mucilage up and downwards the sides.^[4]

   • The carpenter's mucilage will agree the dowel in place inside a stripped hole.
   • You could likewise dip the dowel about halfway into a bottle of carpenter's glue, so spread out the glue along the sides.

5. 5

   Tap the wooden dowel into one of the holes gently using a hammer. Button 1 finish of the piece of wooden dowel into i of the stripped holes. Carefully tap it in with a hammer until it is affluent with the surrounding wood.^[5]

   • The wooden dowel volition plug the stripped hole, essentially giving you a fresh surface to reattach the swivel to.

6. half dozen

   Repeat the process for the rest of the stripped holes. Glaze ane-inch-long, 3/8-inch-diameter pieces of wooden dowel in carpenter'due south glue, i at a time, for each stripped hole. Use your hammer to tap each wooden dowel into each loose hole.^[six]

   • Make sure you go all the dowels flush with the surrounding forest, and then the surface is totally apartment.

7. seven

   Wait for ane hour to let the glue dry. Let the wooden dowels dry in the holes for at to the lowest degree 1 hour. This will ensure they are securely held in place when y'all reattach the hinge.^[7]

   • If there is any excess glue that oozed out of the holes, wipe it away with a rag so it doesn't dry and make the surface uneven.

8. eight

   Drill a ¹⁄_eight  in (0.32 cm) pilot pigsty into each wooden dowel using an electric drill. Attach a ⁱ⁄_eight  in (0.32 cm) drill fleck to your electric drill. Drill direct into each wooden dowel that you plugged a loose hole with to create pilot holes for the hinge'southward screws.^[8]

   • This volition make it easier to reattach the swivel and get the screws in perfectly straight.

9. 9

   Reattach the swivel using its screws. Position the hinge plate back over the reinforced holes. Put the screws back in through the holes in the hinge into the pilot holes in the dowel.^[9]

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1. 1

   Plug holes with golf tees if the holes are big enough. Remove the loose screws and the swivel. Dip the tip of a golf tee into carpenter's glue, tap information technology into a loose hole using a hammer, then snap off the excess wood sticking out of the hole. Reattach the swivel by driving screws through its holes into the golf tees after the glue is dry.^[10]

   • The golf tees volition provide extra wood within the stripped holes for the screws to catch onto.
   • This method is a quick alternative to using wooden dowels that doesn't crave you to bore the holes out.

   Tip: To make the tee perfectly flush with the surrounding wood, you can score the side of it with a utility knife correct against the wood surface. This volition make it easier to snap off the backlog more evenly.

2. two

   Fill holes with toothpicks or matches to provide added grip for screws. Unscrew the loose screws and remove the hinge from on peak of the stripped holes. Squeeze a drib of carpenter'southward glue into each loose hole, then button about 3 wooden matches or toothpicks into the hole, or enough to fill information technology, and snap the backlog wood off. Screw the hinge back into place after the mucilage is dry.^[eleven]

   • The extra wood from the matches or toothpicks helps the screws fit tightly into the stripped holes. You can use multiple matches or toothpicks in each hole if you need to fill up the hole more.
   • Make sure to snap off the lucifer heads if you utilise wooden matches.
   • This method works well for smaller holes that you don't want to drill out to fill and gamble dissentious the wood. For example, you could use this to fix stripped holes on thin cabinet doors.

3. 3

   Put wood anchors into stripped holes and so the screws fit tightly. Purchase some plastic, cone-shaped wood anchors that match the bore of the hinge screws. Remove the hinge from on summit of the loose holes. Spiral a wood ballast into each loose hole until it won't go any further, and then bend it to snap it. Reattach the hinge by driving the original screws into the forest anchors and other holes.^[12]

   • Plastic, cone-shaped wood anchors work all-time considering they fit into stripped holes of any diameter with no drilling required. At that place are as well metallic, cylindrical wood anchors available, but you would have to bore out each loose hole to the bore of the anchors in order to apply them.

4. four

   Fill loose holes with cyanoacrylate mucilage and reinsert the screws for a quick gear up. Remove the screws and hinge, then squeeze enough cyanoacrylate glue into each loose hole to fill it. Allow the glue cure for virtually 2 minutes, then screw the swivel back into place.^[13]

   • Cyanoacrylate gum is a fast-drying, ultra-strong glue that basically turns into a polymer resin when it is cured. It volition hold the screws securely in place in the stripped holes.
   • Super glue is a common proper name that different brands give to cyanoacrylate glue.

5. v

   Use longer screws to secure a hinge to loose holes. Remove whatsoever loose screws from the hinge using a screwdriver or drill. Replace them with a longer spiral of the same diameter.^[xiv]

   • This works best for holes that are just starting to become stripped to forbid them from getting worse. The longer screw will bite into the deeper, unstrapped wood to hold the hinge more securely in place.
   • Keep in mind that information technology may be hard to find a longer screw that matches the original screws and the finish of the hinge. If this is of import to you, you might be ameliorate off using a unlike method that allows you to continue the original screws.

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Add New Question

• Question

  What can I use if I don't have a wooden dowel?

  

  Ryaan Tuttle is a Home Improvement Specialist and the CEO of Best Handyman Boston. With over 15 years of feel, Ryaan specializes in home improvement and belongings maintenance by leveraging technology and craftsmanship. Ryaan holds his Construction Supervisor and Home Improvement Contractor Licenses. Unlike almost handyman contractors, Best Handyman Boston is licensed and insured. Boston Magazine and LocalBest.com accept named All-time Handyman Boston the Best Handyman in Boston.

  

  Home Improvement Specialist

  Expert Answer

  Use a golf tee and some wood glue. Squeeze a niggling bit of woods gum into the screw hole and onto the finish of the golf tee. So, hammer the golf tee into the screw so it's nice and tight. Snap off the part of the golf game tee that'south yet sticking out, and let the wood glue dry out. In a few hours, y'all can reinstall your screw.

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Things You lot'll Need

• Electric drill
• Wooden dowels
• Carpenter's glue
• Saw
• Hammer

• Golf tees
• Carpenter's glue
• Hammer
• Wooden toothpicks or matches
• Long wood screws
• Wood anchors
• Cyanoacrylate glue
• Screwdriver

About This Article

Commodity Summary Ten

You can repair a loose wood screw hole for a swivel past inserting a dowel to reinstall the screw or by relocating the hinge so it holds stronger. To remove the loose wood spiral, drill out the stripped pigsty and glue in a dowel the same diameter every bit your drill bit. So, glue and cut the dowel and so it'southward affluent with the edge of the door or hinge. You can then drive the screw into the dowel to secure it. To relocate the hinge, remove the screws from the hinge and slide it upwards or down a few inches. You may need to re-chisel a pock in the frame so the hinge sits flush. Then, you tin drive the screws into the screw holes on the hinge to secure it. To learn how to use a shim to repair a loose wood screw hole for a swivel, keep reading!

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