Furniture that’s older than six months will need fixing, but the good news is that there are basic ways of repairing that allow you to maintain the wooden furniture in your home and make them last a long time.
In fact, you can even save furniture that’s hanging on its last legs – and here are a few tips on how you can do just that:
1. Shimming Hinges
Doors that won’t close or align with the catch might be solved by simply cutting out one or more playing cards to fit the recess of the door hinge. This is called a “shim”, and will kick out the lower or upper part of the door depending on which hinge you reinforce.
You can punch screw holes in the cards by using a small Philips screwdriver, after which you can mount the door hinge and attach the screws.
2. Adding Support Braces
When left alone, sagging shelves will further droop and eventually cause stress to the nails and joints to crack and wear down. While you can simply flip the shelves over, they will still droop again after some time.
A more permanent (and aesthetically pleasing) solution is to add wooden stair treads that have a rounded front edge. You can cut and paint them according to your shelves’ color and size.
3. Fixing Wobbly Chair and Tables
Wobbly chairs and tables are easy to fix by adding support braces, which are usually more reliable than L-brackets.
Tables can also be wobbly because of uneven legs. If this is the case, jamming something underneath is only a temporary solution – your best option is drill holes for nail-on glides and slip as many washers as your table leg needs to feel more stable.
4. Repairing Drawers
Drawer fronts that come loose or fall off completely can be saved and reinforced by adding a backer to its front. Make sure the backer is about the size of the drawer so that it fits tightly and ¾-inch holes for the handle screws.
For ready-to-assemble furniture that uses particleboard, reinforcing with screws might be the better option. No need to use the original fasteners when they can’t. You can bypass them instead and fasten the screws from the outside.
5. Filling Screw Holes
Filling epoxy putty for screw holes in handles is a more permanent fix if they keep falling or unscrewing off of drawers. Instead of using a larger-sized screw (which can also come loose), just cut off the amount of putty you need and knead it together to plug the hole.
When doing this, be sure to scrape off the excess before it hardens, and then you will be able to drill a new hole into the drawer handle once it does.
(Disclaimer: this list is compiled in no particular order.)