The door on the cabinet where I installed my slide-out shelves has been loose for a few months. Every month or so I tighten the screw on the little door hinge and then within a week — it’s loose again. I was grumbling about this to my father one day when he suggested using toothpicks to solve the problem.
It turns out that the screw hole for this hinge was stripped and a little stretched, which is why tightening the screw helped only briefly. Taking my father’s advice, I unscrewed the hinge and placed a few pieces of toothpick in the screw hole. As I reinstalled the screw, I could feel that the toothpick pieces were doing their job. Basically the screw is able to grip onto the soft wood of the toothpick pieces, which creates a tight fit that couldn’t be achieved in the stretched and stripped hole.
This solution may not last forever — and it definitely wouldn't be ideal for every stripped screw hole (you wouldn't want to do this for a screw being used to hang something on a wall, for instance) — but it has kept the door on my cabinet tight since Christmas, so I'm happy!
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Comments (26)
That's a great tip!! Thank you for sharing that.
Brilliant! I can use this in several spots around the house.
Matchsticks (with the striking heads broken off) work just as well and, being wood, are greener...
My husband tells me there is a wood filler product out there made just for this purpose. Same principle, though. :)
Toothpicks and blue painters tape can fix most common household problems. My Dad taught me this toothpick tip years and years ago. It works like a charm.
Perfect! I have to reassemble Burke Industries table that currently has a stripped screw hole. Will be trying this trick this evening. Thanks!
that is great!
For larger holes golf tees work too.
A guy at my local hardware store suggested this (over wood filler) to repair a wobbly chair leg with a stripped-out screw hole. Toothpicks and wood glue, actually.
as mentioned above, glue is a good addition. three flat toothpicks work even better -- surrounding the screw for even insertion.
That's the most useful and clever tip I've heard in a long time. Thanks!
@heslod: I think these are wooden toothpicks that are dyed colors. For parties and whatnots.
clever!
Wooden chopsticks work well too.
I am completely ignoring your advice to not use this trick w/ things that hang on the wall, & am going to try it w/ my paper towel holder that is driving me batsh*t.
Weird - I was going to Google this same topic yesterday! Good to hear it works :)
In a pinch, I've used pencils, too.
Nice. Thanks!
..clever!
The process for collecting sulfur makes matches not so green, unless you consider it is a byproduct of oil refining and natural gas extraction, but it still provides income to these companies, who will continue to make sulfur for your green matches so you can sit smug and light stuff on fire.
My hubby suggested this for our bathroom door hinge...I thought he made it up...guess I get to apologize now!
Used this trick for years, rather than toothpicks I have used match sticks, or even wooden plugs whittled from scrap wood. For extra holding power I recommend gluing them in with any type of wood glue, it makes a more permanent fix.
This works, but toothpicks are too soft to work very well. Staples are harder, but the best fix is epoxy glue. Rub the screw on the side of your nose to get some oil on the threads, fill the hole with epoxy, and insert the screw, holding it with tape if necessary. You can always pull the tape away from the epoxy after it hardens.
For any larger job of patching wood, use Bondo. Yes, the stuff from the auto parts store. Best wood filler there is. Follow instructions on the can EXACTLY!
Oh my gosh - pure genius!
This works great, fixed a door that stripped at the hinges this morning. Total life saver!
As for the comment above, I have found that wood filler isn't strong enough and wont hold for very long, seems to work better for appearance but not strength.