Kitchen Cabinet Door Hinge Has A Loose Screw

A picture here would be worth a thousand words...

Shooting from the hip here I would say just fill the hole with epoxy, press the screw in, and place a piece of tape over it until it dries...

https://www.amazon.com/J-B-Weld

https://www.amazon.com/Gorilla-Epoxy-Minute-ounce-Syringe

I spent about half an hour trying a picture 7 times on 2 different computers with 3 different browsers. "Encountered an error", "thread already processed" and "just plain stuck" were the results. As Clint Eastwood said, "A man has to know his limitations". The skills of the SolarEagle are beyond the skills of the mortal man.

Well it does seem a bit tricky, I email the photo to myself, open the image in paint and name and save it, then use the file finder in the little camera icon, and paste the file name in...there might be an easier way, but I just do it that way because I'm used to it...

Is this for a cabinet hinge, or a decorative trim strip?

Longer screw will, in either case, probably make the problem worse.

Is the substrate composite (like particle board or plywood) or solid lumber?

Usually if it’s exposed trim, it’s a finishing nail not a screw.

anyways,… I recall when I was about 7 years old when my parents first remodeled our farm house. The carpenters that was there, I would watch the contractors work. One of the carpenters had screwed up, no one said anything to keep it quiet but I knew so eth8ng was wrong, they ignored me as what does a foolish 7 year old know.

As a 7 year old who watch them work it up, he told the foreman and saw what the foreman did, he had took some fine saw dust from the table saw and mixed it with wood glue (Elmers Glue), and filled the screw hole he waited for it to firm up. As the contractor rescrewed the hinge there, this 7 year old piped up and said, wow, that’s a great idea to fix that. The contractor looked at me first surprised and then he laughed.

Maybe you can do the same, after lifetime of dyi home repair, just keep in mind,

if it’s trim, remember to angle the screw or nail so that the trim tightens the joint, especially if it’s a mitered joint.

secondly, I may have a life time of part time diy carpentry and cabinet builder, I’m no carpenter or cabinet maker.

I currently have at the top of my list a little bit of sawdust and glue inserted with a toothpick. I don't want to "fill" it and need to drill it. It would be nice to retain enough of the hole to assure similar alignment, but add enough material to create tight compression.

Thanks for the response.

Cropping, reducing resolution and trying again on a Windows box seems to have worked. On my Linux box I failed the "Are You Human?" test.

Cabinet door is 35" x 12" and has two hinges. This is the top hinge. The screw goes into the trim strip of the stationary cabinet. The screws in the door seem to all be holding well.

I can't say for sure, but the trim strip seems to be solid wood. The cabinet is plywood. I haven't seen the plys for several years. When they were installed I was impressed. My faint recollection is that there may have been about 10 plys.

I need to do that on an old swivel desk chair, but there is no flat surface to keep the drill perpendicular to the chair leg with a drill press. Holding by hand may not be good enough.

Just use a square from the floor while holding the piece in proper orientation, mark the piece with a pencil, center the drill on that axis...

You might have to build a jig to hold the piece, or just use a wood vise...the secret to drilling a straight hole by hand is a pilot hole first....or just buy a jig for purpose...

https://www.woodshopdiaries.com/how-to-use-a-dowel-jig/

Unsteady hands ...use a guide with your jig..

Insulating tape can be used as a vice, either if there is no vice available, or, in configurations/positions where a vice can't be used.

I too have had very good luck with glue coated toothpicks. When the glue soaks into the surrounding wood, the screw holds better than the original. Matchsticks tend to be a softer wood than most toothpicks. Being an (anal) engineer, I use a sharp razor blade to trim off the protruding ends of the tooth picks, but breaking them off works just as well too.

Use a bamboo toothpick on each side of the screw as you insert it. Coat the toothpicks and hole with glue. Insert the small end of the toothpicks just barely into the hole ,and then put the the screw between the toothpicks and apply pressure and screw the screw into the hole.

The screw should pull the toothpicks into the hole, if not, insert them a little deeper before inserting the screw.

When you get close to full depth, cut off the toothpicks and finish screwing it in.

Bamboo is very hard and tough. I have used it before with great results. Better than new.

For some unknown reason I thought toothpicks were birch. I just did a Google search and found that bamboo toothpicks are common. I don't know why, but I find that interesting.

I recently had the same problem. I used epoxy, which was Solar's first suggestion.

Over here "Poundland" (like a dollar store) sells really good epoxy, and, other good glue stuff like "fantastic elastic", grab adhesive, decorators caulk, wood adhesive and silicone sealant. The other DIY places must be making a fortune on those things.

Thank you to all.

With SolarEagle's "plug and redrill" the glue would be allowed to dry. That is obviously the best way to do it, but seven feet off the floor in a very awkward position makes me a bit uncomfortable.

With the various toothpick suggestions, does everyone insert the screw with the glue still wet?

SolarEagle's method is "best", but being in an awkward position creates a significant problem for me.

This "wax" suggestion sounds like the missing piece of the puzzle that I was looking for. I can put the screw in with the glue still wet and retain the ability to tighten it or rework it later. I probably won't need to tighten it later, but from experience I know that rework is sometimes required.

A couple of years ago I picked up some Murray's beeswax at WalMart. It is very soft and can be applied to hardware like toothpaste. I have used it for hurricane shutter hardware. It is very easy to use, but is soft enough to collect dirt and make a mess. For the threads of wood screws this will be much easier to apply and thin out than a block of beeswax. Being in a jar it is easy to seal up and save for my next application.

Thank you.

Yes, insert the screw before the glue dries. I included the instruction: "Now, go away and don't mess with it until the glue dries."

From one Ohio guy to another Ohio guy, I hope you understand how difficult that "don't mess with it until it is dry" instruction is.

Yes, while the glue is still wet.

..." but seven feet off the floor in a very awkward position makes me a bit uncomfortable."...

So I'm guessing drywall stilts are out of the question...?

I use one of these...

I have one of these I use all the time....very light and handy...

I have both of these and more. It is hard to explain. The lower cabinets and counter top stick out from the wall farther than the upper cabinets. Thus, I am not able to get under where I need to work. I probably could walk on the counter top, but it is expensive granite and I'm rather heavy. Cracking the granite would be a very bad day.

The upper set of cabinets with this issue are the ones closest to the side wall and this hinge is on the door opening toward the wall. Thus, "getting in front of the screw" is blocked by the wall.

The top of the cabinets have crown molding. It looks very nice, but it is a bunch of professionally installed wood that is held in place by small brad nails. It provides essentially no strength and would be easy to rip off. I could easily fall and I would never be able to repair if it I screw it up. Thus, I can't grab onto the top of the cabinets, even for balance.

I have bad balance and a bad back, so this just isn't a task well suited for me. There is no way for me to know for sure, but I suspect that the professional installer also found this screw to be in a very awkward position. That might be why this is the only screw that is failing.

Thank you for all your suggestions.

Is it possible to remove the door to get access to the screw?Some cabinet hinges have an easy-release latch on them. Takes about 2 seconds to detach and reattach them.

Here is a link and video to one brand but there are many variations.

https://directcabinets.com/blogs/for-the-trade/kemper-quick-release-hinges

There is an "offset" screwdriver that would help with the screw, but would do nothing for the stripped wood!

"Cracking the granite would be a very bad day."

Put a folded blanket on top of the granite, then a piece of flat wood on the blanket to distribute your weight more evenly. Obviously the actual geometry will determine the best strategy/risk assessment.

Want a permanent fix?

Loosen the screw hinges and squeeze a little bit of Liquid Nails between the hinge and the trim. Clamp it or prop it in place to hold it till it dries. No screws even be needed after it dries. Put a little of the adhesive on your screw after propping it in place. No need to super-tighten the screw, just as snug as it will go till it slips..then stop. If you wish, use a slightly longer screw in the hole. Screws are available in 1/16 Inch inch increments. Use a dowel cut to slightly over length to put between the left side trim and the right side trim to force the hinge tight to the trim. This is a permanent fix, and will be difficult to remove later, but it can be done carefully if needed..