Cabinet Door Hinge Problem
#1
02-24-23, 10:28 AM
Cabinet Door Hinge Problem
Had the kitchen cabinets doors replaced but one of the doors hinge (concealed euro type) under the sink has always been loose and now its worst. The cabinet under the sink is dry and in very good condition, just that hinge, the part which attaches to the cabinet wall, has always been loose and when it was removed to install the new door became worst.
The core of most cabinets in North America is made with chipboard (particle board?) which is a good material for the purpose but using screws on it it’s a one shot deal, if you remove the original screw it will never hold well.
Removing the cabinet under the sink is out of question but I was thinking if I fill the area where the hinge is attached with some kind of a wood glue or something similar, let it dry well and then screw back the hinge it may hold better?
Any ideas?
The core of most cabinets in North America is made with chipboard (particle board?) which is a good material for the purpose but using screws on it it’s a one shot deal, if you remove the original screw it will never hold well.
Removing the cabinet under the sink is out of question but I was thinking if I fill the area where the hinge is attached with some kind of a wood glue or something similar, let it dry well and then screw back the hinge it may hold better?
Any ideas?
#2
02-24-23, 11:06 AM
Group Moderator
Your best bet is probably to drill the holes out larger, glue in short wood dowels, and then attach attach your screws to that. The dowel will have a larger area for wood glue. For that sort of repair I would dip the dowel in water and put a generous coating of Gorilla polyurethane glue in the hole before driving the wet dowel in. After it's dry, trim it flush, sand if needed.
kolias
voted this post useful.
#3
02-24-23, 11:52 AM
Group Moderator
XSleeper's method is the best, but is a bit time consuming waiting for glue to dry. I have also had luck with thin cyanoacrylate glue (CA / Super Glue). I soak the particle board in the area with the glue and let it harden. The thin glue soak in deeply and quickly (if it can) and hardens quickly so there's little waiting for glue to dry.
If the hole is stripped I still do the initial soaking with thin CA to put some strength in the area. Then I squirt thick/jell CA onto a scrap of cardboard and quickly mix in coarse sawdust or the bits of crumbling particle board. Then quickly pack it into the hole. The thick CA cures more slowly than the thin but you don't have much time so move quickly. If you only have thin CA you can squirt a little into the hole and pack in sawdust. You might have to repeat to fill the hole but it works well. Then after the hole is filled drill a pilot hole for the screw because the CA is pretty hard and can make starting a screw difficult.
Always check to make sure the CA has fully hardened before running in your screw. If it hasn't the screw can go in easy enough but it might never come out again.
Also, if you've never worked much with CA keep your face away from the gluing area and don't be above the area being glued. If your gluing a material that causes the CA to kick quickly it will produce a noxious, annoying smoke that really burns your eyes. Some people develop an allergy to the smoke and have even worse reaction.
If you get CA on your fingers or tools you can soften and remove it with acetone (finger nail polish remover).
If the hole is stripped I still do the initial soaking with thin CA to put some strength in the area. Then I squirt thick/jell CA onto a scrap of cardboard and quickly mix in coarse sawdust or the bits of crumbling particle board. Then quickly pack it into the hole. The thick CA cures more slowly than the thin but you don't have much time so move quickly. If you only have thin CA you can squirt a little into the hole and pack in sawdust. You might have to repeat to fill the hole but it works well. Then after the hole is filled drill a pilot hole for the screw because the CA is pretty hard and can make starting a screw difficult.
Always check to make sure the CA has fully hardened before running in your screw. If it hasn't the screw can go in easy enough but it might never come out again.
Also, if you've never worked much with CA keep your face away from the gluing area and don't be above the area being glued. If your gluing a material that causes the CA to kick quickly it will produce a noxious, annoying smoke that really burns your eyes. Some people develop an allergy to the smoke and have even worse reaction.
If you get CA on your fingers or tools you can soften and remove it with acetone (finger nail polish remover).
kolias
voted this post useful.
#5
02-24-23, 03:03 PM
Group Moderator
#6
02-24-23, 04:17 PM
I have various size of this type of dowels but would the dowel split when I drill a pilot hole and then enlarge suitable for the screw?
I was thinking to chisel out carefully an area where the hinge will sit, perhaps 1/2" more and glue a pc of 1/2" thick plywood.
I will try first to see if the dowel split, I think it will not because they should be made out of hardwood.
I was thinking to chisel out carefully an area where the hinge will sit, perhaps 1/2" more and glue a pc of 1/2" thick plywood.
I will try first to see if the dowel split, I think it will not because they should be made out of hardwood.
#7
02-24-23, 04:18 PM
Group Moderator
If you drill the correct sized pilot hole for your screw it won't split. Not too big, not too small.
If the hole you drill for the dowel in the particle board is sloppy, it might be more likely the dowel would split. Part of the reason to use the polyurethane Gorilla glue is that it expands to fill any voids around the dowel.
If the hole you drill for the dowel in the particle board is sloppy, it might be more likely the dowel would split. Part of the reason to use the polyurethane Gorilla glue is that it expands to fill any voids around the dowel.
#8
02-25-23, 06:05 AM
Group Moderator
Gorilla Glue is perfect for jobs like this if the hole is wallowed out or odd shaped. If you use it follow XSleeper's recommendation about the water as the glue needs water/moisture to cure. If done dry it will eventually cure but if you wet the surfaces first it reliably cures faster. It will foam and expand as it cures. Because of the foamy expansion there is often glue that oozes out of the joint. You can wipe the excess off while it's still soft/wet or wait until it fully cures and you can break or cut it off.
