How to fix stripped threads on wooded door hinge?

Soldato
Joined
12 Apr 2007
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12,602
So i just noticed the bottom hinge on my bathroom door, all the screws are loose, any thread in the wood is gone as the screws just spin freely and don't tighten.... the hinge is attached to the frame fine, its just the screw holes on the door itself..

Could I just pump some wood filler into the holes?
 
As above wooden dowels is the best way, but failing that you can use any sort of wood to pack it out (match sticks, skewers etc)

Failing that cotton wool + superglue
 
Ahh thanks... I dont think I have any dowels but I do have a few boxes of matches..that could work i think.. do you use any filler or adhesive, or just pack 'em in as tight as poss, and screwing the screws will tighten the whole thing up?
 
Cool.. Yes I've got some wood glue... Not used it for a while so the nozzel has probably welded itself shut... But that sounds like a plan.
 
I always keep a box of extra long matches around for just this purpose, just stick em in the hole, snap them off flush, job done.
 
Might be worth first just trying a thicker and/or longer screw first. Most hinges come with little 3.5 x 30mm screws. Could try a 5 x 40mm (look at hinge-tite screws on Screwfix), be careful of wires/pipes. If that fails (it shouldn’t), can then go for dowels/matchsticks.
 
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Stuffing wood in is in effect creating a friction plug, ie the resistance of the wood and the screw means it cannot pull out.
So its functioning much like a wallplug. Pre plastic they would stuff wood (dowel or just slivers) into masonry as well.

Most of the time a good squirt of PVA, leave it to set and that will be more than good enough to harden up the surface of the wood the screw pulled out of.
PVA sinks in so it becomes a better hold than friction
 
Thanks all.. yeah I'm thinking currently matchsticks dipped in PVA/wood glue (as I already have that to hand) packed in the holes as good as I can, and before its fully dry, screw the screws in which should in theory pack it tighter given the girth of the screws?

It's not a critical issue, that hinge has probably been like that for several years (I've only lived here 2 years) but I'd rather strengthen it a bit.
 
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