Repair damaged manufactured wood that a door hinge has been ripped from
April 11, 2023 6:57 AM Subscribe
A cabinet door and the hinge broke off from the manufactured wood bultin cabinet (picture here). How would you repair it?
My thought was clean out the broken manufactured wood from the hole and fill it with a good structural wood putty, let it set, sand it down, paint it to create a surface smooth enough to redrill and mount the hinge Not sure if that approach would work, and maybe I need to add a thin fiberglass patch over the top to help join the putty to the surrounding wood? The door itself is light and its not a cabinet that frequently gets opened.
The hole doesn't go all the way through (looks fine from the other side), and I am ok with it being ugly on the inside as long as the door still works.
Eight year old decided to swing on the door….
My thought was clean out the broken manufactured wood from the hole and fill it with a good structural wood putty, let it set, sand it down, paint it to create a surface smooth enough to redrill and mount the hinge Not sure if that approach would work, and maybe I need to add a thin fiberglass patch over the top to help join the putty to the surrounding wood? The door itself is light and its not a cabinet that frequently gets opened.
The hole doesn't go all the way through (looks fine from the other side), and I am ok with it being ugly on the inside as long as the door still works.
Eight year old decided to swing on the door….
The best way to fix it would be to remove all the broken bits, use a router or drill with large forstner bit to make the hole a regular shape and depth and glue in a piece of wood to fit.
Realistically, my first attempt would be to epoxy all the broken bits back in, fill any remaining holes with epoxy putty and then reinstall, using epoxy in the screw holes. I would not bother with sanding or painting as this would mostly be hidden behind the hinge and isn't something you'd inspect closely.
posted by ssg at 7:18 AM on April 11, 2023 [5 favorites]
Realistically, my first attempt would be to epoxy all the broken bits back in, fill any remaining holes with epoxy putty and then reinstall, using epoxy in the screw holes. I would not bother with sanding or painting as this would mostly be hidden behind the hinge and isn't something you'd inspect closely.
posted by ssg at 7:18 AM on April 11, 2023 [5 favorites]
If you have a router, another option would be to drill out another hole for the hinge in the door, lower down, so that you could mount the door two rungs lower on the cabinet.
posted by Dashy at 7:19 AM on April 11, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by Dashy at 7:19 AM on April 11, 2023 [2 favorites]
I'd suggest getting as much wood glue (e.g., Titebond) as you can on to every single piece. You want something that's more cohesive than adhesive. Really wet everything down and put extra in the hole. Then piece it back together and clamp it tightly until it cures (wipe off the squeeze-out). After that you can re-drill the holes and re-mount the hinge. It may be stronger than it was before.
posted by slkinsey at 7:21 AM on April 11, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by slkinsey at 7:21 AM on April 11, 2023 [2 favorites]
I would also go the "add glue and push everything back into place then clamp the hell out of it" route that silkinsey advocates. It may be a little lumpy when it's dry but you can sand it down. Wood putty alone will not likely be strong enough.
posted by seanmpuckett at 7:49 AM on April 11, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by seanmpuckett at 7:49 AM on April 11, 2023 [2 favorites]
Best answer: They sell products for this purpose, they're called a "cabinet hinge repair plate".
You'll want to check the hole spacing before ordering anything, and then you put it over the damaged area. The plate is large enough to screw into the undamaged wood, and you get new holes to mount the hinge to.
From the photo it looks like an IKEA style hinge. They're also commonly called euro or European hinges. It should be fairly easy to find on the right size either online or locally.
You can repair the wood behind/under the plate in whatever way is easiest or looks acceptable from the other side. They strength will be from the plate.
It is far more common to damage the door side of the hinge (where the circular recess is) so that's the most common style of plate. But if you measure carefully and look around they're available for every hinge style made, for both sides.
posted by samworm at 7:57 AM on April 11, 2023 [13 favorites]
You'll want to check the hole spacing before ordering anything, and then you put it over the damaged area. The plate is large enough to screw into the undamaged wood, and you get new holes to mount the hinge to.
From the photo it looks like an IKEA style hinge. They're also commonly called euro or European hinges. It should be fairly easy to find on the right size either online or locally.
You can repair the wood behind/under the plate in whatever way is easiest or looks acceptable from the other side. They strength will be from the plate.
It is far more common to damage the door side of the hinge (where the circular recess is) so that's the most common style of plate. But if you measure carefully and look around they're available for every hinge style made, for both sides.
posted by samworm at 7:57 AM on April 11, 2023 [13 favorites]
Thank you samworm, I didn't know such a thing existed!
posted by Marky at 8:47 AM on April 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Marky at 8:47 AM on April 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
I’d guess the lower hinge area is also damaged, so if you go with the plate method suggested by samworm, you might want two, but check the lower hinge to see whether you need the door or cabinet body version, or both.
You say it doesn’t go all the way through, but it looks to me like it does go almost all the way, and that the picture shows the underside of the outer veneer in the hole. I’d be a little worried about the structural stability of the side of the cabinet at the point of closest approach ofthe hole to the edge, and as long as you’re adding plates, I think you should put a screw-down, thick as there's room for metal strip on the inner side of the cabinet right up against the edge ofthe cabinet and bridging the hole (if there’s room after attaching the plate).
posted by jamjam at 10:01 AM on April 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
You say it doesn’t go all the way through, but it looks to me like it does go almost all the way, and that the picture shows the underside of the outer veneer in the hole. I’d be a little worried about the structural stability of the side of the cabinet at the point of closest approach ofthe hole to the edge, and as long as you’re adding plates, I think you should put a screw-down, thick as there's room for metal strip on the inner side of the cabinet right up against the edge ofthe cabinet and bridging the hole (if there’s room after attaching the plate).
posted by jamjam at 10:01 AM on April 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
You could pack it all back in place and clamp it under a bit of wax paper with space to soak a vial of Krazy Glue in at the top. It'll wick into the cracks. Put some masking tape below to catch the leakage. I've used special low viscosity CA glue but fresh Krazy glue is about the same. Take the clamp off after 20 minutes and soak the screw holes too. Wait a few hours before re-installing the hinge.
I do a lot of woodworking in cherry, which is prone to cracks, shakes and voids. CA glue is just as strong as wood, so it'll be much stronger than particleboard.
posted by brachiopod at 1:45 PM on April 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
I do a lot of woodworking in cherry, which is prone to cracks, shakes and voids. CA glue is just as strong as wood, so it'll be much stronger than particleboard.
posted by brachiopod at 1:45 PM on April 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Thanks all! very helpful. I'm going to measure the hinge and try and get some of those plates above and see if I can find a match, then try a repair. Much obliged to everyone!
(leaving question open for the moment - I may post a picture of the repair of its half decent for completeness sake)
posted by inflatablekiwi at 6:06 PM on April 11, 2023
(leaving question open for the moment - I may post a picture of the repair of its half decent for completeness sake)
posted by inflatablekiwi at 6:06 PM on April 11, 2023
Wood glue and toothpicks is the only other solution missing here. Slather toothpicks in wood glue, jam as many in the hole as you can (realistically, this works if it's still a hole and not a divot with pulled out material all around), wait 24 hours and add your fittings.
I haven't used this in particleboard, but it's saved my bacon with full sized door locks and hinges in the past. The door hasn't fallen off yet.
I don't think it's as good as the repair plates, but it's a more convenient thing to keep in your toolbox.
posted by How much is that froggie in the window at 8:39 PM on April 11, 2023
I haven't used this in particleboard, but it's saved my bacon with full sized door locks and hinges in the past. The door hasn't fallen off yet.
I don't think it's as good as the repair plates, but it's a more convenient thing to keep in your toolbox.
posted by How much is that froggie in the window at 8:39 PM on April 11, 2023
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What I would do is clean out the hole with a router using a template and guide bushing to make a regular hole, then cut a piece of hardwood to fill the hole and glue and clamp it in place.
posted by plinth at 7:16 AM on April 11, 2023 [6 favorites]