In this period of lockdown, there are chances that you may not get qualified carpenter to mend your furniture, but with basic tool kit, you can repair your own furniture with minimal effort.
Toolkit to get you started
Fortunately, certain things will help you with furniture repair.
1 Hide Glue
It is one of the most important tools that you require. The type of glue that you select can help to fix or break the furniture. Adhesive Glue is the best glue to fix the furniture. The best part of this glue is it sticks when applied directly and it makes reparability easy and successful. Then there is modern synthetic glue available in the market that promises to fix everything, but it fails. Another benefit of hide glue is its strength. You can easily buy them in hardware stores.
2 Glue Brush
As hide glue is water-based, you can use any brush from the stationery store to spread the glue.
3 Epoxy Syringe
This is required if you want to apply a small amount of glue directly to the joint and let it seep. Small medical syringes are ideal for it.
4 Grit sandpaper
The sandpaper is used to clean the glue residue that is left. It is important to remove excess glue from the wood joints. This clean- up helps in easy assembling of the furniture.
DIY Furniture Repair Tips
1 How to fix loose rungs of the chair?
After years of being used, the joints of the chair can become loose. The first thing you will notice is rungs coming out from the chair. This also happens when the furniture is not constructed solidly. Those loose rungs need to be glued back. Use sand paper to remove excess glue. Then use a syringe to insert the glue into the leg of the chair. Then insert the rung and wait till the glue dries.
2 How to fix wobbly chair?
If gluing loose rungs and tightening of the hardware doesn’t work, then add braces. These braces must be available in your home. Ensure that it should match with the look of the chair. Add brace when leg and seat meet. You may have to bend the chair a little. Ensure that you drill holes before inserting the screws. It will keep wood intact.
3 How to fix a chair whose pieces are coming apart?
If furniture parts start to come apart from the seams where two pieces of wood furniture are joined together, the best solution is to add braces, which are easily available. This eliminates the need of having screws through the seam and ensures that the gap is closed. You can add a brace at a location where it is not visible like the back of the chair.
4 How to fix loose legs of the chair?
This happens when people drag furniture items instead of carrying it or picking to move, if they put a lot of pressure on the table legs, it may wear off. This is unnerving. Some people exaggerate the problem by adding several screws on the furniture legs to fix it. This causes more problems. Instead, it is better to fix the legs of the furniture using strong glue and place clamps firmly at its place. You can also use fasteners. You have to drill pilot holes inside the wood and then add two screws at least two inches in width and fill the holes with wood filler, sand the area and apply the finish.
5 How to fix dresser drawers?
Dresser drawers are constructed from thin lumber and there are chances that dove tail corners may come apart. People put nails to fix it, thinking that it will work. But it doesn’t work. The wood is too thin and pinning it can add cracks to the wood making it difficult for the joints to combine. Also, the nails may exude outside the wood at an angle and then poke from the drawer to scare you. The best remedy is to remove the nails from the corner. Gently drift away from the corner and sand of the old glue and apply wood glue, reassemble the corner and let it dry.
6 How to fix an uneven table?
When one leg of the table is short than others, then the furniture will become a little clumsy and uneven, luckily this problem can be solved. Fasten the nails on the glide to the end of the legs, The glide is cushion attaches to the nail. They will firm the nail and add a new level to the table. Measure the gap between short leg and the floor, drill the holes, insert the glide in three non-problematic legs. Use washers for the last leg to accurately measure the thickness and then insert the glide.
7 How to fix wooden scratches?
Instead of using wood markers or fillers to fill in the scratches, it is better to make a paste of finishing wax that is easily available at the hardware store. You can use clear wax that is similar to the wooden furniture. In this way, you can buff scratches and make the surface smooth without thinking about color matching.
8 How to fix deep scratches?
Sometimes deep scratches come on the surface that is difficult to buff out. There may not be an easy solution for it. The best solution is to refinish the fixture. It includes stripping off and sanding the surface and then applying a new finish. It consumes time, but you will end up with quality furniture.
Conclusion
These are simple furniture hacks and tricks that you can try out in this period of lockdown. In the next article, we will discuss how to refinish old furniture to make it look new.
