10 September 2010

PIY Pointers: Got a screw loose?

Good morning all!  Every pick up a piece of perfectly awesome used furniture you'd love to paint - only to find a wobbly leg?  Don't throw it into the junkpile just yet, it may just be a case of having a screw loose!  J taught me this fantastic trick and it's revived a few pieces fro me.

First of all, check to make sure that's the problem.  Using a screwdriver, attempt to tighten the offending screw.  If it just keeps turning and never seems to tighten, unscrew the leg and try placing the screw into the hole.  Too big?  It's been stripped down to no man's land.  But not to worry, with some golfing savvy you can save this piece of furniture.



Golf you ask?  What the heck does that have to do with trying to fix and paint a piece of furniture? 

Well that very big and very important tool you'll need?  It's a golf tee!  Wooden of course.  Plus some heavy duty Carpenter's Glue, a hand saw and an electric drill.



Start by filling your screw hole with Carpenter's Glue. 


Then Insert your tee into the hole, pointy side first (this is a highly technical tutorial with highly technical lingo!).  Wipe off any excess glue.


Now you need to call on patience.  Allow the glue to dry completely, I like to let it sit overnight to make it extra sturdy.


Using a handsaw, slowly saw off the tip of the golf tee so that the inserted part is flush with the wood.



Now you have a solid wood leg again!  Pre-drill a small hole into the golf tee to ensure that when you put the screw back in it hits the exact right spot.


Now you are free to use your manual screwdriver or power drill to screw it back into it's original position and tighten it into a solid wood entry point.



Ta da! Now you have a super solid piece of furniture that's just waiting for you to put your magic painting touch onto it!

Well, another week gone by and it's time for the weekend!  I'll be alternating between painting furniture and relaxing.  What will you be up to my friends?

6 comments:

  1. That is such a cool post!!!!
    I am going to save this post:)
    Wish you a wonderful weekend,sweetie
    I cant wait for the weekend...I am ready to relax:)

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  2. I never would have thought to use a golf tee. What a great idea!

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  3. That's a great idea! Probably much better than what I do which is stick a couple toothpicks into the hole which closes it up for the screw. Whoa, that sounded kinda dirty!

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  4. mine will be spent studying, working, writing, cleaning, and finishing up dexter season four. oh, and sleeping when i get the chance.

    :)

    have a lovely day!

    xo Alison

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  5. toothpicks also work wonders. i have used these on screw holes for hinges on old armoires, and it worked like a charm! i put glue in the hole, then kept piling in the toothpics til i couldn't fit anymore. as i put each in i broke it off at the opening so there was hardly any excess, and then i sanded off the excess. i was amazed at how well it worked.... my dad taught me that!

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  6. That is a very handy tip. We have an air register in our hallway that falls down constantly because it was only screwed in to the wall and no studs. We put a babygate there to keep the kids out of the back of the house but everytime we take it down the air register falls. Maybe this would help it actually stay up!

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Thanks so much for stopping by, I love reading all your comments! If you have a specific question, please email me at lhume1@mts.net. XO Lenore