How to fix stripped/loose screw holes in MDF cabinets?

emig5m

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How to fix stripped/loose screw holes in MDF cabinets?

What can be used to fill in screw holes in standard MDF arcade cabinets to be re-drilled and re-threaded?
 
fill the hole with wood glue. Spray the screw with WD-40 and shake off the excess. Really shake it. But don't wipe it off. put the screw in the hole and wait for the glue to dry. It will be *really* tight by the way. But it makes pretty strong threads in the process.

Try it on a couple of test pieces to get the hang of it before you do any important pieces.

It's better if you mix sawdust into the glue before filling the hole. Especially for larger holes.
 
fill the hole with wood glue. Spray the screw with WD-40 and shake off the excess. Really shake it. But don't wipe it off. put the screw in the hole and wait for the glue to dry. It will be *really* tight by the way. But it makes pretty strong threads in the process.

Try it on a couple of test pieces to get the hang of it before you do any important pieces.

It's better if you mix sawdust into the glue before filling the hole. Especially for larger holes.

I've done this also, But I used wax on the screw instead of WD40. It takes some practice, but it does work.
 
Same fix as a stripped hole in a piece of wood. Put some wood glue on a bamboo toothpick/small skewer, stick it in the hole, cut the excess off with your clippers and install the screw. Easy-peasy.
 
i use the hardwood dowels from local big box, trim to fit most any diameter hole with box cutter glue in place with titebond, works much better than bamboo is same idea tho
 
i use the hardwood dowels from local big box, trim to fit most any diameter hole with box cutter glue in place with titebond, works much better than bamboo is same idea tho

Yep, if you have a piece of say 1/4" dowel, then drill the MDF out with a 1/4" bit, careful not to pop through the panel. Cut a plug of the 1/4" dowel off, glue into hole, drill pilot hole, and it will be stronger than it originally was.
 
You guys are making it harder than need be. The reason I said a toothpick is because you only want to put enough material in the hole to replace the stripped threads in the screw hole. Bamboo because it's a long fiber and less likely to split than the short fibers of a small wood plug. Coring the whole area and putting in a 1/4" plug takes time.
This method fixes a stripped hole in less than a second.
 
I've watched a lot of This Old House in my life time. Tom Silva always takes a golf tee, puts some wood glue on it, taps it in, and when it's try he cuts it flush with the surface. EXCEPT, I don't know if this would work on the MDF. I'd worry that the screw would try to go next to the tee instead of through it and then split your MDF -- which is the big problem with that stuff.
 
Exactly! That's the point of only using a toothpick. You want just enough material in the preexisting hole to replace the missing MDF at the threads, but not so much that you displace the volume of the screw itself. The problem with MDF is that it doesn't compress like wood does. It will blow out unless you're careful with it.
 
Are you guys ready for the cringe? I couldn't figure out which way I wanted to go so I just completely filled the holes with tooth pics and wood glue, lol...

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It appears the threads got wiped out because someone had put screws in it to where the threads didn't go all the way to the head (screw on the left) so I replaced them with screws to where the threads go all the way to the head (screw on the right).

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Nice tight fit now!

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As big as the holes where I'm almost wondering if the original screws where fine thread with bolts on the other side? Because just a couple tooth pics or wood glue + saw dust I don't think was going to work here. I didn't want to use dowels because I didn't want to drill the holes any bigger. But it holds tight now that's all that counts.
 
Lowe's sells epoxy in a sirenge type applicator. Tape over the hole on one side and insert the epoxy on the other. Once it's cured, use a drill to tap a new hole for the screw. I recommend practicing on some scrap first, because it takes some finesse to not over use the epoxy...

A pan screw and washer/bolt combo also seems like a good replacement as well to avoid epoxy filling the stripped threads altogether...
 
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Depending on the size of the hole, sometimes I take a cotton ball and soak it in wood glue, then stuff it in the hole and let it dry.
 
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