How to Fix a Stripped Wood Screw Hole

Have you ever tried to tighten a screw in a hinge or door lock only to find the screw will not tighten. The reason for this problem is a stripped screw hole. Some time in the past someone has over tightened the screw causing it to strip the threads in the wood.

Cheer up, this can be fixed in a hurry with little effort on your part. There are any number of plastic bushings on the marker that are supposed to work. It has been my experience that most of them don’t.

So to save money and a trip to the store do the following. If the screw hole is small you can fix it by inserting a toothpick in the hole and breaking it off even with the surface. When you put the screw back in the hole with the toothpick in it the screw will make new threads and tighten up. For bigger jobs you will need a bigger piece of repair material, such as a piece of wood dowel. When using larger pieces of wood for repairs you will need to use either a knife or a small saw to cut off the extra length to flush it with the surface.

For a better fix you can add wood glue to the inserted piece of wood and wait for the glue to set up. This is a better way and will last longer. Elmer’s glue or any other glue of a similar type will work.