PARTICLE BOARD

JIM · 07-10-2002, 08:10 AM

Need to replace some hinges on my particle board cupboars...i'm affraid that the boards won't hold up when i replace the screws...should i use bigger screws?,change location of hinges etc.? replacing cupboars are not an option now.Need advice asap,doors won't stay shut.

**Limey** · 07-10-2002, 08:57 AM

The way I've done it is to dowel the holes with plenty of yellow glue to soak in and harden the surrounding area being very careful to centre the dowel hole on the existing screw hole.
When all is dry and hard I cut the dowels flush..try and use the serrated hard "beech" type and then mark your new centres in the end grain of the dowel... If you want to be 100% certain of succes...a second bite is not a good option....Drill a pilot hole for the existing size screw...usually a European size 8 which I believe is the same over here.
The dowel is usually fairly small in diameter as the holes are somewhat close together and you do not want the dowel to split when screwing in the new screw.
Soap or candle wax on the thread of the new screw will also help it take without putting to much strain on the dowel...remember it is only glued into an area of particle board which hasn't got much strength.
It sounds as if you have caught it before the screw has ripped out making it harder to find the exact center so it will be a lot easier to accomplish this fix with this method if you do it now.

Hope this helps ..but hang in there a while someone else may be able to offer a simpler solution...I do know this works I had to do it on a complete kitchen when I bought an old house that someone had tarted up to sell with cheapo units!!!

Cheers Limey

**Limey** · 07-10-2002, 12:11 PM

I forgot to add,
Try and get particle board woodscrews,they have a coarser thread..even though you will be screwing them into solid wood, don't know if they are still available or what they are called over here but the Brand name,from memory, was "twinfast" from GKN. They were double spiralled and each thread had the depth and sharpness rather like a wall board screw thread.
Might be worth doing a Google search of fastner specialists to see if anything currently offered matches these properties.

Limey

**woodchuck1954** · 07-10-2002, 02:52 PM

There are special hinges available that are made specifically for particle board. They sandwich the particle board on two sides instead of just one. If you buy those,you could use bolts and nuts instead of screws. Then there is no worry of breaking the particle board. I worked on cabinets in an apartment complex,that had them. They were 25 years old and still are working fine.