Houseworks: How to fix stripped wood screws 

Toothpicks and glue offer a fast and effective way to get stripped wood screws to tighten again. One, two or three toothpicks typically do the job.  Photo by Steve Maxwell 

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Every life has many things held together with wood screws, and in high-stress situations a screw can lose its grip and refuse to tighten. Door hinges are especially prone to this because of the weight they carry but the same problem can happen with handles, knobs, strike plates and anything that uses screws. 

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The cause is simple: the hole has become too large for the screw threads to grip. This can happen gradually as hardware moves under strain, but over-tightening will also crush and loosen wood fibres that should hold the threads. 

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Thankfully, the repair is surprisingly strong and easy. If you can’t use a screw that’s larger in diameter or sufficiently longer to grip into deeper wood, add more wood to the damaged hole so the screw has something solid to bite into again. 

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Toothpicks for more than teeth 

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My preferred material for this is round hardwood toothpicks. Flat toothpicks do work, but round ones offer more wood, are often harder and generally produce a better repair. 

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Remove the loose screw and move the hardware aside if necessary. For a single stripped door hinge screw I usually leave the hinge in place. Put a little ordinary wood glue into the stripped hole, using a toothpick to work it inside, then apply more glue to the outside of the toothpick. 

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Push one round toothpick into the hole as far as it will go, then break it off flush with the surface. If another toothpick slides in easily, add it too. You may fit two or three. 

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Don’t force more toothpicks into the opening than will comfortably fit. If another toothpick won’t enter with minimal effort, you’ve probably filled the hole sufficiently. 

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Whenever possible, let the glue dry for 12 hours before reinstalling the screw. At this stage the hole should look completely plugged, but there is no need to drill a pilot hole. The screw will push between the toothpicks and compress the added wood as it goes in, creating a firm grip. 

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his cross-section shows how wooden toothpicks and glue offer additional threads for wood screws to grip and tighten in over-sized holes. Photo by Steve Maxwell 

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Re-install the screw 

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Drive the screw slowly and stop as soon as the hardware is snug. Continuing after the screw is tight can damage the new wood fibres and recreate the problem. 

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When repairing a door hinge, tackle the screws one at a time  if the remaining fasteners are strong enough to hold the door safely. Repair one loose screw, let the glue cure, then reinstall the screw before moving to the next. This avoids taking the whole hinge off and having to support or realign a heavy door. 

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This is also a good time to consider replacing the original screws. Screws supplied with hinges and other hardware often have Phillips heads, which aren’t the easiest to drive cleanly. A Robertson or Torx screw is easier to control because the driver bit stays firmly engaged. 

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Factory-supplied hinge screws are often too short for best strength. A longer replacement can reach deeper, undamaged wood and provide much better holding power. 

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I built the exterior doors for my house, and each weighs 120 pounds. There are three hinges on each door, but the hinges came with screws only about three-quarters of an inch long – not long enough to last. That’s why I installed 2½-inch Robertson deck screws so they could reach deeply into solid wood. Had I relied on the short factory screws, I’m certain they’d have loosened over time.