Work out why it moved
Assembled furniture rarely fails without a reason. Before reaching for a screwdriver, find out what has actually changed. Common causes are:
- Fasteners that have worked loose through ordinary use or after moving the piece.
- Stripped or enlarged holes, particularly in softer boards.
- A shelf carrying more than it can bear over a long span.
- Moisture that has swollen or softened board edges.
- An uneven floor that twists the frame.
- A missing, misaligned or unfixed back panel, which often provides much of a cabinet’s rigidity.
- Parts assembled in the wrong order or with the wrong fittings.
Some of these have simple fixes. Others are signs that a piece should be replaced, and it is better to be honest about which is which, especially for tall units that could fall.
Follow the maker’s instructions and use the correct parts. If the piece is under warranty, check the furniture warranty terms before repairing it yourself, since some repairs affect coverage.
Tools and preparation
Most repairs need only a few basics: the correct size screwdriver or hex key, a level, a soft mallet, wood glue, and some clamps or tape. If you have the original hardware, use it. Our notes on assembly tools list the basics. Empty the unit first and, for tall pieces, lay it down or get a second person to hold it.
Tightening loose fasteners
The first and simplest step is to check every screw, bolt, cam lock and connector.
- Tighten gradually and evenly, working around the piece. Do not over-tighten, which can strip threads or crush the board.
- With cam fittings, make sure the cam is turned fully and the bolt has seated correctly in the hole.
- Check that dowels are in place and not sheared.
- Look at furniture connectors that join modules to each other; a loose link can make a whole run feel unstable.
Many wobbles disappear at this stage. Make a habit of rechecking after the first few weeks of use, since new furniture tends to settle.
Repairing stripped holes
When a screw spins without gripping, the hole has usually worn out, which is common in particleboard and similar engineered wood. Typical options include:
- Using a slightly longer or thicker screw, if the maker’s hardware allows and the board is deep enough.
- Filling the hole with glued wooden toothpicks or a thin dowel, letting the glue dry, trimming flush and redrilling a pilot hole.
- Applying a wood filler or an epoxy product intended for the purpose.
- Moving the fixing to a nearby sound area, if the design allows.
Let adhesives cure fully before loading the joint. If the board itself is crumbling, repairs are unlikely to last.
Fixing wobble in a frame
A rocking cabinet or bookcase can come from the frame, the floor or both.
- Check it sits level and adjust feet or levelers if it has them.
- Add thin shims or felt under a short leg, a stopgap rather than a fix.
- Make sure the back panel is fitted square and nailed or screwed as instructed. If it was misaligned, adjust it before tightening.
- If the frame is racking, measure the diagonals of the frame. Equal diagonals suggest the frame is square.
- Where the design allows, add a brace or corner bracket recommended for that piece.
Tall pieces should also be fixed to the wall, because a wobbly tall unit is a tipping risk. Wall anchors suit different walls differently, and the article on tip-over prevention explains the thinking.
Sagging shelves and panels
Shelves bend under constant load, and some boards are more prone to it than others, especially long spans of thin material. The weight limits for your particular shelf are worth checking first, since sagging often shows that it has been loaded beyond them.
Possible approaches:
- Reduce or redistribute the load, moving dense items such as books to lower shelves.
- Flip the shelf, if it is symmetrical, so that the bow works against the load. This may slow but does not remove the effect.
- Add a center support, a vertical divider or a rail under the shelf.
- Add a strip of wood or a metal angle along the front or back edge to stiffen it.
- Replace the shelf with a thicker or better-suited board cut to size.
A permanently bowed board seldom straightens, so supporting or replacing it is usually more realistic than trying to flatten it. Moisture damage is a particular problem, as swelling does not reverse and the material loses strength.
Drawers, doors and hardware
If drawers stick or hang crookedly, look at the runners and the drawer box. Loose screws holding drawer slides are common, and re-aligning them can restore smooth action. Doors that no longer close well often need their hinge screws tightened or the hinge adjusted using the built-in adjustment screws. Be cautious with lubricants; use only a type suited to the part and wipe away excess.
Worn glue joints and old furniture
Older furniture with glued joints may come apart when the glue dries out. Cleaning off old glue, applying fresh wood glue and clamping until it sets is a common repair, but it is delicate work. For valuable or sentimental pieces, a restorer is a safer choice.
When to replace instead
Some conditions are not worth repairing:
- Cracked or split structural parts.
- Boards that have been wet and have crumbled or swollen badly.
- Repeated failure after repairs.
- Any unit that remains unstable once repaired, especially if children or pets live in the home.
Replacing a single module or panel is often possible in modular systems, which is one advantage of buying from a range that stays available. Check compatibility before ordering anything.
A little maintenance and sensible loading prevent most of these problems. Repairs should return a piece to safe use, not just make it look right, and if you are unsure whether a fix is safe, treat the piece as unsafe until proven otherwise.