# Stripped hinge plate screw holes in face frames



## tooold (Apr 22, 2008)

I finished my first kitchen build a few months ago (photos here). Everything works pretty well, drawers slide in and out, doors open and close, although I wish they were squarer. I have a second kitchen to do now, so next time!

I have a problem, though, with the mounting screws for the Blum door hinge plates stripping out on the face frames. I used poplar for my face frames, which I won't be doing again, as it's simply too soft. I was intimidated about using oak on my first project, but I'll be using it on the second - in addition to the hinge problem, the face frames are denting really easily. Anyway, with repeated opening and closing of the doors, the holes are getting enlarged - there's a lot of leverage on the two small mounting screws due to the hinge design.










I've been re-tightening screws since a couple of weeks after I finished, and now the first hinge has completely come off. Others are sure to follow, I'm afraid.

So - what to do? I can go up a screw size, but the same thing will happen again, eventually. Do I go up a size, and fill the hole with epoxy when I put it in? Do I drill the hole out and put a dowel in?

I'm sure there's a standard procedure for this, but I sure don't know what it is. Any help would be very much appreciated!

Thanks,

Myles


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## DAWG (Oct 23, 2009)

Are you using the right screws; my bathroom and laundry room were made with poplar six years ago and I haven't had this problem at all. I've also made about seven or eight other cabinets and furniture pieces and they're fine.


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## dustbunny (May 18, 2009)

I am not sure but I think the screws should be long enough to screw into the wall framing.
The 2×4 that the door frame is attached to. 
What size screws are you using ?
To fill the holes that are stripped, tap a wooden match (non ignition end) into the hole and snap it off flush.

Lisa


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## tooold (Apr 22, 2008)

Thanks for the replies. I used what Blum recommended - I believe 4mm x 16mm (I'm in France). That also might be the problem with the poplar - I'm finding a lot of wood is different than in the US, despite having the same name.

I'm not sure what you're getting at, Lisa - there is no 2×4, and no wall framing - these are cabinet doors - just face frames mounted on plywood boxes…?


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## davidpettinger (Aug 21, 2009)

Part of the problem maybe the slightly out of square face frames applying torque to the hinges as the door opens and closes. It is not the wood being to soft, it is the un-square face frames. I have shop cabinet doors made with MDF, as temporaries, and they work just fine. But build them out of square and all the geometry will change apply unwanted pressure to the hinges.


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## rhett (May 11, 2008)

The matchstick is a good idea, I do the same except I push in a piece of 16 awg copper wire. Same solution different material.


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## Wolffarmer (Jul 14, 2009)

Drill out the screw hole and glue in a hardwood dowel?

I have done this a few times with good results. But those was easy to hide if the dowel was to wide diameter.

Randy


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## vicrider (Jun 19, 2010)

Hello Myles,

I have installed literally hundreds of this type of hinge and have not encountered this issue. Since the stress on these screws is primarily a direct pull on the screws from the action of opening the door (the 35mm mortise supports the weight of the door) I would suspect a misalignment of the hinge between the door and the cabinet (like UnionLabel's post above). My suggestion is to examine the action of the hinge when opening the door; do you note any twisting or abnormal movement of the hinge? Do you see any torque or movement of the hinge plate?

Using the next size up screw should work although the countersunk head may stand slightly proud of the hinge plate.


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## dustbunny (May 18, 2009)

Ooops, sorry Myles.
I thought you said bathroom doors, 
I had my morning haze going on. LOL

Lisa


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## Ger21 (Oct 29, 2009)

I'll second the epoxy technique, but there's an alternative that will still let you remove them if you want.

Take them off, and fill the screw holes with epoxy. Use a thin epoxy like West System that will soak in a little. This should harden the wood and prevent any further weakening.

You can also try Blum's plates with expando dowels. You drill a 5mm hole, and press them in, and the screws are in a plastic insert that has much better holding power.

I use the Expando plates and Inserta hinges. Haven't put a screw into wood in years when using Blum hinges.


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## SnowyRiver (Nov 14, 2008)

In soft wood it works best to use a coarse threaded screw. Also wolffarmer has a good idea, drill out the hole and glue in a hardwood dowl. You could also make some small match size hardwood strips and glue them in the existing holes like match sticks and redrill the pilot hole for the screws.


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## BertFlores58 (May 26, 2010)

I don't have any problem with screw on softwood. I think, we should make a point that pilot drilling is one cause of loosening screws. I had framed doors on pine and MDF too. I use gimlet instead of drilling a pilot hole. If you dont' have gimlet, simply an awl or any pointed object just to push the wood. Pushing a pilot hole is different than drilling a hole. If you push, the softwood is compressed making it hard for the screw while drilling will take out most of the wood.

Careful also with using a hard dowel. You may break the screw (even there is a pilot hole) and sometimes it is offcentered when fitted.


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## BertFlores58 (May 26, 2010)

By the way, on repairing loose screw. Use longer screw if there is still room, else use the old way of rebuilding. Fill up the hole with a glue mixed with sawdust and let dry. Or use a lead sheet and cut it to size to fit into hole and push it. What is best with this method.. there is no drilling involved. the lead or glue mixture will occupy even the smallest pores of the screw hole. It plugs even an irregular hole and makes a good anchor. Even on cement, I use lead sheet for those screw holes.


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## tooold (Apr 22, 2008)

Many thanks - this is exactly what I was hoping for, lots of ideas. I think UnionLabel and vicrider have gotten to the root of the problem; however, it's built! So, I'll try the repair and we'll see how it holds up.

Thanks again!


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## fiddlebanshee (May 3, 2010)

Thanks for posting this question. I have the same problem but with the back beam on my 6 foot floor loom. The beam is attached to the central part with hinges at the bottom of the legs and one of the hinges is loose (the screws no longer screwing in tightly). As the total weight of the heavy back beam pulls on this assembly I am worried that it may eventually not hold up and the whole thing will come crashing down.

So perhaps what I should do is chisel out (or route out) a half lap where the failing screw holes are and glue in a new piece of hardwood and attach with new screws. That sounds like something I could accomplish. The loom is made of solid maple and is about 30 years old. I have it disassembled for the move and was looking with trepidation at that one hinge, not knowing what to do with it when I re-assemble it in the new house, I'm sure it wouldn't hold the next time i try to screw it in. I'm not worried about looks, as this is in a very inconspicuous spot.


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## skatefriday (May 5, 2014)

Resurrecting an old thread here, I have a similar problem.

I believe my door is square, but I mounted the Blum hinge plate to the face frame ever so slightly off center of the mating piece on the door itself. When closing you can see a slight torque on the hinge and over time the screws come loose on the face frame.

The face frame is maple. Would the "insert copper into the hole and put a slightly longer/larger screw hold against the torque? Short of rebuilding the door entirely in order to fix the alignment are there any other solutions here?

I've had the door off the cabinet for some number of months while I procrastinate on a solution. The wife is getting impatient though, so need to do something soon.

Thanks all.


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## pottz (Sep 15, 2015)

id say your best bet would be to realign the hinge plate,normally there is a slot for the screws so you can move the plate slightly.otherwise if there is torque on the hinge the problem may keep coming back.


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## bilyo (May 20, 2015)

The match stick idea is good, but I prefer to use small dowels of the same or similar wood. I will shave them down so they have a slight taper like the screw, squirt some glue into the hole and on the dowel, tap them firmly in, and let them dry. Be sure to use a coarse thread screw and slightly longer ones might help also. Be sure not to over torque the screw as you are driving it in. This is easy to do if you are using a power driver. Once you spin the screw a little, the threads are ruined and this may be the reason they are pulling out. I always do the last turn or so by hand.


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## DS (Oct 10, 2011)

I can see a few solutions to this problem;

First, why is there torque when closing? Perhaps the hinges aren't parallel to each other? This is fixable.
Second, Blum Clip Euro hinges are six-way adjustable. Any alignment issues should get taken care of with this.
Third, if the mounting plate holes are ruined, there is more than one way to attach a Blum hinge to a face frame cabinet (at least 3 in fact). There is the face frame adapter plate, the inset face frame plate, or, you can use the large frameless plate - depending on the reveal behind the frame, up to 19mm and mount the plate to the interior carcass instead.

Possibly, you have the one piece compact hinges instead. This is entirely a different animal with fewer options and less adjustability. Still, there are several different versions with different mounting methods. Single screw, double screw, wrap-around, face mounted, etc. 
Switching to a different version gives you a fresh start with a new set of screw holes.

Mostly, parallel hinge alignment will solve a lot of the torque issues. 
If your cabinet is installed on a twist, the solution is not in the hinges, but rather, a bunch of shims to re-install the cabinet plumb, level and square.

Blum, by reputation, if not in fact, makes some of the best European hinges on the market. They are reliable and flexible to adapt to nearly every situation.

Best of luck to you. Hope I helped any.


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## skatefriday (May 5, 2014)

Thanks all. I am quite sure it's misaligned out of the range of the adjustment features.

However I had not considered mounting a flush plate receptor in place of the face frame receptor. I think I could attach that to the door hinge, position the door in place and mark where to attach the flush mount to the cabinet wall.

And if I get that wrong a second time it's easier to take the flush mount adapter off and replace it then it is to deal with the face frame mounted hinge parts.

All my drawer slides are side mount KV except for one Blum for my trash bin drawer. If I had it to do over again, I'd use all Blum. The Blum slide is just far better. Anyone ever retrofit Blum drawer slides? I wonder how hard that is to do in place.

Thanks for the advice all.


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## skatefriday (May 5, 2014)

Just to close this out in case someone runs into the same problem

Here's the lower hinge whose plate is attached to the face frame, of which the upper needed fixing.










And here's how I replaced the upper. I happened to have a spare flush mount blum hinge pair. A bit of a hack job with the hardware to attach spacer block to the cabinet wall, but you can't see that when closed. Don't judge it works perfectly now. 

I attached the hinge plate to the block, attached the hinge to the hinge plate, snapped in the lower hinge, aligned the door and drilled the spacer block to the cabinet wall.










And here's the door when closed


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