How to Fix a Wobbly Chair or Table
A wobble is nearly always either the floor or the furniture, and the quickest way to find out which is to move the chair or table to a different spot and see whether it stops. If it does, the furniture's fine and it's the floor that isn't flat, which is common in older houses and on tiles.
When it's the feet
If it rocks on a floor you know is flat, one foot is sitting lower than the others or a glide has worn away. Felt pads or nail-on glides on every foot often sort it out by themselves, and if one leg is still short you can build that one up with an extra pad rather than cutting the others down.
I'd only sand a leg down as a last resort, and only a little at a time with the piece checked on a flat floor between goes, because it's very easy to chase a wobble around all four legs and end up with a shorter table.
When it's a loose screw or bolt
Turn it over onto an old towel and go round every screw and bolt, especially where the legs meet the frame. A lot of flat-pack furniture uses hex bolts, so an Allen key set saves you a lot of guessing. Snug them up firmly without forcing them, because overtightening into timber or particleboard strips the thread and leaves you worse off than you started.
Glue joints that have let go
Older timber chairs are held together with dowels and glue, and once that glue lets go no amount of tightening will fix it. The proper repair is to work the joint apart and scrape the old glue out before fresh PVA wood glue goes in, then clamp it and leave it until it's fully set, which usually means overnight. A rubber mallet is handy for tapping the joint back together without marking the timber.
When a screw won't bite
If a screw just spins, the hole has stripped. Gluing a sliver of timber into the hole and letting it dry gives the screw something fresh to grab, or you can go up a size if there's enough timber around it to take it.
Shop related products
- Supercraft 8-Piece Metric Allen Key Set. For the hex bolts on flat-pack furniture.
- Rubber Mallet, 450g. Taps a glued joint home without denting it.
- Macsim 8-10 x 25mm Chipboard Screws. For replacing tired screws in particleboard.
- Supercraft Level Torpedo. Tells you whether it's the floor or the furniture.
Did you know we also stock felt pads and nail-on glides in the shop, and they aren't on the website. Spring clamps and Soudal PVA glue are on the shelf too, so give us a ring on (08) 8536 4333 to check stock before you come in.
The hand tools that are online sit in hand tools, and the screws in fasteners and fixings.
Read next
- How to fix a sticking door without replacing it
- Drill or impact driver, which one do you need
- Essential tools every first time homeowner needs
I'm still the person who wedges a folded coaster under the leg first and fixes it properly second.
Candeece
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