Fix A Stripped Screw Hole With Toothpicks

Stripped screws can be one of the most frustrating kinks in a home improvement project, even after you get it out. If you want to use that hole again, you can make sure your screw stays put with a few toothpicks.

We’ve shown you how to remove a stripped screw with a rubber band, but once you get it out, that hole may not be suitable for another screw, since it’ll be too loose. A golf tee will help you get a new screw in, but that doesn’t give you a lot of versatility when it comes to the size of the hole. A better method, weblog Apartment Therapy notes, is to just use a few toothpicks:

Taking my father’s advice, I unscrewed the hinge and placed a few pieces of toothpick in the screw hole. As I reinstalled the screw, I could feel that the toothpick pieces were doing their job. Basically the screw is able to grip onto the soft wood of the toothpick pieces, which creates a tight fit that couldn’t be achieved in the stretched and stripped hole.

Got any of your own methods for reviving a wall torn up by past projects? share them in the comments.

Quick Fix: Use Toothpicks in Stripped Screw Hole [Apartment Therapy]


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