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Fixing a cheapass couch
Thanatos
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
So, I've got an IKEA couch. It's a futon-style couch, but doesn't actually fold up. There's a hinged wooden frame that holds the cushions. The screws in two of these hinges have fallen out. This means that there are holes too big to screw them back into. Initially, I replaced them with larger screws, and that worked for a time, but not anymore.
I think I can fix them by filling the holes with wood putty, then putting the screws back in. Is there another option? Because that seems like a pain in the ass, and something likely to only hold temporarily. Other suggestions?
I think I can fix them by filling the holes with wood putty, then putting the screws back in. Is there another option? Because that seems like a pain in the ass, and something likely to only hold temporarily. Other suggestions?
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The screws attach to the hinge that holds the two halves of the frame that holds the cushions. I'm not sure what you mean by "something solid...?"
If I were to replace the wood, wouldn't I basically have to replace that whole half of the frame? Or is there something else I could do, like put a plug in the hole or something?
Basically I was going to go with the putty/wood glue route, but a bracket will probably work too.
Honestly its hard to say. IKEA uses all kinds of different fiberboard. Since its a couch, it should be strong material.
If you just go slow you should be able to drill/screw without a problem.
Might wanna look in to Fizban's bracket idea.
JB weld is good shit. Its an epoxy.
This is the couch. It's actually three pieces: the piece with the armrests, then the two pieces holding the cushions, which are held together with four sets of hinges. The hinges look like this:
This is what I'm trying to get to stick in there.
Moving the offending hinges to a different spot would be an option. Going all the way through the wood and using a nut & bolt combo would be strong, and easy, and to be honest is probably what i'd look into if i had to do it. Then like you say, duct tape over the bolt to protect the cushions. Its a bit hard to tell from the pics, but i'll assume the cushions will be thick enough to not have you sitting uncomfortably on the bits that will stick out.
If you go with the relocation, as long as you pre-drill the holes for the screws, there should be no problem with splitting. It's only when you try to drill the screws into un-pre-drilled wood that it splits.
Though considering it has happened a couple times before, I would go with the bolts. Just make sure to use large fender washers to distribute the load of the bolt heads, at least on the side opposite the hinge.
And with the limited distance between the bolts, am I going to have room for washers?
Hmmm... Good point. While washers would be easier (no drilling), there probably wouldn't be room for more than dinky little ones. For making a plate, try to get a softer metal (like the aluminum) and make sure you have a metal drilling bit, and if at all possible, use a corded drill vs a cordless.
It will be a pain in the ass to try to drill through with wood bits, you'd probably just end up with some smoke and some small dents in the aluminum. Home Depot probably wouldn't do that, I don't think they have the stuff to do it for customers.
One other option, instead of drilling plates, would be to find a similar hinge plate with the same hole pattern and just use that (possibly taken apart into two plates, possibly with one side left dangling). That might be your best option, and I don't think it would be that hard to find the right holes, just pull the whole hinge off and bring it to Home Depot so you can check them out.
i would be careful with moving hinges around. my concerns:
1. they are in a location to help disperse weight correctly for that thickness of wood so moving them could potentially have catastrophic results
having that many more holes in 3/4" wood doesn't sound good to me.
i think your best bets would be to drill the hole completely through and use bolts, or fill the holes and rescrew
you can also refil the hole with epoxy mixed with steel wool
If you're going to Home Depot anyway, bring the hinge with you. Hinge hole patterns are usually standard. If you can find another hinge with the same hole pattern you can just split that and put the halves on the opposite side.
Also, carriage bolts are the kind with smooth heads. You won't need to do anything to protect the cushion. Make sure that you fit the bolts all the way through the hinge when you buy them. Carriage bolts usually go square at the very top where the meet the head, and the corners make it a tighter fit. You might end up having to drill the holes out a bit if you get the wrong ones. I'd probably pound the fucking things into the hinge though. The holes are tapered on the hinge, so the metal should be thin enough to wedge the bolt corners in there without warping the hinge. Makes it fit tighter and you can use a thicker (stronger) bolt without weakening the hinge with bigger holes.
1. move the hinge over a few inches, so you're drilling into "fresh wood"
2. use bolts as suggested... definitely use washers on the back side
3. fix the wood... the strongest repair i've used in that type of situation was stuffing a wooden dowel into the hole slathered with wood glue (toothpicks or wooden matches would work in a pinch)... this repair is much stronger than putty, btw
I am a retard for not thinking of the two bolts thing myself.
And Orem, I would rather no save money on the couch only to wind up spending more on an exterminator to get rid of bed bugs.
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But a piece of wood inside it has broken, or popped out of place, or something, so now the couch is very 'sinky'. Who or what kind of business should I be calling to get this fixed? A local ... carpenter..?
Upholsterers usually have the skills necessary to do this, its pretty common on recovery jobs you need to replace bits of frame. Any profession really that works with wood is likely to have the skills to replace a broken piece though... carpenters, builders, cabinet makers... etc.
I had a similar problem involving the screw holes for the hinges of a door. Went to home depot and asked them about it, and a guy told me that his trick is to get those metal pan-scraping pads (brillo), tear off a chunk, and fill the holes with it. As you screw into it, the brillo pad fragments attach themselves to the screws and the wood in the hole, creating a firm grip.
It's working well so far in my door. I don't know if this'll help with a couch, but I imagine it would given that the root problem is the same in both situations.