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Fixing particle board, sorta... Posted by Joe Baker on February 26th, 2001 01:49 PM In reply to HELP! with particleboard/laminate kitchen cabinet by Donna on February 26th, 2001 12:57 PM [Go to top of thread]
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If I understand, the problem is that the particle board strips out - nothing new there! Your best bet is to put a backing behind the particle board that WILL hold a screw. This could be a metal plate, or a 1/2 inch thick piece of hardwood. Don't try to get by with whitewood, OSB, etc. You might get away with 5/8 or thicker plywood. It needs to be something that will allow you to really tighten the screw, because you will be relying on the hardware and the backing to 'squeeze' the particle board to hold. Otherwise, you'll put torque on the screw where it goes through the backing, and either strip the backing or break the screw, and in the meantime the door won't open and close smoothly. You could help a little with this movement by finding some tubing or something that would make a bushing between the screw and the particle board. If you can use a bolt instead of a screw, there are inserts that can go in from the back of the hole, with prongs that will seat in the particle board and keep the insert from spinning; but if the screw-head shows from the front, or if it doesn't allow much clearance, it's not too likely that this will be an acceptable solution for you. These inserts will be in the 'furniture building/repair' section of your local home improvement store. Remember, though, there's no such thing as a 'permanent repair' to particle board. The stuff really should be illegal, especially for any application that requires holding a screw. Good luck!
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