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I have a wood door in one of my rooms where the top screws no longer hold the hinge to the wall because the screw holes have worn loose. I have tried slightly larger screws and filling with wood toothpicks, which usually lasts about a year.

I would like a permanent fix.

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2 Answers

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A few suggestions:

  • Are you using a wood glue such as Elmer's to hold the toothpicks in place? The top hinge on my front door used to pull loose; I repaired it with toothpicks and wood glue (pretty much filling the screw hole) and haven't had any problems in several years.

  • How long were the original screws, and what did you replace them with? When I installed a new interior door a few months ago, I replaced the 1/2" screws that came with the door with 2 1/2" or 3" (I forget which) screws of the same thickness. Assuming normal framing, you have two 2x4s, possibly some shims and the jamb itself, so there's plenty of wood there for a long screw to grip onto.

  • Take the hinge plate off the jamb (support the door so it doesn't pull the other hinges out of the jamb) and drill out the screw holes that are giving you problems; the hole should be as deep as the existing screw. Glue a dowel of the same thickness as your drill bit into the hole. Before you replace the hinge screw, drill a pilot hole to ensure that the screw goes in straight.

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when possible, let the glue set up a bit before screwing into it. A 2 1/2/ or 3 in screw is an excellent idea, works 90% of the time. Follow Niall's advice and you will be all set. – shirlock homes Apr 16 '11 at 10:48
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Definitely go for a longer screw. Besides supporting the hinge better, it ties the door into the framing in the wall rather than just the visible wood trim. I've used deck screws myself. This can also help fix a sagging door, just don't over correct any problems by over tightening. – BMitch♦ Apr 16 '11 at 11:11
I have the same issue and this will help me a lot. I hadn't tried these ideas and thought I might have to replace the jambs and I wanted to avoid that. – MichaelF May 16 '11 at 12:32
If you're going to use long screws to go into the studs, tap in a couple shims, small ends facing each other, lengthwise to the casement till they're tight. Not so much it forces the casement away from the studs, but snug. Then you can tighten these longer screws down without warping the casement and pulling the pin axis on the door hinges out of plumb. – Fiasco Labs Oct 31 '12 at 3:11
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My bedroom hollow core door hinge holes on the door are completely stripped out and the screws fell out, my remedy I am going to try is as follows:

Remove the door, place hinge side up, apply Fiberglass compound , (Type you get at a Auto. parts store) directly into the holes and also spread onto the area that is recessed for the hinge, set the hinges in place while wet, apply slight coating on top of the hinges as well. If all goes as planned I hope to find the hinges fiberglassed in place for a very long time and for added security drill a pilot hole and put the screws back in please.

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