How to fix a stripped screw hole in no time!

I moved into my home in December 2013. Since then, my son's door has loosened up out of the frame because the silly painters put the wrong screws back into the holes and now the correct screws are too loose. I kept tightening the screws only to have to do it again two weeks later (or less) - this has been going on for near four months  now. I was fed up and decided to fix the loose screw holes!

Unbeknownst to me, it's a simple job. I searched the internet and came up with matches, toothpicks, or any wood that is small enough to be smashed into a hole. My addition to this method is a dowel. This method requires NO dry time and NO wood filler. You're back to new in no time!

Here's what you'll need...

1 small dowel, the smallest diameter available at Lowe's in my case

Toothpicks - I used these ornate toothpicks, since they have a flat end (good for hammering)

Good scissors or wire cutters

Hammer

... and here's the method

• Go to Lowe's or Home Depot or your local hardware store (mine is Hingham Lumber) and find a dowel that is just about the same size, even slightly smaller, as your screw hole (no bigger).
• Insert the dowel into the screw hole and cut the end off at the surface of the wood.
• Insert the sharp end of one, two, or three toothpicks (or more, depending on how big your dowel is) into the hole.
• Take the hammer and lightly tap the blunt end of the toothpick until the toothpick starts to crack from the hammer's force. At this point the toothpicks and dowel are packed in like sardines.
• Trim the end of the toothpicks to the wood's surface.
• Hammer the ends of the dowel/toothpick concoction to be flat against the wood surface.
• You may need to sand - I did not have to.
• Turn your screw into the hole with an electrical drill bit/screwdriver.

That's it! Super simple and my son's door now shuts precisely as it should. Now it's time to fix the door to my lower level :)

Thanks for stopping by, Bex Wilder