How to reattach back of bar stool?

Question

Heya folks,

I'm hoping to fix up some street bounty bar stools where the cork backs have broken off the wooden seat base.

Looks like it used to be joined via staples, but I've been wondering if it's worth adding some extra reinforcement by way of gorilla glue or maybe some metal angle brackets? I'm not sure if the latter could be screwed into this kinda cork or if it would just deteriorate...

Old staples through the cork back:

Wooden base:

Original state: happy chair

Current state: backs still attached to the fabric but not to the seat base

Thanks in advance!

JacobZ · Answer

Hi @gpalado,

You would treat chipboard like you would softwood. For an 8g screw, I'd suggest using a 3mm drill bit such as this Kango 3mm HSS Drill Bit.

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Jacob

gpalado · Answer

Thank you Mitchell! I'll give that a go 🙂

What drill bit size would you recommend for the pilot hole given the 8G screw?

I've read that there are different recommendations for hardwood and softwood, but I'm not too sure what to use for this combination.

MitchellMc · Answer

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @gpalado. It's wonderful to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about reattached seat backs.

It looks like the backs might actually be particle board rather than cork. Cork is much softer and can be easily marked with a fingernail, whereas particle board is stronger and much better at holding screws. If it is indeed particle board, you could pre-drill pilot holes and use screws to attach the back to the seat base; this will give a much stronger connection than the original brad nails. I’d also recommend adding a bit of PVA wood glue along the join to help lock the pieces together. The original method of using brad nails from the back into the seat doesn’t provide much holding power, so combining screws with glue should give you a sturdy, long-lasting fix for the bar stool backs.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell