How to fix wardrobe door broken hinge?

gavin16

Oh dear, my wardrobe door(which is quite heavy) gave way and hinge was broken. Thankfully no one was hurt :-) Should I get the hinge and use the same hole? I tried last time to screw back its original hole after I patch them up with some wood glue and wood stick but it wouldn't last me long.

Any good suggestions and useful tips? Thanks!

JacobZ

Hi @gavin16,

First of all, I am glad to hear no one was hurt. A heavy wardrobe door coming loose can be quite dangerous, so it’s definitely worth doing a more permanent repair to prevent this happening again.

Given that your hinges have used flathead screws, which are not commonly used nowadays, I'm guessing the wardrobe is relatively old. For this reason, I'd recommend replacing all of the hinges rather than just the broken one.

If there are only two hinges supporting the door, it's also worth considering adding a third hinge to help spread the weight and reduce the chance of it happening again.

I wouldn't reuse the existing screw holes, especially if they've already been repaired once. Even with wood glue and timber dowels, those holes tend to weaken over time under the weight of a heavy door.

Instead, fit the new hinges so the screws bite into fresh timber. You can fill the old holes with timber filler or glued-in timber dowels and sand them flush before installing the new hinges in slightly different positions. This will give the screws much better holding power and provide a much longer-lasting repair.

I am guessing your hinges are somewhere around 50mm tall, so I'd say these https://www.bunnings.com.au/lane-50-x-40-x-1-2mm-brass-plated-fixed-pin-easy-fit-hinge-2-pack_p4160957 would be a good option as a replacement. I'd also suggest using some hinges with decent length to ensure the hinges are solidly fixed. These https://www.bunnings.com.au/zenith-8g-x-30mm-brass-plated-hinge-long-threads-countersunk-head-timber-screws-25-pack_p2420087 should work and will match the hinge quite well.

Let me know what you think and if you have further questions.

Jacob