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How To Prevent Loose Screws
Here’s a new way to keep screws from coming loose, without gluing them.
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How to Prevent Loose Screws: 5 Easy Tips
How to Prevent Loose Screws: 5 Easy Tips
Tools
- Drill
- Screwdriver
- Pliers
- Gloves
Materials
- DAP® TankBond™ Thread Stopper
- DAP® TankBond™ Liquid Grip
- Wood Filler
If you’re a homeowner, you’ve dealt with having to tighten the same screws over and over again. It’s often the result of frequent use. Screws commonly loosen on chairs and doors, for example, and on outdoor power equipment due to vibration. It’s an annoyance, for sure, but a loose screw can also be a security issue. In an entry door hinge, it can prevent the door from closing properly. If it doesn’t close properly, you might not be able to lock it. Some popular fixes, like putting a toothpick in the screw hole, work for a while. But eventually they fail. You can use a thread locker to bond a screw in place, but it only works on metal-to-metal applications and choosing a permanent formula means you can’t ever remove the screw.
So how to prevent screws from loosening? Use DAP Tank Bond Thread Stopper. It can be used on metal, wood or plastic, and prevents screws from unintentionally backing out. Yet it’s not a thread-locking glue. Treated fasteners are completely adjustable, removable or reusable. Here, we share five tips for solving the peskiest loose-screw problems.
Tip 1: Door hinges
To fix loose screws on door hinges, remove the loose hinge and inspect the holes. If any of the screw holes are too big for the screws, fill with wood filler and let dry. Drill new holes, and coat screws with Thread Stopper. Let dry, then reattach the hinge.
Tip 2: Toilet seatsNo matter how hard you tighten the bolts in toilet seats, they seem to work themselves loose and then the seat moves every time you use it. To prevent this from happening, remove the screws, clean them off and fill the threads with DAP Tank Bond Thread Stopper. Let dry for 30 minutes, then reinstall.
Tip 3: Furniture
Thread Stopper can be used to fix the screw-in legs of sofas and chairs that often loosen with repeated use. To tighten them, remove the leg. Clean off the screws and coat the threads with Thread Stopper. Let dry and then reattach the leg.
Tip 4: Outdoor equipment
To fix loose screws in metal, like fasteners in lawn mowers and other outdoor equipment, remove the problem fasteners and coat them with Thread Stopper. When the treated piece dries, reinstall the screws.
Tip 5: Stop slipping off and stripping screws
Prevent a screwdriver or bit from slipping off or stripping the head of a screw by applying a drop of DAP Tank Bond Liquid Grip to the head before driving in or taking out the screw.
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