A couple years ago I got a credenza off Craigslist that at some point must have been owned by the Incredible Hulk, because someone managed to rip one of the hinges out of the wood, damaging the shelf of the compartment and the hinge pieces in the process.
I thought I’d have to rebuild the floor of the drawer, but after taking it out and looking at it, it seems like something that could be repaired? Which would be ideal since it would avoid the fuss of trying to match the grain/stain of the original on a new piece of wood.
However, I’m not sure how I’d actually go about repairing the current damage. My first thought was wood putty or something similar, but I’m not sure if that has the structural integrity to support a hinge. Any ideas?
This will sound a bit nitpicky; from the photos it looks like you may have some veneered to look like solid walnut. It is difficult to tell though, and I mention this because it could have an impact in how you go about restoring and fixing this.
Plywood putty, you’re correct in that it wouldn’t be what you’d want to screw into. You may able to get away with some glue and a dowel. If I understand your problem right, you can simply drill a slightly bigger hole than the existing hole and glue a dowel in there. This will work on plywood or solid wood. From there, you can redrill your hinge holes and screw into place. You wouldn’t have to worry about any coloring or grain matching since it will all be hidden anyways.
As for the horror hole, you may want to consider a larger “patch”. If there’s a wall behind it for support, you can chisel out a square (or shape of a dowel), make your “patch piece” fit the size, then glue into place. If there’s nothing behind it, it will be easier to cut out the patch square. You might consider hotgluing some plastic to act as a “wall” so you can more easily glue a patch piece into place.
That does help, thank you! Hadn’t thought of using a dowel, but that does seem like a fairly straightforward solution (though one that will be no doubt full of trial and error since I’ve never attempted this before )
Re: type of wood, here’s a pic from the side of the cabinet floor; hopefully that’s a more informative angle
I’m not sure what the core is, but I feel safe saying it’s not solid walnut. It doesn’t look like plywood either. So it’s very possible it’s a cheaper or more bland hardwood with a walnut veneer over it.
I don’t think it should impact you for the types of repairs you’re considering.
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