Repair to cocktail cabinet door - advice needed please

[Koala-Man]

Hi all,

My daughter has a cocktail cabinet with veneered particleboard doors. According to her it is a "mid-century classic".

This is the daughter who, at the age of 7, asked me to make a table for her teddy bears out of offcuts from a deck I'd just finished building. I gave her a little lecture about how you should always "measure twice, cut once", then immediately made a cutting mistake. She looked up at me and said, deadpan, "Daddy shouldn't that be 'measure thrice, cut twice?'". She later majored in linguistics.

Anyway, the particleboard has split and crumbled where the screws for the hinges go into the top and bottom edges.

Image 1 shows the veneer which is bent but not broken.
Images 2 and 3 show how the top corner is damaged
Image 4 shows the bottom corner, which is splitting but not as badly as the top corner.

So what are my options? Soak the damaged parts is some sort of glue then clamp to the right thickness? Cut out the disintegrated part and slot something else in?

I am in your expert hands.

Thanks in advance.

[Bohdan]

You could try Chair Doctor glue as it will soak right in. Put the glue on then quickly clamp the panel.

[wood spirit]

First thoughts would be much like yours - take it to the tip. However you seem to have the right idea Rake out the loose stuff Fit a bit of hardwood and with lots of glue glamp to thickness then clean up re-veneer etc. Still chipboard rubbish but one repaired a "art deco" desk that sold for $8000 .

[China]

Just fill with PVA and clamp with suitable blocks and baking paper on the veneer so glue does not stick

[Koala-Man]

Baking paper - a great tip.

I watched a video showing a guy sawing out a thin kerf to allow clamping to get it back into line. Youtube video "[COLOR=var(--ytd-video-primary-info-renderer-title-color, var(--yt-spec-text-primary))]Swollen Particle Board Repair Veneer faced." [/COLOR]Maybe I'll do a test run clamping it dry to see if I need to remove some material.

[A Duke]

Hi,
This is only a suggestion, not something I have done.
Glue up as suggested above then when set and dry drill and insert a dowel side ways on just blow the screw holes so that the screw will enter the cross grain of the dowel. Drill pilot holes through the dowel so the whole thin does not happen again while you are screwing up.
Best of luck
Regards,

[Koala-Man]

Hi,
This is only a suggestion, not something I have done.
Glue up as suggested above then when set and dry drill and insert a dowel side ways on just blow the screw holes so that the screw will enter the cross grain of the dowel. Drill pilot holes through the dowel so the whole thin does not happen again while you are screwing up.
Best of luck
Regards,

Good idea re the dowel. I guess the main problem with cocktail cabinet doors is that people are opening and closing them after a few cocktails. So giving the screws something to grab onto would be a win.