How do I fix a wobbly table or chair?
Diagnosing whether the wobble is the furniture or the floor, and fixing loose joints so they stay fixed.
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Time
- 45 min
- Read
- 2 min
Short answer
Check whether it wobbles on a different surface first — if not, the floor is uneven and adjustable feet are the fix. If it wobbles everywhere, the joints are loose: take them apart, clean out the old glue, and re-glue with clamps rather than adding more glue on top.
A wobble is either the floor or the joints, and testing on a different surface separates the two in ten seconds. Loose joints are the common case, and the usual mistake is squeezing fresh glue into a joint without dismantling it, which almost never holds.
What you'll need
- Wood glue
- Clamps or a strap
- Mallet
- Felt pads or adjustable feet (optional)
- Dowels (optional)
Step by step
- Test on a different floor surface.If it sits solid elsewhere, the floor is uneven and the furniture is fine.
- For an uneven floor, fit adjustable feet or felt pads to the short leg.Adjustable feet are better than a folded beer mat and cost very little.
- If it wobbles everywhere, find the loose joint by rocking it gently and watching.You will see one joint opening and closing. That is the one.
- Dismantle the loose joint completely rather than injecting glue.Fresh glue on old glue does not bond. This is the single most common reason repairs fail.
- Scrape and sand the old glue off both surfaces.Down to clean bare timber on both faces.
- Apply fresh wood glue to both surfaces and reassemble.A thin even coat on both, not a thick blob on one.
- Clamp it, or use a ratchet strap around the whole frame, and leave it to cure fully.Overnight. Clamping pressure is what makes a glued joint strong.
- Wipe off squeeze-out with a damp cloth before it sets.Dried glue prevents stain or finish taking evenly if you ever refinish it.
Tips
- A ratchet strap around all four legs of a chair applies even pressure and costs less than a set of clamps.
- If a dowel has sheared, drill it out and fit a new one rather than gluing the broken stub.
- Corner blocks screwed inside a chair frame add a lot of rigidity to an old chair for very little work.
Common mistakes
- Injecting glue into a loose joint without dismantling it — Fresh glue does not bond to old glue. The repair fails within weeks.
- Not clamping — Wood glue needs pressure to form a strong joint. Unclamped joints are weak.
- Using a nail or screw to fix a loose joint — It splits the timber and makes a proper repair much harder later.
Questions people ask
Why does my chair keep coming loose after I glue it?
Almost certainly because the old glue was not removed. Wood glue bonds to timber, not to cured glue, so the joint has to be dismantled and cleaned back to bare wood.
How do I stop a table rocking on an uneven floor?
Adjustable feet screwed into the leg bottoms let you level it precisely and are far more durable than packing something under one leg.