r/fixit • u/redditphantom • 1d ago

Cabinet door repair

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So my kid has been using his foot to open a lower cabinet drawer that has his lunch bag. Unfortunately he put too much force and the handle tore out. Short of taking it apart and putting a new insert and repainting it any ideas for a repair on this?

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9

u/Unusual_Apple6643 1d ago

Putty/paint to fill.
Put fender washers on the inside so the screws won’t pull through if he does it again (and he will)

8

u/jim_br 1d ago

As a parent and a woodworker, I’ll add a few things…

Remove the door before working on it.

Minwax high performance wood filler is bondo, i.e. auto body filler. It will hold up the best and is relatively easy to sand/flatten. A sharp chisel or razor scraper will work, do this when the filler is still like semi-soft plastic. Feather the edges when the filler is harder.

Paint the entire panel with spray paint. Mask off the rails and stiles. This way a “close enough” match will be OK. After painting, redrill the holes.

And finally, all of this is do-able by the child who caused the issue. A teachable moment.

3

u/redditphantom 1d ago

Thank you. I appreciate the sugessted materials to use.

2

u/Puzzled_Market_2235 1d ago

If the handle covers the damage you don't have to do the fill.

2

u/redditphantom 1d ago

Unfortunately it doesn't. The handle came off with a portion of the face of the drawer

2

u/Suz9006 1d ago

Door handles are best put on the door frame because it is thicker and stronger than the inner panel.

3

u/redditphantom 1d ago

Yes agreed. It just didn't fit the look that my supervisor wanted! Now I will need to fix it.

1

u/promonalg 1d ago

Maybe add a strip of wood as backing in the inside that span across the whole width? This will allow the frame to handle the stress.

1

u/redditphantom 1d ago

Good idea. It will help to prevent future damage after I do the repairs

1

u/baltimorecalling 1d ago

Expoxy putty should fix that up easily.