How to Repair a Knob Pulled Loose From a Drawer

Repair Using a Bolt and Washer

• 1

  Remove the knob by unscrewing the bolt that secures it from inside the drawer. Use a screwdriver that corresponds with the type of slot on the bolt head.

• 2

  Thread an oversized metal washer onto the bolt. The washer should be larger than the hole through the drawer front, and the center hole in the washer should correspond to the size of the bolt stem.

• 3

  Thread the washer onto the bolt from inside the drawer, passing the bolt through the hole to the front of the drawer. Turn the knob and the bolt head to reattach the knob. The oversized washer inside the drawer provides stability and prevents the knob and bolt from wobbling.

• 4

  If the bolt does not tighten correctly in the knob, the threads may be stripped. Replace the bolt with one that’s slightly larger that has self-tapping threads. Self-tapping threads will cut new threads into the female socket of the knob as you screw them together.

Repair Using Wood-Filler Putty

• 5

  Remove the knob from the drawer. If the bolt threads fit tight, you can reuse the bolt and knob. If the threads are stripped, replace the bolt with one that has self-tapping threads.

• 6

  Fill the hole in the drawer front with wood-filler putty. Press the putty into the hole from one side until it oozes out the other to ensure a solid fill with no air bubbles. Smooth the putty on both surfaces of the wood. Allow the putty to dry according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

• 7

  Sand and stain or paint the putty to match the drawer front, if necessary. Drill a new hole the size of the bolt stem through the putty patch. Insert the bolt from inside the drawer and turn it into the knob on the drawer front.

Repair Using a Rose

• 8

  Remove the loose knob and bolt from the drawer. If the front of the drawer is damaged around the knob, make the repair to the front of the drawer with a rose. A rose is a decorative plate that fits under the knob.

• 9

  Thread the bolt through the hole from inside the drawer. Thread the rose onto the bolt end as it comes through the drawer front, then attach the knob.

• 10

  Place matching roses under the knobs on each drawer on the piece of furniture to maintain visual continuity, if desired.