Loosening Wood-Glued Furniture Joints

Over time, the wear and tear a piece of wooden furniture endures can cause weak areas. If the furniture joints were originally glued together, you must loosen the glue and break its bond with the wood. After you remove the glue, you can focus on fixing or re-gluing the furniture.

One problem people face when attempting to loosen wood glue is that the products known to dissolve glue, such as acetone and lacquer thinner, will also damage the stain or paint on wooden furniture. Fortunately, you can loosen the wood glue holding your furniture together without risking damage to the wood's finish.

Things You'll Need

• Screwdriver or hammer
• Warm water
• Vinegar
• Clean washcloth
• Deadblow hammer
• Steel wool pad

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Instructions

1. • 1

     Examine the furniture joint for nails or screws. Woodworkers sometimes use screws or nails to hold a joint in place while wood glue dries. Use a screwdriver or hammer to remove any screws or nails holding the joint in place.

   • 2

     Mix equal parts of warm water and vinegar. Saturate a clean washcloth with the water and vinegar solution. Wrap the wet washcloth around the glued furniture joint. Let the washcloth sit for 10 minutes.

   • 3

     Turn the piece of furniture on its side. Strike the area around the joint with a dead blow hammer. This loosens the glue holding the joint together. Continue hammering to break the glue bond.

   • 4

     Scrub away any remaining glue with a steel wool pad.