We’ve all been there: you put your coffee down on a table, and the mug slowly rocks towards you, coffee sloshing. It’s irritating, but it can also put your coffee — and your toes — in peril.
In this article, we’ll share some easy remedies to stop this irritating wobble from happening.
First, it’s worth making sure the floor itself isn’t the problem. A simple way to do this is by placing a level on the floor and seeing how the spirit bubble aligns. If the problem is actually your table, use the level to establish which of the legs is uneven. Once you’ve found the culprit, you can then move on to solve the problem.
1. Tighten the Screws
Your fix could be as simple as tightening the screws or bolts which are used to attach the table legs to the tabletop. Flip the table over and see if any of the legs noticeably wobble when you touch them. Use either a screw driver or pliers and a wrench — depending on the hardware — to tighten the fixtures.
2. Try Wood Glue
Again, flip the table over. If there’s a gap around the hole in which one of the table legs sits, fill that hole with wood glue and balance the leg in place until it dries.
If the gap is substantial, fill it with broken match sticks first to give the glue something to affix to. Or, if you’re able, remove the leg entirely, fill the hole with glue, then reattach the leg. Give the glue time to set before you flip the table back over.
If the furniture is swaying or pieces are coming apart, you may need to completely disassemble the table and then re-glue the parts using clamps. This can be daunting if you’re not accustomed to DIY projects. If the task seems unattainable and the piece is solid wood (i.e., worth investing in), consider connecting with a local handmade furniture company.
Professional refinishing is a great way to make damaged and worn-out furniture pieces like new. Specialists like Woodcraft offer refinishing assistance. Woodworkers follow a strict vetting process throughout every stage of the crafting and refinishing journey, meaning your table will come back good as new. Further, you’ll have avoided many headaches and potentially costly mistakes along the way.
The next tip for fixing a wobbly table at home:
3. Add a Felt Pad
This may involve a little trial and error. If the legs of the table in question are plastic, cut a felt disk the same dimension as the table leg and glue it to the bottom. Repeat this process until you have multiple felt rounds stacked and glued to the base of the leg and the table is levelled.
4. Tap in a Thumb Tack
If your table legs are thin and spindly, pushing a thumb tack into the base of the wonky table leg may solve the problem. This is a good idea if the table sits on a carpeted floor because the hard metal head of a thumb tack may scratch wooden flooring.
5. Reach for the Saw
If the problem is indeed the table leg — and not your floor — there’s a chance the environment has caused the wood to swell ever so slightly, making the table uneven. Using a level and a measuring tape, check to see how much you’d need to remove to make the table even and simply saw the tip off. Remember, measure twice, cut once!
Last Thoughts
A wobbly table can be very annoying, but by taking a little time to fix the problem, you’re setting yourself up for an irritant-free morning coffee moving forward.