Hinges on cabinet doors above bed stripped

[Wandering Canuck]

Hi Winnebago owners!

I recently purchased a 2013 Winnebago Minnie 2101FBS and am having a problem with the hinges on the cabinet doors above the bed coming loose (hinge screw backing is stripped).

The challenge I have is that the panel that the doors are mounted on is about 1 1/2" thick, built out of thin plywood on both sides and the back where the hinge screws into is not accessible. I have attached pictures to show the hinges and panel. I don't see any easy way to get access to the back of the panel where the hinge screws into, and I could possibly run a machine screw right through both sides of the panel and fasten it on the back with a washer and nut, but this seems messy.

Does anyone have a suggestion on how to fix this?

 

[Morich]

Tough situation at times but maybe a couple tricks to consider?
One looks a bit more hopeful!

Any chance of getting a hand behind to stick a small block of wood where the screws come through? Take screws out and use a quick setting glue like contact adhesive? coat both block and behind the wall (blind?) with contact cement and then let it dry to the right time before sticking the wood block in? Try to get it placed correctly the first shot as it sticks immediately! If not used it before, it doesn't allow for adjustment but that quick sticking is why I like it where I can't stand there and hold it or clamp it!
Then maybe drill lead holes before running the screws in? It's good strong stuff but I like to give things the best chance!


The second looks like thin plywood and no way to get to the rear.
One way to deal with loose fitting holes is to glue in small wood like wooden matchsticks or toothpicks to fil the hole. This is kind of a question if the wood is so thin there is not much to glue things to the edges of the hole??

Not realy feeling good about that holding very long!

So any practical way to tease the trim off the wall to fit a block behind, etc. ?
Some RV trim is almost held on with nothing, maybe a few staples that can be teased off without much damage? But then, those look a bit odd and like they may not have been the best install from the start?
Any chance you would be better to look at refit on the hinges so that they are not so exposed?
Hard to tell for sure what you have there but it looks like the hinges may not be the best placement and they might work better if redone, even if holes had to be filled??

 

[be happy]

If I understand correctly the screws that hold the hinge to the frame are stripped (for not better word) and unable to stay tight.
If it were me I would make a thick paste out of good wood glue and saw dust. Pack the screw hole with the glue/saw dust mixture, let dry. Drill a small pilot hole before screwing in the screws. You might also think about getting a little thicker screw, if possible.
Good Luck

 

[Pointyears]

If I understand correctly the screws that hold the hinge to the frame are stripped (for not better word) and unable to stay tight.
If it were me I would make a thick paste out of good wood glue and saw dust. Pack the screw hole with the glue/saw dust mixture, let dry. Drill a small pilot hole before screwing in the screws. You might also think about getting a little thicker screw, if possible.
Good Luck

Or toothpicks and wood glue.

 

[Wandering Canuck]

Tough situation at times but maybe a couple tricks to consider?
One looks a bit more hopeful!
View attachment 1316835
Any chance of getting a hand behind to stick a small block of wood where the screws come through? Take screws out and use a quick setting glue like contact adhesive? coat both block and behind the wall (blind?) with contact cement and then let it dry to the right time before sticking the wood block in? Try to get it placed correctly the first shot as it sticks immediately! If not used it before, it doesn't allow for adjustment but that quick sticking is why I like it where I can't stand there and hold it or clamp it!
Then maybe drill lead holes before running the screws in? It's good strong stuff but I like to give things the best chance!


The second looks like thin plywood and no way to get to the rear.
One way to deal with loose fitting holes is to glue in small wood like wooden matchsticks or toothpicks to fil the hole. This is kind of a question if the wood is so thin there is not much to glue things to the edges of the hole??

Not realy feeling good about that holding very long!

So any practical way to tease the trim off the wall to fit a block behind, etc. ?
Some RV trim is almost held on with nothing, maybe a few staples that can be teased off without much damage? But then, those look a bit odd and like they may not have been the best install from the start?
Any chance you would be better to look at refit on the hinges so that they are not so exposed?
Hard to tell for sure what you have there but it looks like the hinges may not be the best placement and they might work better if redone, even if holes had to be filled??

Thanks for the suggestion. The frame that the cabinet door screws into seems to be pretty well sealed, no visible screws or staples. If I had an idea what kind of backing was inside the frame it would be a bit easier to come up with an idea for a fix, but I can just guess at this point. It does not seem like the hinges screw into the frame that surrounds the opening, which would be bizarre (unless the screws missed the frame).

 

[Wandering Canuck]

If I understand correctly the screws that hold the hinge to the frame are stripped (for not better word) and unable to stay tight.
If it were me I would make a thick paste out of good wood glue and saw dust. Pack the screw hole with the glue/saw dust mixture, let dry. Drill a small pilot hole before screwing in the screws. You might also think about getting a little thicker screw, if possible.
Good Luck

I think that I will give this one a shot. I was hoping that someone would have experience with taking one of these frames apart, non-destructively .

 

[Morich]

Like most everything I try to do? It keeps changing every time I look. The older RV used to be super thin plywood stapled really loosely on a small wood frame. That often let us tease the plywood off and then I could just use a normal spring loaded paper stapler to put it back! It wasn't much to start with but it sure was easy to get access!
Looking at those hinges on one, they don't seem like they were every laying at a good angle to last and I tend to think of hinges as better when they are used in a way so they are much more hidden.
But what I expect is often NOT what I find!

 

[Morich]

Looking at the picture I drew up again, I might have a second thought to look closer?
there are times when we find that first layer of thin plywood is actually hiding more wood behind it. BUT there may be a 1/4-1/2 inch space between the the plywood and the underlying real wood?
This might give you a quicker, more long lasting idea? If you take those stripped screws out an d run something like a wire in the hole in the plywood, I might think you could find the wood framing in there at some depth?
Maybe a combo move to make it stronger would be to find longer screws to fit the holes in the hinge but also longer to reach this real wood frame I've dreamed up being there?
Shim up the hole in the plywood as suggested in whatever way feels right, then also have the added strength of screws in real wood?
Maybe get lucky and they really did put some wood in ? Just the screws did not reach it?

Every day I wake up in a different world and have to figure it out as the day goes along!

 

[Wandering Canuck]

Looking at the picture I drew up again, I might have a second thought to look closer?
there are times when we find that first layer of thin plywood is actually hiding more wood behind it. BUT there may be a 1/4-1/2 inch space between the the plywood and the underlying real wood?
This might give you a quicker, more long lasting idea? If you take those stripped screws out an d run something like a wire in the hole in the plywood, I might think you could find the wood framing in there at some depth?
Maybe a combo move to make it stronger would be to find longer screws to fit the holes in the hinge but also longer to reach this real wood frame I've dreamed up being there?
Shim up the hole in the plywood as suggested in whatever way feels right, then also have the added strength of screws in real wood?
Maybe get lucky and they really did put some wood in ? Just the screws did not reach it?
View attachment 1317182

Every day I wake up in a different world and have to figure it out as the day goes along!

This is quite possible, thanks for the suggestion! I will poke around in there with a wire and see what I can figure out (with both a stripped and not stripped screw hole).

 

[Wandering Canuck]

Looking at the picture I drew up again, I might have a second thought to look closer?
there are times when we find that first layer of thin plywood is actually hiding more wood behind it. BUT there may be a 1/4-1/2 inch space between the the plywood and the underlying real wood?
This might give you a quicker, more long lasting idea? If you take those stripped screws out an d run something like a wire in the hole in the plywood, I might think you could find the wood framing in there at some depth?
Maybe a combo move to make it stronger would be to find longer screws to fit the holes in the hinge but also longer to reach this real wood frame I've dreamed up being there?
Shim up the hole in the plywood as suggested in whatever way feels right, then also have the added strength of screws in real wood?
Maybe get lucky and they really did put some wood in ? Just the screws did not reach it?
View attachment 1317182

Every day I wake up in a different world and have to figure it out as the day goes along!

I removed one of the cabinet doors and fished around behind the hinge screw hole and there is absolutely nothing behind it that is close to where the hinge screws in. The panel is some kind of pressboard about 1/8" thick, no idea how the manufacturer thought that screwing a hinge into this pressboard would work for very long. A couple options I can think of:
- replace the hinge with a different design that can screw into the frame closer to the hole opening
- open up the back of the panel and install a backer board for the hinge to screw into

 

[Morich]

Yuck! None of the workables sound good.
Just nothing back there but not able to reach around the board to reach the backside?

I don't think I've ever see a really, really small one but when things are really thin, it can work to use a toggle bolt? Do toggle bolts come small enough to fit in a cabinet hinge?
Not something I've seen or used.
It might also be a trick to get a toggle in that thin material as I bet it breaks down pretty easy!
There are also plastic anchors and some of them are somewhat small.

 

[RayIN]

Consider using 1/8" plastic paneling wall anchors; standard paneling is 1/8" thick. I used the metal ones, but I'd use plastic again.

 

[Wandering Canuck]

Lots of good ideas here, thanks to everyone for helping me figure this out. I finally got the doors fixed, I went with 5/8" offset hinges and they worked great. Here are some pics, now I just need to cover up a few screw holes that are left from the old hinges.

 

[jdkbrooks]

I just fixed 2 of my cabinet doors with the same problem put glue on toothpicks and push as many in the hole as you can let dry over night cut toothpicks off and run the screws in works like a charm