Furniture in the home typically does not suffer from broken legs, but when one of the legs on your dining set chairs gets broken, you likely will not want to replace the entire set to make them match. Or, if the broken leg happens to belong to a sentimental piece, you also might not be too keen with the idea of buying a new item. Good news is, it is possible to repair a broken furniture leg.


Step 1. Gather your materials for the task. For repairing broken furniture legs, you will need diagonal cutters, rasp, large nails dependent on the leg diameter, a hand or electric drill, small fine file, masking tape, polyvinyl glue, preferably white, a roll of waxed paper, and about 4 to 5 feet of strong twine.

Step 2. Turn the furniture in question over so that its legs are pointing upwards. If you are fixing a chair, you can put it on a workbench or a table so that the back is hanging down. If you will be fixing a heavy table, be sure you get some help in hoisting it up and not endeavour to flip it over all by yourself.

Step 3. If the broken leg has already been broken at a prior time, use rasp to clean off all the old glue.

Step 4. Using the masking tape, secure the broken leg pieces to each other in their original position.

Step 5. Use your diagonal cutters to cut the head off your large nail, (a 4-penny nail typically works well) and put the nail into your drill. You will be using this as your bit. Drill two holes, at right angle, through the broken leg. Insert 4-penny nails into the holes in a way that the nails protrude out of the ends of both holes.

Step 6. Remove the masking tape from around the leg. Apply paraffin wax on the finished portions of the leg, making sure you stay away from the broken joint. This is because the wax will keep your glue from doing its work.

Step 7. Put some glue into the broken joint and around the sides of the break. Squeeze the parts together until the glue oozes out. Use waxed paper to wrap the joint, and hold it tightly together using twine. Let the furniture dry overnight.

Step 8. The next day, remove the twine and the waxed paper. Then, use the diagonal cutters to cut off the parts of the nails that are protruding out, as close as possible to the leg. Use your file to smoothen the nail end, making sure it is flush with the surface of the leg. When you are sure it is sufficiently and properly filed, you can turn your furniture piece back on its right side, and it can be used again as per normal.