I've been changing the door knobs on the kitchen cupboards and a few can't be removed for replacement because the screws are stuck. After repeatedly trying to losen the screws, the thread is starting to wear. I've already tried placing a screwdriver and a knife on the thread and turning the handle as well holding the door knob still while just using the screwdriver. Would WD40 help or is there another trick to this?

Hi, frangipanis!

Are these single screws in the middle of the handles? Are you able to turn the screws at all?

Thanks!

Hi Clough

They're single screw handles and no, I can't seem to budge them at all. A few have been fine.

Do the screws go all the way through the doors? If you can see any of the threads, do the threads appear to be very close together at right angles to the screws, or do they appear to be somewhat spaced apart and spiraling?

Thanks!

The screws go all the way through the door Clough, and there is no thread visible on the ones that are stuck.

If you get stuck just get a drill bit the size of the screws you have already removed. Drill of the head of the screw from inside the cabinet

I'll give it a try, thanks ballenger.

Hi guys! And gails!
This takes two people to do. One person holds the door and the screwdriver on the screw. Second person uses a vice grip on the screwdriver and turn that while you hammer tap the screwdriver head do it several times and see how that does. Its like using an impact wrench to brake the screw loose. Commercially we use an hand held impact screw driver that when you hit it it does a slight twist to brake the screw loose. Be carefully not to mess up the screw head. If too much hassel drill head of like ballenger1 said

My approach takes two people also. Me holding the elctric drill and you holding my beer while I work. It always helps to have an apprentice.

Im redy to woorrrkk nnooww.:cool:
The drill works perfect until I come in and see the homer drill part of the head off and opps here goes the wood trying to recenter bit on metal. I do a lot of work on hollow metal doors and frames and old rusted hinges screw gets real tough at times. But that is a can of beer and one foreman and one project manager and one underpaid worker doing the actual Job and then he drinks many beers later:D

the screws go all the way through the door Clough, and there is no thread visible on the ones that are stuck.

If the threads go all the way through the doors, then they might be machine screws that are screwed into some kind of metal either inside the doors or on the inside surface of the doors. If that might be the case, then I would look for some kind of fastener to be present.

Thanks!

Im redy to woorrrkk nnooww.:cool:
the drill works perfect until I come in and see the homer drill part of the head off and opps here goes the wood trying to recenter bit on metal. I do alot of work on hollow metal doors and frames and old rusted hinges screw gets real tough at times. But that is a can of beer and one foreman and one project manager and one underpaid worker doing the actual Job and then he drinks many beers later:D


My partner's a project manager and a good handyman who's going to love that! If only I could get him to put his glass down long enough to actually help me with the kitchen door handles instead of offering his advice from afar.

If the threads go all the way through the doors, then they might be machine screws that are screwed into some kind of metal either inside the doors or on the inside surface of the doors. If that might be the case, then I would look for some kind of fastener to be present.

Thanks!

Thanks, Clough. The ones I've managed to extract go straight through the wood of the door... there's no metal.

Sadly to say I own the my construction business and many times I wish I was the labor and now worries that way. There is bliss in many things

But frangipanis that project mangers do manage and offer advice and he's using his best skills as qualfied person there overseeing the work at hand:p:p

Are the doors painted, inside and out, or natural wood, please?

Thanks!

Sadly to say I own the my construction business and many times I wish I was the labor and now worries that way. There is bliss in many things

But frangipanis that project mangers do manage and offer advice and he's using his best skills as qualfied person there overseeing the work at hand:p:p

He's going to love you.. lol He's already tiled my bathroom walls and is promising to do the floors in the bathroom, toilet and laundry in the next few weeks, so he's not all bad... then I get to help him paint his garage, and so it goes :)

Are the doors painted, inside and out, or natural wood, please?

Thanks!

They're natural wood, Clough.

If they're natural wood, then I would be very careful not to muck up any of the wood on the outside of the doors. I would do any drilling from the inside, and do so very gradually.

If they were painted, you could easily fill and touch things up depending on what you needed to do to extract the screws.

Thanks!

If you go to home depot they sell a kit just for this specific purpose in the hardware department

Thanks foresaken. I might have to do that since I'm still not having any luck with it using a hammer (I'm probably not doing it right) and a bit unsure about using a drill. I'll be curious to see what's in the kit.

You've successfully posted some images on another thread of this site, frangipanis.

Would it be possible for you to post some images of what you're currently dealing with concerning your kitchen cupboards on this thread?

Thanks!

Here are some photos, Clough :)

My boyfriend has since tried undoing the screws with no more luck than I had. He's asked me to wait to use his drill as the one we have wouldn't do the job properly. I might leave it with him for now, although I don't mind hearing other suggestions and will look for the kit if necessary.

That screw is beyound extraction with a standard screw driver. You could try to cut a new slot cross wise with a hacksaw but that's a pain for each screw. I would still consider using s drill bit smaller than the head but near the size of the threads and just drill out the head.

Hi, frangipanis!

In your second image of what I think you mean in the head of screw, it doesn't look like a regular head of a screw. I'm guessing that it might be a locking fastener for the end of a small rod that goes through the cupboard door or a head that isn't designed for a screwdriver in order to remove it.

As such, you may need to turn or break it in order to get the knobs off. Based upon what I'm seeing, if it were me, I would try a pair of needle nose pliers and turn or hold the knob at the same time while I tried to turn it or break it.

Thanks!

Here is a close-up of the second image that you posted.

Thanks!

Hi all..

Frangi... go purchase a large hardened steel NAIL SET and while you hold the doors firmly have your boyfriend CENTER PUNCH each screw head so it leaves a divit... or you could use a small drill bit to start a divit into the head of the each screw.

Then can step up a size or two drill bit (1/4" drill bit should do it if centered on screw head) and drill the head off... really is quite fast and simple once you get drill so it will not wobble on screw...see picture below.

Simply drill deep enough to drill through head, but not into wood door. Once you get the idea, will take 30 seconds on each screw... ;)

Last idea would be to use a die grinder with a small grinding wheel and simply grind heads off... ;) But be careful and wear safety goggles if go this route.

Good luck...

MARK

Many thanks for all the suggestions.. I'm amazed at how intricate home handyman work is... more - or at least as detailed - as embroidery work. With your ideas in mind, we'll be having another go at it this evening.

By the way, it's just a straight forward (yet immovable) screw with a washer Clough.

OK you could always buy the Billy Mays gadget advertised on TV and also sold at Walgreens. For $19.95 you get 4 screw extractors with 4 drill tips to drill your pilot hole, its called the Grabit. Grabit Pro Screw Extractor 4 Piece - Grab It GrabIt Damaged Bolt Screw Remover Extractor (http://www.asseenontvguys.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=380)

That's handy to know... thanks ballenger.

By the way, it's just a straight forward (yet immovable) screw with a washer Clough.

Thanks for the clarification, frangipanis! That wasn't clear to me, at least not on my computer monitor.

Thanks for the clarification, frangipanis! That wasn't clear to me, at least not on my computer monitor.

No problem, Clough :) Photos can be a bit misleading.

Finally done.. My boyfriend said to pass on he 'did the blokey thing and used a hammer' (but didn't get his beer).

I saw the screw removal kit that we kept in mind in case we couldn't get it sorted otherwise... it might be a handy option some other time. Helpful to know these things.

So, now that you've finally got them removed, can you see what the problem might have been?

Thanks!

Not really, Clough. The handles and screw thread had to be broken off, if that makes sense.

However, I'm about to change the kitchen sink tap... the handle fell apart yesterday and is leaking a bit. I got a replacement tape and washer a little while ago and will be trying to fix it this afternoon. As well as preparing the dining room walls for painting. It's all good fun :)

It does make sense that they had to be broken off if every other attempt failed. But, I'd still like to try to solve the mystery as to what was happening there. Just pure curiosity and a handyman's desire to learn here! :)

Do you have any images of the now, broken parts? Also, do you also now have holes in the doors where new screws can go?

I'm looking forward on the other thread for you posting images of what's happening further with your painting!

Thanks!

Oohh... I think I threw them away, Clough lol. To satisfy your curiosity, you may have been right earlier on... the screw fitted in to a metal thingy that also had to be broken off. Gosh, that's a terrible explanation, I know. Hope you get the picture.

On the tap front... someone kindly turned the water off at the main and put a new washer but the new taps I bought don't fit :( :( :( Whyyyyyy is this happening?? I now have a collection of ill-fitting taps, since I had also bought a set for the bathroom that can't be used and a silly little set of taps that look pretty, but are useless :( The taps I bought today for the kitchen sink sit on top of the gadgetry and work the tap; they can easily come off in your hand though as they aren't screwed down into anything. I would start a new thread, only I think I'll take them back along with the old tap and find the right ones!

Thanks for listening to my household woes lol.

I've painted the ceiling of the dining room and have been sanding and puttying. I might ask for ideas on decorating... and yes, I'll start a new thread for that. I've taken 'before' photos. My loungeroom is a cluttered mess at the moment... the Christmas tree is still up, amongst the entire contents of the dining room having been transferred to the living room temporarily.

Oh, and if you're still interested, I bought new door handles for the hallway rooms that look beautiful, but some aren't fitting properly. I've been told to try using detergent on the thread... (big sigh) lol.

Should have mentioned I did get all the handles fitted on to the kitchen cupboards, mostly using existing screws or new screws trimmed to fit... a few aren't fitting flat against the wood though.. they probably just need to be jiggled or something.

What the screws fit into may even have been a type of rivet. Breaking them may have been the only way to get them apart. But, you got them out, and that is the important thing.

You do know that we have some great folks on this site who are excellent with just about anything in plumbing. So, if you have a question about anything that concerns plumbing, I would suggest posting the question over in the Plumbing forum topic area. I've learned a lot in that forum topic area just by reading some of the threads.

I'll look forward to before photos from you! Would love to discuss decorating with you!

Using a lubricant on threads is good! You can also try backing a thread out just a bit to make sure that it's centered.

Thanks!