Without furniture we'd be sitting on the floor, surrounded by food, dishes, and an assortment of appliances and utensils. Wood furniture holds the things in our lives. Fortunately, furniture doesn't just fall apart; it gives warnings. And most furniture and kitchen cabinets can easily be repaired -- if you know how.

How Does It Work?

Wood furniture is a broad category of living equipment around your home. It includes chairs, tables, beds, desks, and free-standing cabinets. Because built-in kitchen and bathroom cabinets are similar in design and repair, we'll cover them here, too.

A touch-up stick is useful for filling in small gouges.

The components of wood furniture and cabinets include doors, shelves, drawers, frame, and finish. A furniture door is a swinging or sliding barrier that opens or closes to offer access; doors are attached with hinges and some use hardware to make opening them easier. A shelf is a thin, flat component fastened at intervals within the cabinet. A drawer is a sliding box or receptacle opened by pulling out and closed by pushing in; it uses runners or tracks on the bottom or side to allow movement. The furniture frame is functional, holding components together, and the finish is decorative and protective.

What Can Go Wrong?

Doors sag, stick, or refuse to close properly. Glass panels in doors get broken. Sliding cabinet and furniture doors stick and bind. Shelves sag. Drawers stick due to humidity or damage, or because glides need fixing. Furniture joints become loose. Cracks and splits appear. Wood surfaces get burned, scratched, gouged, and damaged by moisture. Veneer blisters and separates.

Fix-It Tip

Humidity--moist air--is the enemy of wood, especially fitted wood. Wood absorbs moisture and expands or dries out and contracts. As it does so, furniture doors, drawers, and other surfaces either don't fit snugly or they fit too snugly. The solution is to live in an area of moderate humidity, to equip your sealed home with humidifiers and dehumidifiers, or to buy plastic furniture. Alternately, you can select furniture that doesn't have precise fits and uses metal glides, and make sure the surface is well-sealed against moisture.