How to Glue a Stool Together

Carefully plan your repair before applying wood glue.

Wood stools are a beautiful addition to your kitchen or at-home bar, but over time the legs of the stool may become loose. Repairing a loose or broken stool can be done using a polyvinyl acetate wood glue and woodworking clamps. Wood glues are available in both polyvinyl acetate (PVA) and polyurethane glues. Polyurethane glues expand as they dry and may cause the feet of your stool to become unbalanced.

Things You'll Need

• PVA wood glue
• Wood clamps
• Sandpaper, 200-grit
• Level

Instructions

1. Sand the slots under the seat of the stool with the sandpaper to remove residue from the original glue.

2. Apply the wood glue inside of the holes. Make sure to coat the bottom and sides of the slots well.

3. Insert the ends of the stool legs into the slots and clamp them securely to the base using the wood clamps.

4. Stand the stool upright and place the level on the seat. Make any adjustments to the legs to level the stool before the wood glue dries. Allow the glue to dry for 24 hours prior to use.

Tips & Warnings

• Test the positioning of the legs by clamping them in place prior to securing them with glue. Wood glue can only be removed with denatured alcohol once it has dried.

References

• Woodweb; The Wood Doctor's Dissertation On Wood Glues, From A to Z.; Types and Properties of Woodworking Adhesives; Gene Wengert
• American Woodworker: Kitchen Stool
• Woodweb: Glue Choices For Chairs And Stools