How to Mend a Broken Slat on a Chair

Repair a broken Adirondack chair slat instead of replacing the entire chair.

Adirondack chairs and other wooden chair styles have wooden slats comprising the seat and the chair back. The seat slats are especially prone to cracking and breaking following an impact or improper use, such as standing on the chair. Older furniture items and outdoor chairs tend to be more prone to damage. Rather than replacing the entire chair, mend the broken slat.

Things You'll Need

• Screw gun
• Socket wrench
• Pencil
• Plywood
• Face mask
• Protective eyewear
• Saw
• Wood glue
• Woodworking clamp
• Medium-grit sandpaper
• Sanding block
• Newspaper
• Polyurethane, stain or paint
• Paintbrush or clean lint-free rag

Instructions

1. Remove the screws that are attaching the broken slat to the chair. Use a screw gun with the appropriate head attachment. If there is an "X" on the screw head, use a Phillips-head attachment. If there is just one line extending across the screw head, use a flathead attachment. The screws may be located on top of the slat, or they may be accessible from the bottom of the chair. If the slat is attached with nuts and bolts, use a socket wrench to unfasten the nuts.

2. Place the broken slat pieces together and position them on top of a piece of plywood. Trace along both sides of the slat to mark its width.

3. Don a face mask and protective eyewear.

4. Cut the plywood into a strip using the pencil marks as a guide. Cut it to a length that is about 6 inches longer than the fractured area.

5. Remove your protective eyewear and face mask.

6. Apply wood glue to the fractured area on both pieces of the broken slat.

7. Place the slat pieces together and tighten a woodworking clamp around the fracture to hold the wood in place while the glue dries. Consult the product packaging for the recommended drying time.

8. Don protective eyewear and a face mask.

9. Sand the fracture line on the mended slat and sand the strip of plywood with medium-grit sandpaper placed over a sanding block.

10. Place the plywood strip on the back side of the slat. The wood strip must be aligned with and parallel to the slat. Position the fracture at the center of the plywood strip.

11. Run two small screws through the strip and into the mended slat. Position the screws 1 inch in from each end of the strip, which will serve as a patch to support the fractured area.

12. Remove your protective eyewear.

13. Spread a section of newspaper over the top of the work bench. Put the mended slat on top of the newspaper.

14. Apply stain with a clean, lint-free rag or paint on a coat of polyurethane or paint with a paintbrush so the mended portion of slat and patch will match the rest of the chair. Allow the finish to dry thoroughly.

15. Reinstall the slat on the chair, with the wood patch facing the bottom or back of the chair. Use a screw gun to run screws through the screw holes on the frame and into the slat. If the slat is attached with a nut and bolt, use a socket wrench to fasten the nut.

Tips & Warnings

• A number of different saw types are suitable for this project, including circular saws, table saws, jigsaws and hand saws.

• If the broken slat is on the chair back and the chair back will be visible, consider using the same wood type instead of plywood, particularly if the wood will be stained or covered with polyurethane. If you're unsure about the wood type, bring it to the hardware store and compare it to the various woods or ask the staff to identify the wood.

• The screws must be long enough to go through the plywood and into the slat, but they should not go all the way through the slat. If you accidentally run a screw all the way through the slat, cut off the tip of the screw and apply a bit of wood putty over the region.