You can buy absolutely anything on the Internet today, including replacement furniture parts. If a leg on your couch breaks, odds are that in a few days you can just replace it.
What to do until then is the question. If you continue to sit on it with a broken leg, you risk damaging the couch even more because the frame will be uneven. A quick repair, however, will let you continue to use it while you’re waiting for the new part.
We compiled some ways to do this into this handy little guide. We even explored whether you can skip replacing the broken leg with a new one and we hope you find it of use.
5 Methods to fix a broken couch leg
(*5*)The best way to repair your couch leg will depend on how the leg is broken. So, the first step to fixing it is to determine how it’s broken and what is the best way to repair it.
Dowel method
If the leg is cracked or splintered, you’ll want to get a wooden dowel and some wood glue to repair it. Take the leg out of the frame. Next, remove the nut at its top.
Pry apart any cracks or splinters with a putty knife and apply wood glue. Drill a 3/8” hole perpendicular to the hole and coat the inside of it with glue. Tap the dowel in gently with a hammer and allow it to dry for at least two hours.
Cut off exposed ends of doweling with a coping saw, sand it, and color it the same color as the leg.
The bolt should be screwed back into the top of your leg. Next, attach the leg to the couch frame.
Reinsert the T-nut
You might find that the problem isn’t actually with your leg, but with the part of the frame that your leg is screwed into. The T-nut can become loose if it is subject to heavy use.
Tip your couch on its back and try to knock the T-nut back into place. Then screw the leg back in. This might work.
If not, you’ll need to replace the T-nut. That’s also pretty simple. Just pry the old one out with a screwdriver and tap the new one in. Place the new one.
Screw from the bottom
If your leg has sheared off and you need a stopgap solution while waiting on a new set to arrive, you can screw the leg back together from the bottom.
We’d recommend only doing this if you plan to replace the legs and only while you are waiting for the new set to arrive. After they arrive, you can swap the old ones for the repaired ones.
A reason for doing this is because a broken couch leg could leave the entire piece with an uneven frame, which could damage the couch itself.
Glue
Not all damage is going to require substantial effort. You might have a couch leg that s small piece has chipped off. This is damage that probably won’t affect the structural strength of the leg, but might be noticeable if you look at it.
If the couch leg’s damage is more superficial than severe, go ahead and just glue it back together. Make sure you allow it to dry completely before reattaching the leg to the couch.
Replace them
A final way to fix a broken couch leg is to just replace all the legs.
This is an especially good option if your couch legs are pretty generic or you don’t mind a new set of generic legs. A new set isn’t terribly expensive, so you might want to just do this rather than invest a lot of time repairing something that’s broken.
Should you replace a broken couch leg or try to fix it?
(*5*)The question of whether to replace or repair always comes down to the point of diminishing returns. That is, how much time and expense will it take to replace the legs versus how much time and expense it is to repair them.One thing to keep in mind, however, is that a broken couch leg is an unsafe couch leg.
You probably won’t get seriously injured if your couch leg breaks while you’re sitting on it, but a broken leg does throw the couch frame out of balance. Sitting on a couch with an uneven frame might damage the couch.
If the break is pretty clean and doesn’t require repairing the leg at an angle, it might be easier, faster, and cheaper to repair it.
How much does it cost to fix a broken couch leg?
Because couch legs are pretty simple things, repairing them doesn’t require anything very complicated. There might be parts left over from other projects that can be used to repair the couch legs.
Repairing something is also not supposed to be more complicated and expensive than replacing it. If you do some research on replacement parts for your couch legs and find that buying a set of legs is cheaper than buying repair parts, ask yourself why you’re repairing it in the first place.
A basic set of replacement couch legs might run you anywhere from $20 to $45. Make sure you’re not spending more than that on tools and parts to repair it.
Can you change the legs on a couch?
(*5*)Most couches were designed so that you can remove the legs on a couch pretty easily. This makes them easier to move in and out of homes with awkward corners and narrow openings. So, yes, for the most part, you can change the legs on a couch.It is easy to change the legs. Screw in the new legs by unscrewing the old ones. You’ll want to measure the bolt to make sure that it’ll fit into the threads of your couch frame. Often, the frame’s top part is open to accommodate lots of different thread lengths.
Once you’ve removed the old legs, just screw in the old ones. Unless your couch leg breaks while you’re in the process of moving it. Then you might just want to wait until you’ve moved into your new place to screw them in.
FAQ:
Q: How can I fix a broken couch leg?
A: You can try to fix a broken couch leg by using glue, screws, nails, or brackets to reattach or reinforce the leg. You can also use a splint, a dowel, or a metal rod to join the broken pieces together.
Q: How can I replace a broken couch leg?
A: You can replace a broken couch leg by buying a new one that matches the size, shape, and style of the original leg or by making one yourself from wood, metal, or plastic.
Q: How can I prevent a couch leg from breaking?
A: You can prevent a couch leg from breaking by avoiding excessive weight, movement, or impact on the couch, such as jumping, bouncing, or dragging.
Q: How can I hide a broken couch leg?
A: You can hide a broken couch leg by using a couch cover, a skirt, a blanket, or a pillow to cover the leg. You can also place the couch against a wall or a corner to conceal the leg.
Conclusion
If a leg on your couch breaks, it doesn’t have to mean giving up on it until you can replace the leg. With some items you have around the house, or can get at a local hardware store, you can repair that leg.
You might not even need to replace it. After you assess the damage, you might decide that you can live with a repair rather than a replacement. If you like the legs of your couch, that should be a relief.
We hope you found value in this guide on how to fix a broken couch leg. If you did, or feel like we overlooked another simple fix, feel free to say so in a comment down below. We’d also invite you to share this article on your social media networks.
