securing a carpet door bar (chipboard floorboards)

Dill

I wonder if any DIYers out there might be able to help..
The carpet door bar between our bathroom and hallway has come undone at one end. It used to be tacked down, but the nail came undone. We then tried a screw which held it for a while, but now that's come away too.

Hopefully the photos will show what I mean



The flooring underneath is made of chipboard, which is not holding the tack or screw in place:



Any idea what the best thing to do here would be?
It's a rented flat so we can't pull up the flooring or do anything major. We just need to try and get the carpet bar to stay down so that it doesn't cut someone's foot!

Thanks!

firefox1956

Use a longer or thicker screw !!!
Make sure there are no pipes or wires where you are putting the screw of course.....
HTH

Dill

The screw is already quite long, and the thickness of it is determined by the hole in the carpet door-bar. Any thicker and it wouldn't fit through it.

Fat_Walt

Bit of pva wood glue and a couple of match sticks.

Some wood filler in the holes.

Either will allow the screw to hold.

Dill

Thankyou! So something like this

http://www.homebase.co.uk/en/homebaseuk/polycell---polyfilla-for-wood---general-repairs---medium---75g-254692#BVRatingsAnchor

- put some into the hole leaving a small gap for the screw, leave to set and then try screwing the thing in again?

TheCyclingProgrammer

I would try matchsticks and PVA first, you might not even need the glue. Wedge a few in there as tight as possible, bang them down gently with a hammer then screw in.

Lorian

I think I'd be tempted to poke in as much of a red rawl plug I could get in there and then chisel off the end. if it was my place I'd also drill another hole (through the strip too) then countersink the strip and put in an extra screw, a little closer to the end of the strip.

glasgowdan

Just phone the landlord... it's their responsibility. They should have a handyman on their books.

Marktheshark

Take the plate up, straighten it and turn it around.
Next problem.

Dill

glasgowdan wrote: »

Just phone the landlord... it's their responsibility. They should have a handyman on their books.

I'm pretty sure it'd come under "tenant's own responsibility".. Things like that usually do.


Anyway, am working on the matchsticks idea! The chipboard is not very deep, it only goes down about an inch (if that) then there's a gap. No wonder the screw can't grip anything. Using a longer one wouldn't have done anything at all.


Might try a rawl plug too.


Thanks for all your suggestions

Head_The_Ball

Dill wrote: »

The screw is already quite long, and the thickness of it is determined by the hole in the carpet door-bar. Any thicker and it wouldn't fit through it.

Another option is to use a metal drill bit one or two sizes larger than the existing hole in the carpet bar to accommodate a thicker screw.

You might need to also enlarge the recess to countersink a thicker screw.