Sagging cupboard

[jbrain]

I bought some antique oak cupboards/cabinets which are sagging in the middle.

The cupboards are about 1.50m wide and 2.50m high, and in three parts. It is the base part that is sagging mainly due to the fact that it has only legs on the 4 corners i guess.

Would it be possible to repair them by just jacking them up in the middle, using a car jack, and put a support leg under or does someone knows the correct way ?

[trogers]

Get a joiner (a furniture carpenter, and not a building carpenter) to add a bracing frame using 1"x2" timber. add 2 more legs in the bottom middle should you be placing heavy loads in the cupboard.

[jbrain]

Get a joiner (a furniture carpenter, and not a building carpenter) to add a bracing frame using 1"x2" timber. add 2 more legs in the bottom middle should you be placing heavy loads in the cupboard.

I understand that a bracing frame is to prevent further sagging, and which may be useful after it has been straighten again, but my question in particular was how I can get it straight again first.

Will a jack up be adequate or will I have to take other measures for that.

[Pib]

I bought a cheap coffee table supported by legs on the corners and it started to sag in the middle after a few months. Problem resolved by adding two legs in the middle, but I recessed the two additive legs inward several inches from the edges which made them hard to see and improved support....sagging gone. Bought the metal legs at HomePro...got lucky as they were the exact same height as the 4 metal legs that came with the coffee table.

[trogers]

Get a joiner (a furniture carpenter, and not a building carpenter) to add a bracing frame using 1"x2" timber. add 2 more legs in the bottom middle should you be placing heavy loads in the cupboard.

I understand that a bracing frame is to prevent further sagging, and which may be useful after it has been straighten again, but my question in particular was how I can get it straight again first.

Will a jack up be adequate or will I have to take other measures for that.

Sag is permanent due to elongation of wood fibres. But adding a bracing frame and 2 extra legs at the middle, the cupboard under load should resume its original profile.

[jbrain]

Get a joiner (a furniture carpenter, and not a building carpenter) to add a bracing frame using 1"x2" timber. add 2 more legs in the bottom middle should you be placing heavy loads in the cupboard.

I understand that a bracing frame is to prevent further sagging, and which may be useful after it has been straighten again, but my question in particular was how I can get it straight again first.

Will a jack up be adequate or will I have to take other measures for that.

Sag is permanent due to elongation of wood fibres. But adding a bracing frame and 2 extra legs at the middle, the cupboard under load should resume its original profile.

Sorry Trogers, but English isn't my first language, so I'm getting a little confused with what you say.

First you say the sagging is permanent, so irreversible in my understanding.

Then you say, with adding the bracing frame and legs the cupboard should resume it's original profile. Which I understand as retake or recapture, or do you mean keep it's current shape and doesn't sag further?

Can you please explain what you mean with the latter, and how this works .

Edited October 7, 2013 by jbrain

[trogers]

The support of the timber frame and extra legs will push the bottom board back up, meaning the board will be compressed.

[wpcoe]

I bought a cheap coffee table supported by legs on the corners and it started to sag in the middle after a few months. Problem resolved by adding two legs in the middle, but I recessed the two additive legs inward several inches from the edges which made them hard to see and improved support....sagging gone. Bought the metal legs at HomePro...got lucky as they were the exact same height as the 4 metal legs that came with the coffee table.

This may sound stupid, but what area/department of HomePro did you find those metal legs? I've been looking for some short ones, and can't find any.

[wooloomooloo]

I've had many a sagging flange but not technical enough minded to find a solution.

[jbrain]

The support of the timber frame and extra legs will push the bottom board back up, meaning the board will be compressed.

Would only adding the extra legs not have the same result ?

These are French antique's which were well built , and I reckon that it has a full frame under the base, but those days timbers were joined together and glued.

I ask because that is something I could manage myself, while for the extra frame I would need a carpenter, and my experience with carpenters here is that it will cost me more than buying another cabinet .

Edited October 8, 2013 by jbrain

[wayned]

The addition of the legs of the same length in the center should work, but after you do it the cabinet mos tlikely will be unstable since the center has drooped. You night have to put some heavy weights in each end of the cabinet until it settles and all 6 legs are on the floor.

[mad mary]

You have Antique French Oak Cabinets and you want to throw a carjack under them & knock up some wooden legs in the middle ? Sacrebleu!!!

[Crossy]

You have Antique French Oak Cabinets and you want to throw a carjack under them & knock up some wooden legs in the middle ? Sacrebleu!!!

My thoughts too, surely part of the appeal of antique furniture is the way that it has aged gracefully (unlike me)

[jbrain]

You have Antique French Oak Cabinets and you want to throw a carjack under them & knock up some wooden legs in the middle ? Sacrebleu!!!

My thoughts too, surely part of the appeal of antique furniture is the way that it has aged gracefully (unlike me)

My understanding is that graceful aging , sagging in this case, goes on until it has reached it's limit and cracks. Which I wouldn't consider graceful anymore.

[mad mary]

You have Antique French Oak Cabinets and you want to throw a carjack under them & knock up some wooden legs in the middle ? Sacrebleu!!!

My thoughts too, surely part of the appeal of antique furniture is the way that it has aged gracefully (unlike me)

My understanding is that graceful aging , sagging in this case, goes on until it has reached it's limit and cracks. Which I wouldn't consider graceful anymore.

I don't think you understand .You have these antiques and you want to butcher them with a bit of ad hoc D.I.Y? What did you pay for them & what are they worth?

I wouldn't touch them ,i'd get them valued & then either sell them or get them restored by a proper craftsman .Failing that buy some french antique books & use them to prop up the saggy middle at least them you couldn't be accused of not trying to keep with theme!!!

[jbrain]

You have Antique French Oak Cabinets and you want to throw a carjack under them & knock up some wooden legs in the middle ? Sacrebleu!!!

My thoughts too, surely part of the appeal of antique furniture is the way that it has aged gracefully (unlike me)

My understanding is that graceful aging , sagging in this case, goes on until it has reached it's limit and cracks. Which I wouldn't consider graceful anymore.

I don't think you understand .You have these antiques and you want to butcher them with a bit of ad hoc D.I.Y? What did you pay for them & what are they worth?

I wouldn't touch them ,i'd get them valued & then either sell them or get them restored by a proper craftsman .Failing that buy some french antique books & use them to prop up the saggy middle at least them you couldn't be accused of not trying to keep with theme!!!

Adding a bracing frame or a few extra legs can hardly be called butchering I would say, as these interventions will not be visible .

I also didn't buy them to sell, but rather to embellish my living space .