Furniture

When choosing furniture for your entryway, think about what it needs to do every day. This area gets a lot of wear and tear from shoes, bags, and the weather. Look for pieces made from solid, sturdy materials like real wood or thick metal. A bench with a solid frame will last much longer than one made from flimsy particleboard. Before you buy, check all the joints and corners. They should feel tight and secure, not wobbly. A little bit of extra strength when you first pick out your furniture can prevent a lot of repairs later on.

A common fix for wobbly legs or loose joints is as simple as tightening screws. Over time, the wood can dry out and shrink, making connections loose. Keep a screwdriver handy and give all the visible screws on your entryway table, bench, or coat rack a gentle tighten every few months. If a screw just spins and won’t tighten, it may have stripped its hole. A quick fix is to remove the screw, dip a wooden toothpick in a bit of wood glue, and push it into the hole. Break off the extra, let the glue dry, and then put the screw back in. The toothpick gives the screw new wood to grip, making the joint strong again.