Chairs generally consist of three sections: the front leg assembly, the rear leg or back assembly plus the stretchers and seat rails that connect the two. wouldn't you know it. It's a solid method and properly executed, it's literally as strong as it was new. People usually find it hard to fix a recliner footrest primarily because they don’t know how to fix a recliner footrest at home. Some chairs and tables are fitted together with a piece of wood (dowel rod) that runs from one leg to another. So your repair has to be STRONGER in that area than just the plastic alone. On these chairs, they all happened to be loose on the sides of the back support and the cross members of the legs. Flip the chair back up and try your better than new footrest locking mechanism. While ensuring the centre hole is in the right position where the screws will hold the brace, mark the exact outline of the bracket. Thank You, Thank You, Thank You. For the joint that doesn’t want to give up, you may need hot water. If the chair arm broke from just using it or leaning on it, it's likely that it broke right at the point where the maximum force is exerted. I took it home and saw that it was originally a mortise and tenon, but someone had done a repair on it and used dowels and just cut and the the tenon in the mortise. It's worth mentioning that this repair method applies to more than just a broken stretcher - this technique is the correct way to repair many furniture breaks including chair back spindles and legs, table legs and more. Steps to Fix: Rear Seat Support (Bar or Leg) Won't Retract (Stay Flat With Seat Up) ... Rear Seat Support (Bar or Leg) Won't Retract (Stay Flat With Seat Up) That's is probably one of the bests posts I have seen on a do it yourself repair! Position the L-bracket as if it’s to fix the chair’s leg to its frame. But you can certainly fix it if you’re aware of the footrest’s mechanism and if you’ve got all the required tools and parts.No wonder, it’s annoying when the recliner’s footrest starts malfunctioning and your lazy boy recliner footrest stuck. In case our written guide isn’t enough for visual learners, provided below is a video from Pete Medek the “Recliner Repair Guy.” This video is tailored specifically towards the Lazy Boy 3 position locking mechanism, which we referred to as a ratchet. In total I probably did 4 layers on the small repairs and 5-6 layers on the biggest repair, sanding in between layers. There were 4 legs in total that required attention. Then I mixed up some more filler and applied a second layer. It might prove beneficial to mark through the marked circles for an easy approximation of the exact centre for the screw to get drilled. A chair leg will most certainly work the tnut loose and even a threaded insert would most likely work loose over time from the forces of the chair leg. The dowels are glued into holes cut into the legs. Save Share. I measured a good chair leg to see how wide it was so I could match the same width on my repairs. If you remove just one dowel, you risk splitting or cracking the others. When a dowel rod becomes loose, you can’t simply take it out and reglue it. Plastics do not epoxy well, and epoxy is never good at joints that get torsion or flex, so epoxy was a poor choice on both counts. Knock the chair apart one section at a time with a rubber tipped mallet. Once the dowel is exposed, drill a … My Father in law asked me this weekend to fix his 40 year old chair that had a loosened front leg. The joints on this chair came apart easily. As it was new up, you risk splitting or cracking the others to through! Give up, you can ’ t simply take it out and reglue it second.... 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