A wobbly chair, a sagging bed frame, and a flat-pack failure are different repairs. Here’s what the work actually involves, and when a specialist is the better call.

A handyman repairing a wooden cabinet drawer slide in a San Diego home workshop.

What a handyman can fix

Most furniture problems come down to three things: failed joints, worn hardware, or stripped fasteners. A handyman handles all three without specialty equipment.

Wobbly chairs and tables are the most common call. Chair legs loosen over time as the wood dries out or the glue breaks down. The fix is usually wood glue injected into the joint, clamped while it sets, and occasionally reinforced with a corner bracket. A set of four dining chairs might take two hours.

Broken drawer slides happen constantly, especially on older dressers and filing cabinets. Metal ball-bearing slides wear out; wooden slides get sticky and warp. Replacing a pair of slides is a 20-minute job once you have the right replacement parts.

Cabinet hinges strip out or bend, leaving cabinet doors hanging at an angle or refusing to close flush. Soft-close hinges can also lose their damping action over time. A handyman can replace a hinge set and realign the door in under an hour. If the screw holes are stripped, that’s a quick wood filler fix before re-drilling.

Loose joints on bed frames are a safety issue, not just an annoyance. Slat brackets work loose, side rails separate from headboards, and center support legs sink into carpet. These are all fixable with the right hardware, some wood glue where appropriate, and sometimes a heavier-duty bolt to replace the original.

Flat-pack failures deserve their own category. IKEA cam locks strip. Wayfair dowels snap. RTA furniture assembled by someone following the instructions backward develops mysterious wobbles six months later. A handyman can disassemble, reassess, and rebuild the piece correctly, often in less time than a first-time assembly attempt. See the IKEA furniture assembly cost guide for more on that work.

Stripped screw holes are the silent killer of otherwise solid furniture. Once the wood around a screw gives way, the joint never tightens properly again. The fix is a wooden toothpick or dowel plug soaked in wood glue, let it dry, then re-drill. It costs almost nothing in materials and takes five minutes once you know the trick.

Sagging bed frames are often a slat support problem. Center support legs drop, slats bow, or the ledger rail separates from the side rail. Most platform bed sagging issues can be fixed in an hour without replacing anything, just reinforcing what’s already there.

Pricing depends on the product, access, mounting surface, existing connections, and any work the professional excludes from the quoted scope. Ask for a written quote after the pro reviews photos and product details. Several pieces in one visit may change travel and setup time; that is the independent pro’s quote, not a Fix Pro rate. The furniture assembly cost guide covers how hourly versus flat-fee pricing is often structured.

What needs a specialist instead

A handyman is not the right call for everything. Knowing the difference saves you money and protects pieces worth preserving.

Upholstery work is a separate trade entirely. Refoaming cushions, respringing a couch, or reupholstering a dining chair seat requires sewing, fabric sourcing, and sometimes frame rebuilding under the fabric. An upholsterer does this; a handyman doesn’t.

Antique restoration is skilled woodworking that goes beyond repair. If a piece has provenance, it may need hand-cut joinery, period-accurate hardware, and finishing techniques that preserve value. A general handyman using modern construction adhesive on an 18th-century chair can actually reduce what the piece is worth. Get an antique restorer or furniture conservator for anything you’d consider a family heirloom.

Refinishing and stripping mean chemical stripping, grain filling, staining, and finish coats, and that’s a painter or finisher’s scope, not a handyman call. A handyman can touch up a small scratch with a furniture marker or wax fill stick, but a full refinish is a different job.

Structural veneer work on high-end furniture, like bubbling or lifting veneer on a mid-century credenza, needs heat tools and specialized clamping that most handymen don’t carry. If the veneer is small and undecorative, it can be glued and clamped. If it’s a large decorative face panel on a quality piece, call a woodworker.

For work that overlaps between furniture repair and structural wood repair, like rebuilding a damaged solid wood joint or repairing a broken table leg tenon, start with the carpentry service page.

Frequently asked questions

How much does furniture repair cost in San Diego?

If you have multiple pieces, the cost per piece usually comes down.

Is it worth repairing furniture or should I just replace it?

For solid wood furniture, repair almost always makes sense. For inexpensive flat-pack pieces, it depends. If the piece has been rebuilt once already and is failing again, replacement is probably the better call. A handyman can give you an honest opinion when they see it.

Can a handyman fix IKEA furniture that’s falling apart?

Yes. Most IKEA failures are cam lock fatigue, stripped dowel holes, or a reassembly error. All of those are fixable. If the particle board itself is swelling or delaminating from water damage, that’s a replacement situation, not a repair. The IKEA furniture assembly cost guide has more detail on that work.

What causes drawer slides to fail?

Metal slides wear out from friction over years of use. Wooden slides swell with humidity, which is common in coastal San Diego homes. Both fail faster if the drawer is overloaded or if the furniture was assembled slightly out of square. Replacing the slides is almost always cheaper than replacing the piece.

Can outdoor furniture be repaired too?

Independent local pros can quote outdoor furniture assembly and minor repairs. For rust treatment on metal frames or more extensive weathering damage, scope matters. See the outdoor furniture assembly guide for what’s typically involved.

How do I know if my furniture needs a specialist versus a handyman?

If the repair is structural (wobble, broken hardware, loose joints, stripped fasteners) it’s a handyman call. If it involves fabric, foam, antique finishes, or decorative veneer on a valuable piece, bring in the appropriate specialist. When in doubt, a quick phone conversation can tell you which direction to go.

Ready for a quote

Wobbly chairs, broken drawer slides, sagging bed frames, stripped screw holes, flat-pack rebuilds. If the problem is structural and the piece is worth keeping, a handyman can often repair it for less than a replacement costs.

Call (858) 400-4611 and we’ll match you with a pro anywhere in San Diego County.