My kitchen chair had been wobbling for six months. Every time a guest sat in it, I’d say “oh that one’s a little loose” and gesture toward a different chair. Eventually I had three wobbly chairs and ran out of good ones to offer people.

I assumed fixing them required new hardware or serious woodworking skills. My neighbor, who builds furniture as a hobby, looked at one and said: “You just need glue and a clamp. Twenty bucks, maybe.”

He was right. Here’s how to do it.

Step one: Take it apart — but carefully

A wobbly chair is usually wobbly because the glue joints have failed. Wood expands and contracts with humidity, and over time the original glue gives way. The joint is still there — it’s just loose.

Gently wiggle the loose leg or rung until it comes free. If it’s too tight to remove by hand, tap it with a rubber mallet. Don’t use a metal hammer directly on the wood — you’ll dent it.

Once the joint is apart, clean out the old glue. Sandpaper wrapped around a dowel or just a folded piece of sandpaper will get into the socket. You want bare wood — new glue doesn’t stick to old glue.

Glue, clamp, wait

Use wood glue — not super glue, not epoxy. Titebond Original is the standard. Apply it to both the tenon (the peg part) and inside the mortise (the hole). Push the joint together, wipe off the squeeze-out with a damp cloth, and clamp it tight.

You need a clamp that spans the full width of the chair. A bar clamp or pipe clamp is ideal. If you don’t own one, most hardware stores rent them, or you can use a ratchet strap in a pinch — wrap it around the chair legs and tighten.

Wait at least 24 hours before using the chair. Wood glue reaches full strength in 24 hours at room temperature. Sitting on it after four hours might hold, but why risk it.

If the joint is really loose

Sometimes the tenon has shrunk and doesn’t fit snugly anymore. In that case, add a thin wood shim or even a toothpick coated in glue into the mortise before reassembling. The toothpick fills the gap and gives the glue more surface area to grab.

I fixed all three chairs in one afternoon, mostly waiting for glue to dry. Total cost: one bottle of wood glue ($7) and one bar clamp ($15). The clamp is reusable. My guests now sit wherever they want, and I’ve stopped apologizing for my furniture.