An Easy Way to Fix Loose Screws

Is it just us, or are there are a few screws around every house that are just…always loose?!

I feel like there are always those things that no matter how many times you adjust or tighten the screw, or no matter how careful you are, they never stay in place.

It can be so maddening, and sometimes it feels like there’s just nothing you can do about it.

Weeeeell, I’m here to tell you there is something you can do about those annoying loose screws, and it’s the easiest solution ever.

Are you ready for this?!

DAP Tank Bond Thread Stopper and Thread Stopper Tape

This post is sponsored by DAP.

Meet my new BFF, DAP’s Tank Bond Thread Stopper.

It’s a really easy-to-apply tape (there’s a liquid version, too!) that you can wrap around the threads of your loose screws and bolts, and it helps them catch again and holds things in place, nice and tight.

It can be used on just about every material you can think of (including metal, plastic, and wood), and it’s water and chemical-resistant, so you can use it indoors or out. It works on all types of fasteners, and it can basically solve all of your loose-screw problems!

You know I love a super simple solution to a really annoying problem, so today I thought I’d dive into how to use Tank Bond Thread Stopper and show you a few ways I’ve been using it around our house lately!

How to Fix a Loose Screw

There are two versions of Tank Bond Thread Stopper. There’s the original (which is a coating for screws) and the tape. I’ll show you how to use each of them!

Tank Bond Thread Stopper Tape

This is what I’ve been using most around my house lately, because it’s so easy to use, it’s mess-free, and it just works so well!

Here’s a quick rundown of how to use Tank Bond Thread Stopper Tape:

Make sure your screw is clean and dry.
Tear off a piece of tape and separate it from the paper backing.
Wrap the tape tightly around your screw or bolt, pulling slightly to stretch the tape and pressing it on tightly.
Wrap in the direction of the threads, about 2 times around.
Press and hold the tape in place and tear off any excess.
Screw the fastener back in as normal!

Tank Bond Thread Stopper

The original Tank Bond Thread stopper is is a liquid that you can coat your screw threads with. It’s also able to be used on virtually every surface and is removable, so it’s just another option that would be great to have around.

For this one, you’ll want to put some gloves on to avoid contact with skin, and shake it well before use. You just apply the liquid to the threads, filling them in entirely. Allow it to dry for about 30 minutes before re-installing the fastener, and clean up any excess with a paper towel!

I plan to keep both versions on hand – this one will be really great for smaller screws that might be harder to coat with the tape!

3 Ideas for using Tank Bond Thread Stopper Tape

Now that you know how to fix a loose screw, let me give you some ideas for where you could use this awesome tape. I’ll share three ways that I’ve already used it in my own house, along with a few other ideas for how it can be used.

Help loose screws in furniture stay tight

Collage of a leather dining chair and a screw with DAP Tank Bond Thread Stopper Tape

We have this one chair in our dining room that always wobbles. Always. ALWAYS!

We’ve tightened the screw in the bottom about 200 times, but it just keeps coming loose and so we’ve kind of just learned to live with a wobbly chair. I put it in a spot where we don’t sit every night, and we just roll with it.

But, when I got my Threadstop tape, I decided to see if it would help the wiggly chair. I pulled out the screw, wrapped some tape around it, and put it back into place. BAM! Just like that, no more wobbly chair.

It feels a little like magic.

Keeping toilet seats secure

Collage of images. One shows a woman holding a screw over a toilet seat lid being fixed and the other is of a yellow and white bathroom

If you have children, you’ll know the agony that is dealing with constantly-wiggly toilet seats. It can’t just be us. I feel like every few months something gets knocked loose and the seat on the kids’ toilet starts wiggling all over the place.

What are they doing in there to cause this? Do I even want to know?!

Thankfully, it’s a job that the Thread Stopper Tape can help with – just wrap a little around the loose screw and you’re good to go.

Honestly, I’m considering just wrapping some Tank Bond Thread Stopper Tape around every screw in every toilet lid in our house, just to get ahead of the issue.

Too much?!

securing loose cabinet hinges

small screw next to thread stopper tape, with an image of kitchen cabinets

This one might actually be my favorite. We have this cabinet door in our kitchen that is constantly loose. I notice it every time I close the door, but I just haven’t taken the time to do anything about it. It was due to a loose screw in the hinge, and it made my eye twitch a little on the daily.

I pulled the screw out, added some tape, and now it doesn’t catch or wobble at all anymore. Just like that!

I’ve had loose cabinet doors in just about every house I’ve ever lived in, and this is the first time I’ve actually fixed it so I definitely feel like a real grownup now!

other uses for threadstop

Securing loose door handles
Repairing sports equipment
Fixing loose anchors in the wall
Securing loose cabinet pulls or knobs
Stabilizing a loose screw in a shelf bracket
…and literally any other loose screw you can think of!

It can be used in almost any application you can think of, so the sky’s the limit, and it’s really just one of those products that I think every homeowner should have hanging out in their toolbox.

Click here to grab yourself some Tank Bond Thread Stopper Tape (and you can get the original liquid here), and go forth and secure all the fasteners in your house!