My wife's closet has a wooden 4 drawers piece. It stands against a brick wall on one side and the bottom.

It's leaning badly away from the wall,to the side that has no external support. The drawers wooden guides barely reach them and the whole thing stands together only by thin nails.

It's becoming unusable and infuriating.

Can't afford a qualified carpenter to come look at it and fix it. Our currency just took a 35% dive this month and everybody is cash hungry/starved. Prices going bananas.

Would it be wise to straighten it up and glue it together or what can be easily done to keep it going for the next century or two?

For those who'll want me to run to the closest Home Depot, let me remind you that I'm located in Argentina.

Thank you for your time.
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can you strap it to the wall in someway to prevent it from tipping,

as in a metal strap (band) screwed or nailed to the inside where is it not visible, going from the wall to the furniture?

pics would help if possible

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pics would help if possible

I agree. This would help in seeing the problems and suggesting fixes.

Diagonal cross-brace across the back? Pulls the offending corners together.

Yes, Please post a couple of pictures.

Does it stand on legs? How big is this chest? If its available in you area I would fasten a thin sheet of something like plywood to the backside. Pull it square and use a few nails or screws to install. Maybe just put a screw in each corner pull it square and pull a piece of wire tight from corner to corner.

PL Premium is a construction cement that will glue wood to brick. Get a tube of that. Very permanent.

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Would it be wise to straighten it up and glue it together or what can be easily done to keep it going for the next century or two?

Yes, exactly what needs to be done.
Empty everything out and straighten it up reglue or renail (actually both).
If some support is needed add some plywood to the back or a piece of wood or metal.

Good Luck.

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Would it be wise to straighten it up and glue it together

Absolutely some of the modern glues are amazing. Just do a little research on the net for the correct glue for the job.

Is the back of the piece open or is there a cover on it?
If the back is not covered, or if the cover is not nailed on well, then attaching/fixing a thin sheet of paneling on the back that is attached to the top, bottom and both sides will help square it up.

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Originally posted by smschulz:

quote:

Would it be wise to straighten it up and glue it together or what can be easily done to keep it going for the next century or two?

Yes, exactly what needs to be done.
Empty everything out and straighten it up reglue or renail (actually both).
If some support is needed add some plywood to the back or a piece of wood or metal.

Good Luck.

^^^This. My bet is it has no back on it, and adding a piece of say 1/4 inch plywood, glued, screwed, or nailed to the back should both square it up and support it.

Yes, gluing it together square, then gluing (and tacking) the back back on is a great idea. Laying it flat on the kitchen table, using heavy twine, tightened with a stick, like a tourniquet (assuming you have no clamps) will pull it tightly together. Back in the day, fixing stuff was standard practice.

When you reset it in the closet use a shim(s) to make it sit level. Even a spot of glue on the shims is not a bad idea.

Will try to post pics soon.

Back is open but the piece is nailed to the wall, now twisted and remaining firmly twisted.

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I would simply lay it face down on the floor and nail a piece of 1/4" plywood to the back, to square it up. I would not use glue in the casework itself. If in any doubt about the "sqaureness", measure the diagonals from corner to corner. When they are equal, it is square. Then, if you want, glue the case to the brick wall. You may need shims under the cabinet if the brick wall is out of plumb.
 

This thing actually has a single side and a top. Will have to look closely how it is fixed at the base. The other side is just a few sticks.

Photos. Need photos. From multiple angles, if possible. Even small/lo-res.

Glue (I'd tend toward Gorilla Glue for wood) and screw or nail might do it. Or might not. Need photos.