Now my dishwasher have worked out the screws holding it to the counter. the problem is this. The screw holes are 2 times bigger than the screws. I can't get bigger screws because they don't make them that wide and as short as I need them. The counter top is effing particle board so it has ZERO holding power what the hell do I do to fix this. I ma hoping I can move the metal straps to put them in a new position. I will try to get pictures of the problem.
You can try filling the blown out areas with epoxy glue and pre-drill and reinstall the screws. I say pre-drill so the hardened epoxy doesn't break. Alternative, use a bigger screw and glue the screw right in place with the epoxy. Yeah particle board sucks but it is standard substrate for counter tops.
What about putting some of those inserts they sell for drywall in the holes, maybe with some silicone at the bottom of the hole?
Ditto on the epoxy glue. That or if you have the room, fix a strap of metal across the bottom of the countertop. Then reset the dw screws through the metal, might hold a bit longer.
They make rubber inserts with a sell threaded core. As you tighten the screw or bolt it presses the rubber into the cavity. Believe they are called threaded nutserts. I use them all the time.
I had thought about drilling it out say 1/2" wide as deep as I could go then epoxying a predrilled hardwood dowel into place and then attaching it that way.
Might not be the right or best way but in my last house I had a similar issue. I cut out the partical board where the screws went, then glued in some plywood blocks. After it all cured remounted the dishwasher, never had a problem in the next six years I owned the house.
The only problem I see in this is you would be screwing into the end grain of the dowel. would work I'm sure for quite a while, but end grain doesn't hold screws as well as long grain. The plywood block idea would work if you can cut the area out cleanly enough for a good fit. Doc, I never heard of the nutserts, I'll have to try to search them out and take a look. Tango, thinking more about it, the dowel idea doesn't sound too bad. I would use at least a 3/4" dowel, find a 3/4" "forstner bit". they drill a very nice flat bottom hole. Wrap a piece of tape around the shaft of the bit to mark your depth, so you don't drill through the counter top, cause that would really piss you off! Also I would look for a hard wood dowel, preferably oak, it's harder and will hold the screw better. Good luck, I can foresee cussing when you try to drill a nice neat hole into a blown-out area of particle board. The bits gonna wobble and jump around. Once it starts you'll be alright though.
I don't think a nutsert would work here as they need to expand to hold themselves in place and particle board doesn't offer much strength in that area. If it were me I would probably go with the plywood, you could make a strip to glue on which could offer a bit more support then the dowl. You may have to rework the metal hangers but as soft as they are it shouldn't be a problem.
How long are the straps. Some are longer than others. Can you pull the washer out from underneath the counter and drill new holes in the straps further back toward the bend. Another option is to buy mending plates from the hardware store and screw them to the underside of the counter. Then use short sheet metal screws to attach the straps back to the bottom of the counter.
I need to get the DW out from under the counter to see what I can do. I am thinking something like a furring strip of plywood gorilla glued and nailed in place. Just not sure how thick the substrate is under the laminate.
Why not use some staples? They will hold well in the particle board and not want to split it like a nail or a screw would.
I've had this issue before--there are several brands of epoxy "putty" out there that work great. Looks like standard putty but is two part--break off how much you need, kneed it around until it warms up, clean out the holes and press it in. It will harden in an hour or so--then drill a pilot hole and screw the braces back in. Sometimes you may have to screw in some smaller screws in the opening before putting in the putty if the hole is bigger to provide grip for the putty to set. Works every time.
Tango, A counter top is typically one sheet of 3/4" particle board with 2" or so strips around the perimiter, so the edge that you normally would screw into for the DW is 1 1/2" thick, the rest is 3/4". You may be able to just screw into the bottom of the counter a little further over from the origional spot, through a different part of the strap.
