How tight is tight enough?

Snug, then a fraction more. If it creaks or squeaks, you have gone past it.

Over-tightening breaks more things around a house than under-tightening. In wood, the screw threads simply chew out the fibers and the fixing spins uselessly. In ready-to-assemble furniture, the cam fittings crush the chipboard around them. In plumbing, over-tightening a compression fitting distorts the olive and makes the leak worse.

For most household fixings the rule is to run the screw down until it just meets resistance, then give it a small additional turn to seat it. If you are using a cordless driver, set the clutch low and finish the last part by hand so you can feel the change.

Anywhere a genuine torque figure matters, such as wheel nuts, cylinder heads, bicycle stems or anything carrying a person, use a calibrated torque wrench and the manufacturer figure. Feel is not a substitute for a specification on a safety-critical fastener.

Part of the Stalwart guides. See all guides.