i am moving out of my place soon and need to fix the loose hinge of a cabinet. The holes for the screws got larger. I tried putting that green plastic thing in the holes, but the wood is too thin and the plastic thing doesn't hold. So i am thinking if gluing little pueces of wood inside to shrink the hole. i will need some glue that can hold the wood. I have been to a few carpentry stores but they seem to understand what i mean and keep referring me to that green plastic thing.

Anyone knows where i can find any of that type of glue? or if you have any tips on fixing those holes?

BQ has a wood glue (like white Elmers) that should work. 13rmb for a medium sized tube. In the painting section on aisle with the caulk. Called Timberwork Construction Adhesive.

I bet any of the contact glues in Carrefour or Walmart would do the job to. There is a clear Pattex contact glue either carries for around 15rmb for a small tube. This is usually in the hardware aisle next to lighting. Though general contact glue isn't going to be as strong; possibly not strong enough for continual use on cabinet door hinges. But BQ is kinda far.

Rather than gluing more wood, I'd probably just glue the screw, plastic dowels, and anything else all in the holes. Try to find a way to clamp it or brace it. Both the wood glue and contact require hours for setting (12+ hours is the recommended time for wood glue)

Also, you might just bypass the original holes or buy new sets of hinges if glue don't work. You can use a hand screw driver for most cheap soft particle board Chinese cabinets are made of.

If alignment isn't critical, I have used a match on each side of the hole. The screw crushes them to the side. Matches will also glue nicely.

White wood glue is available at many places and comes in big pots of nearly a litre. Price is dirt cheap at something like 15 RMB per pot. You can buy it at B&Q as well of the Pattex brand from local supplier Panda.

The more useful and waterproof polyurethane glue I never found in China.

But what I would recommend for the job, and many other jobs, is the two components "Modified Acrylate Adhesive" sold under the type name "302" here. Dirt cheap and multipurpose and hardens out in minutes. No need to glue in wood bits either just plaster the stuff in. Big tubes come for as little as 5RMB.

It is best bought in these hole in the wall building supplies shops you find in many streets who sell paint brushes, cheap (and crap) extension wires and things like that.

PS:
SuperGlue (Cyano-acrylate) is sold here as "502" and cost nothing compared with western prices. Tubes at 1 RMB and small bottles at 3RMB. Not suitable for the job as described above however.

Elmer's Glue is a water soluble glue. That's the same glue carpenters commonly use. I have seen a "similar inexpensive white glue" that comes in small (about 1 to 2-ounce) soft squeezable plastic bottles in the stationery section of large supermarkets or in stationery stores. School kids use this glue to fabricate school projects.

Plastic anchors are too slippery for the wood side and split up if you apply too much pressure/friction on the screw contact side. Your idea of filling the hole with some wood is the correct solution. Screws for common cabinet door hinges are likely only #6's to #8's, unless you are dealing with a huge door and screw sizes of #12 and larger. Make sure you are using screws for wood and not metal. For small size screws, I don't think it's necessary to glue the splinters of wood to the hole. As tigertiger has suggested, wooden match ends can be used to fill the hole. But matches nowadays, even if you can find some, are usually made with very soft wood and will not do much good. Instead, I have used wooden toothpicks to do the job (I suppose bamboo toothpicks "may" also work). Just PACK THE ENTIRE HOLE with the toothpicks before applying screw. The toothpicks will compress as the screw moves in. The friction alone will bind the screw to the toothpicks and the toothpicks to the hole in the wood panel.

All corner stores sell superglue for 1 RMB.
Try that :)

Getting wood screws here is a bitch. Most are drywall screws. These are too sharp to use with wood and tear out easily. They can even tear out with tightening. That could be the root cause of your problem.

The best I have found so far in China is chipboard screws. I have only found these in the little packets in B&Q. It has chipboard screw written on the packet. If it is for a hinge, remember to look out for countersunk screws. The round heads will stop the hinge from closing.

Buying in little packets is relatively expensive, but cheaper than travelling all over the city looking for what you need.

Superglue for laowai's is a bit more expensive ;-)

Great suggestions and information. I went to small tools shops, supermarkets and B&Q yesterday and got a bit of everything. I will give it a go tonight. Thanks all.

Haha, did you spend more than the cabinet was worth? :)

I ask, only cause I almost did this for a project once, especially upon arriving at BQ. Agreed though, really a lot of great advice on this forum.