Cabinet draw rests in open position
Cabinet draws after ten years of use comes to rest in open position. Is it time for new slides or can they be adjusted? Thought about installing magnets, but it appears they would hang up on items in the draw and it would get stuck closed.
All suggestions welcome. Thanks.
Replies
Is this a built-in cabinet, or a piece of furniture? The basic problem is that the drawer slides are tilted forward slightly, so the drawer naturally runs "downhill" to the open position. If this is a piece of furniture the simple expedient of placing shims (eg, several pieces of cardboard) under the front legs may fix it. For a built-in, though, this obviously is not possible (though you might examine for some structural change that has resulted in a forward tilt).
Normally the drawer slides have a slight "bump" in the track that helps hold them closed. Either this bump is worn out or the tilt is too severe for the bump to be effective. The tilt can occur as the slides wear out, or due to the weight of the drawer (and possibly some heavy-handed users) bending the slides or causing them to slip where they're fastened to the cabinet.
I'd suggest you first remove the drawer and examine the slides. Look for the "bumps" in the tracks and clean any build-up around them that may be hampering their effectiveness. Examine where the tracks are fastened to the sides of the cabinets and the sides/bottoms of the drawers -- are they loose such that they move up and down easily, eg? If a slide is loose in the cabinet, you want to tighten it with the back end (farthest from the drawer front) pushed down as low as possible. (If the slide is loose consider inserting a thumb tack or small nail to hold the back end down.)
If the slides are too worn (or bent) they can be replaced, but finding an exact replacement may be difficult, and often cabinet construction limits the applicability of "generic" slides. Invention is often required.
Remove the drawer and check the mounting screws on the slides. Sometimes, when first installed, screws are placed in the elongated mounting holes when adjusting the slides but screws, forgetfully, don't get placed in the non elongated holes after adjustments are made. The weight of the drawer may cause the slides to tip out of adjustment.
Today, self closing slides are becoming common. If the outside measurements of your drawer are 1" - 1 1/16" less than the opening, you could use these newer type slides. Allowances for side mounted slides haven't changed in many years, if you have standard side mounted slides, newer ones should fit, if needed.