This is my first experience in installing slides. Thanks to replies here and at FWW the problem of front to back alignment is resolved. BUT now I have another problem. The (Accuride) sldes are self closing and the drawers move smoothly enough until they reach the last 3″ or so of the back of slide and then they become tough to close. I”ve checked the side to side dimensions of the kitchen cabinets I built and they appear to be fine for square all round. I used shims (solid pieces of Poplar) to bring slides in line with face frame instead of those brackets, mainly because I’m doing alll this after cabs in place with face frames installed and that would really be difficult to reach the back esp. with narrow drwrs. I can’t get in there to see what’s happening so any ideas/suggestions? I’ll also contact Accuride. Boy this is frustrating! I’m beginning to wish I’d never started this kitchen!
Discussion Forum
Discussion Forum
Up Next
Video Shorts
Featured Story
Skim-coating with joint compound covers texture, renews old drywall and plaster, and leaves smooth surfaces ready to paint.
Featured Video
Highlights
"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.
Replies
Are you sure you have the slides all the way engaged?
When you remove the drawer and put it back on to the cabinet portion of the slide, it takes a little force to get it all the way on. You may still be in this part of the slide, giving you the resistance when you close the drawer.
What length drawer slides did you buy and how long are your drawers?
I did encounter that resistance but overcame it and it's definitely the self closing part in that I can force the drawers closed with a good slam. Used 20" slides with 20" deep drawers of widths from 22 3/16 to 11 1/2 in 24" deep cabs. Q? Is the side to side alignment ie parallelism of slides super critical? Mine are out by about 1/64 at rear. Perhaps I should sand shims to see what happens?
Is the side to side alignment ie parallelism of slides super critical?
Yes, very. If you bought accuglide slides, they have at least a 1/16" of play in the slide though (if installed correctly).
Look at the slides to see where you put the screws that affix it to the cabinet. Some of the holes are set in a tab, some are just straight into the slide. If you put the screws in the tabs, then the slides have some breathing room.
You say that you already checked the cabinet for dimension and for square.Have you also checked the drawers?And another item to check is the proper amount of space between the cabinet side (or faceframe) and the drawer side -- the space in which the slides are installed. If this space is a bit too small, or a bit too big, it can cause binding of the slides.
Politics is the antithesis of problem solving.