How to Install Sliding Drawers in Kitchen Cabinets?

How to Install Sliding Drawers in Kitchen Cabinets?

Many people add sliding drawers in the kitchen cabinets to reduce friction upon pulling and make it smooth.

How to Install Sliding Drawers in Kitchen Cabinets? You can install sliding drawers in kitchen cabinets by removing the shelves inside the cabinet. Then, measure the size, height, and width of the cabinet to construct a drawer with a perfect size. Mark the height for mounting the drawer correctly after applying two coats of thin paint. Furthermore, prepare slides by removing their components and fix them inside the cabinet with screws. Put drawers over the drawer slides and slide them swiftly. 

Drawer slides are metallic units of narrow size containing ball bearings inside them. Drawers can glide easily on the slides due to these ball bearings.

What type of sliding drawers can be used for your kitchen cabinets? 

Different slide drawers are available that you can install into your kitchen cabinets

Roller slides

Roller slides are made of plastic and have two components; one is attached to the drawer surface and the other on the slide. In addition, they are light in weight and used in kitchens widely.

They are more resistant to shocks and provide a line contact to the drawers. These are available in multiple shapes like cylindrical, tapered, and spherical.

Ball-bearing slides

Ball bearings offer a soft closing motion and have three components; one attaches with the surface of drawers, the second with the slide, and the third is an intermediate one.

Center mountings are usually added by using ball-bearing slides. Ball bearings are the small balls that are present inside a metallic unit.

The drawers glide on these balls when you pull them outward. Ball bearings are more flexible than rollers and have a long-term life expectancy.

Center mounting slides

One of the old methods of adding sliding drawers is in the cabin’s center that is not visible when you put a drawer. Only one slide is installed in the center of the cabin, and they have a specific capacity of bearing the weight.

Furthermore, it does not allow soft closing of the drawer. You can utilize this mounting method if a load of storage items is not too much.

Under mounting slides

The under mounting slides are also present on the side of cabins, but they use a lesser space because of their location under the drawer.

You cannot extend these under mounting slides to their full length, and they have a low weight-bearing capacity. Additionally, it improves the stability of the drawers.

Side mounting slides

As the name indicates, side mounting involves mounting the sliding drawers on the sides of the toolboxes or other kitchen cabins. It is better to use two rails on opposite lower edges of the cabinets.

It is easy to install slides by side-mounting by using screws and screwdrivers. You can start by measuring the size of the cupboard and then get a sliding drawer that is perfect in size.

Both ball bearings and rollers are usually used to reduce friction in the side mounting slides.

Easy steps to install sliding drawers in your kitchen cabinets

Here are easy steps for adding sliding drawers to the cabinets.

Remove the shelves

You need to remove the existing shelves before starting the installation procedure. These are attached to the cabinet by plastic clips, or sometimes loose boards are just placed in the cupboards.

You can use a screwdriver to unscrew the cabinets and remove all the shelves present inside them. In addition, it provides an open surface area where you can install drawers of your desired size.

Measure the size of the cabinet

Open the cupboard door and measure the sides and area of the cabinet where you want to install them. These measurements include its height and width.

Consider all the measurements when getting sliding drawers for your kitchen cupboard. It is better to note down the width and height from different areas.

The height of the cabinet on the door side is different from the inside area. Therefore, you have to note the measurements carefully for proper installation.

A perfect measurement can provide a better surface to glide steadily, or minor errors can result in re-installation.

Construct a perfect drawer

You can search for the perfect drawers for your cabins by considering the measurements. Start by measuring the cabin’s width that determines the size of the drawer.

You can use birch plywood in your kitchen’s cabinetry. First, cut the frame using a hand saw and connect all four pieces with glue.

Drill some pilot holes in the drawer and screws the parts together. Then, conceal the heads of screws with buttons to add more finishing.

You can get wooden or metallic slides for fixing drawers. Then, put slides inside the cupboard and check that they exactly get fit into it or not.

Paint the drawer

You can paint your drawer before mounting it on the slides. Use masks, gloves, and glasses while painting and do the task outside the house to avoid complications like paint spots in the kitchen.

Start by sanding the shelves and cleaning them with a wet rag. Do not do sanding on the inner side of the drawer. Then, apply a thin paint layer by using a sprayer.

You have to wait for at least half an hour after applying the first coat. Again use sandpaper for sanding the drawer and cleaning it with a rug. Then, proceed for the second coat of paint and finish it.

Mark the drawer height

The opening width of the cabinet determines its width. The number of drawers you want to add will determine its height.

After measuring its height, mark a horizontal line on both sides of the cabinet, indicating its location.

In the same way, you can out marks for other drawers in the cabins according to the height. You can change the size of your storage items to be higher than the height of the last drawer.

Prepare and Install slides

Remove the rail part of the slides and prepare them for installation.

I have used side-mounted slides for my kitchen cabinet, and I suggest you use the same. These slides allow complete extension of the drawer according to the slide length.

All slides have more than one component that needs to get separated. For example, two parts are present in the rollers and three in the ball-bearing slides. Place a few cardboard shims on the cupboard floor to avoid scraping.

Then, position the cleats on sides, and secure them correctly with a screwdriver. In the same way, add cleats to all the marked positions for the drawers.

Add the rail section you have removed on the sides and screw it up. The metal slides have holes in them that will help in screwing them on the cabin sides.

One of my friends directly adds the slides on the lower side of the drawers. They are aligned to the front side also.

Then, the placement of screws is marked, and all the other components are removed except the one that needs to be installed inside.

Slide your drawers smoothly

You have to place the drawers on these mounts correctly when you have installed them. 

If the drawer moves without any friction and smoothly, it means the installation method is correct, and your measurements are up to the mark.

Why would you install sliding drawers in kitchen cabinets? 

It is better to have sliding drawers in kitchen cabins to avoid scratching the drawer’s lower side when you pull it.

Moreover, it allows the drawer to be pulled out smoothly without creating noise. As a result, there will be lesser friction between the two surfaces when it glides smoothly.

You can open it full length by using a full extension slide. You can easily access your stored things by just pulling the drawer.

In addition, the sliding drawers allow you to keep your kitchen accessories inside the drawer and get them quickly when you need them. 

Furthermore, the accidental closure of drawers can pinch your fingers. So, the soft closing can prevent the coincidental pinching of fingers.

These slides are essential to put drawers in the kitchen cabins to operate smoothly. 

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