Replace Your Drawer Runner and Get a Better Experience Out of Your Cabinet Hardware

Posted Mon, 02/08/2010 - 17:22 by The Hardware Guy

When you’re a homeowner, you have to also become a handyman. Calling a plumber, electrician, carpenter, or other professional results in an instant service charge, and it only gets worse from there. For the big jobs, you should definitely call in the pros, but for those odds and ends around the house, a little know-how, a few tools, and a willingness to push up your sleeves and do a little work. Replacing your drawer runner is a good place to start your career as a handyman because it is pretty easy and remarkably effective at preserving your sanity in any room in your home.

Drawer runners are the supports that allow a drawer to slide open and closed. They attach to both sides of your drawer’s housing. There are different types of runners for everything from small bathroom drawers to big industrial ones. You will also want to think about how far you want the drawer to extend; some runners allow the drawer to open fully, while others allow a ¾ extension. Choose the best hardware that you can afford to ensure optimal performance.

You will know that your drawer runners need to be replaced if your drawers stick or slide from side to side. When closed, they may rest at an angle. Today’s slide systems are relatively inexpensive so it is more cost and time effective to replace both slide and runner, which come together as a set. To do this, remove the old runner first. Make sure all the screws, nails, or staples from the old set are removed. Remove the drawer slides as well.

Next, measure and mark where the runners and slides will go. Make sure they are parallel and both sides have the same distance from top and bottom so they line up properly. Also make sure to put the right slide and runner on the right side and the left slide and runner on the left side. Basic, but it is easy to make this mistake and figure it out just a bit too late!

Attach the runners to the drawer housing first with the screws that will be provided with the set you buy. After that is done, mark the drawer’s sides so you know where to attach the slides. The front of the slide should line up with the front of the drawer, while the wheel goes to the back. Attach with screws.

You now have the housing and drawer box taken care. The only thing left to do is put them together. To do this, slide the drawer in so that the wheels in the back connect with the rails on the housing. Lower carefully until the drawer is level and roll it the rest of the way in. You should now be the proud owner of an even, smooth, quiet drawer.

You can do this with any drawer in your home, office, or workshop. The procedure is basically the same; you need only to select the right type of slide and runner to ensure that the drawer is strong enough for the load it will carry.

Fixing something in your own home not only saves money, it gives us a sense of accomplishment. Today drawer runners, tomorrow a new roof! Maybe not a new roof, but you’re certainly well on your way to becoming a good handyman – or woman.

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