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Kitchen Cabinets Slides

3116 Views 16 Replies 9 Participants Last post by  tomp913
Hello everyone,
This may not be the proper spot for this, but there are a few of you that have given me so much good advice I wanted to make sure you saw this in hopes you'd have a good answer.

My mother in law , who is actually really cool, has asked me to do something for her. She has a really really nice home and a really really nice kitchen, but it's rather dated. Her drawers squeak like holy hell. She wants me to replace all the slides. I've added a picture so you can see what I have to replace. They have probably been on for 20 to 25 years.

Are there slides that are better than others? Is replacing slides mean I have to use the exact same style? Money isn't really an object, which sounds St UI paid because why doesn't she just pay to have this done right? Yeah , I think she likes is coming over..I don't know. Lol but I'm stuck with the job. Any advice is welcomed and any lbody who wants to tell me a really nice slides that will work I'd appreciate.


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Tom
i am a fan of undermount slides here is a utube showing how they replace them.
you need to check to make sure they fit but your pictures look you have enough room.
you said money no object because they are not cheap.
manufactures like Blum and Accuride make them plus some other companies.
most inportant thing is you need a 1/2" under the drawer
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another video from wood mag utube
I would take one of the drawers to my local cabinet lumber supply to see what hardware they have in stock.
In Austin there is a place called Dakota Hardwoods, where many of the local cabinet makers shop. They have several Blum displays. Another lumber yard, Fine lumber is a dealer for another hardware brand.
Call a cabinet shop and ask where they get hardware.
4
I buy from CSH Custom Service Hardware. They have good prices and any type of drawer slide you can imagine.

Just FYI - the typical slide like pictured and the larger ones that have full extension, take up 1/2 inch on each side of the drawer, so replacements are easy to retrofit.

I see those slides fasten to the rear of the cabinet. Usually, that little bracket is an option that you can buy.

Slides & Drawers | Custom Service Hardware

I have used their house brand of soft close full extension slides in the past with good success.
Full Extension, Soft-Close Side Mount Slide, 550mm (21.654"), 100 lbs Capacity
Back socket is an option you can purchase for securing to the rear of the cabinet.
Back socket for 39.1140 and GS.4270 series drawer slides

And these 22 inch epoxy self closing drawer slides. Note the back socket is listed as an option for securing to the rear of the cabinet.
Self-closing Drawer Slides

Below are pictures of both types in use during the cabinet builds for different kitchens.

Edit: Note that it helps to have an agile helper on hand just in case. :surprise::grin::grin::grin:

Hope this helps.
Mike

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I buy from CSH Custom Service Hardware. They have good prices and any type of drawer slide you can imagine.

Just FYI - the typical slide like pictured and the larger ones that have full extension, take up 1/2 inch on each side of the drawer, so replacements are easy to retrofit.


I see those slides fasten to the rear of the cabinet. Usually, that little bracket is an option that you can buy.

Slides & Drawers | Custom Service Hardware

I have used their house brand of soft close full extension slides in the past with good success.
Full Extension, Soft-Close Side Mount Slide, 550mm (21.654"), 100 lbs Capacity
Back socket is an option you can purchase for securing to the rear of the cabinet.
Back socket for 39.1140 and GS.4270 series drawer slides

And these 22 inch epoxy self closing drawer slides. Note the back socket is listed as an option for securing to the rear of the cabinet.
Self-closing Drawer Slides

Below are pictures of both types in use during the cabinet builds for different kitchens.

Edit: Note that it helps to have an agile helper on hand just in case. :surprise::grin::grin::grin:

Hope this helps.
Mike
Mike your wife can get into places a snake couldn't go. I remember one picture you posted she was totally inside a cabinet. I thought I wish I could do that. :laugh2:
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Mike your wife can get into places a snake couldn't go. I remember one picture you posted she was totally inside a cabinet. I thought I wish I could do that. :laugh2:
Yes sir. Love her dearly.

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Your choice of drawer slides will be somewhat dictated by the dimensions of the drawer box and its opening in the face frame. Many of those high-end slides have special clearance requirements. What are the dimensions of the drawer box, and the opening?
The box is 17 1/2 x 4 1/2

The drawer is 17 1/4 x 4 1/4

The drawer sides go down about 1/8. " Lower than the bottom of the drawer

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The slides shown are pretty old and it may be difficult finding something current that will work with the existing drawer/opening combination - can you confirm that the drawer is only 1/4" narrower than the opening in the face frame?

For a 25 year old slide, the squeaking may be just due to a build-up of grease and dirt on the slides and rollers over the years. Try removing the slides from one of the drawers and thoroughly clean the parts - the contact surfaces on the two slide components and the OD of the rollers - with a good degreasing cleaner, put some grease on the roller axles and see if the "squeak" is cured - may be the easiest way out of the problem.
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The sides of the drawers go beyond the bottom piece so there is almost a 1/2 " clearance under most of the bottom of the drawers...was thinking about a center slide.

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New drawer slides

You can't use side mount slides because the boxes are to wide. Your old slides are Go-EZ slides you can get them a Rockler woodworking supply item # 51997
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For many slides, the box needs to be SLIGHTLY less than one inch as wide as the opening. It is unlikely with that kind of center slide that you'll be able to get the drawer front to line up vertically without either cleaning/replacing the center slide rail, or making new drawer boxes to fit, and affixing the old fronts on the new box.

If she wants them refinished, how successful you'll be depends on what kind of finish is already on them. If the original stain is deep, or thick plastic of some sort, I'd probably make new drawers, then you have the face frame to mess with, and most are glued on in some way and almost impossible to remove and replace.

Test all surfaces and finishes in less visible spots to see if there'll be a problem you don't want to handle. For me, I'd either repair or replace the original slider rail, or build new boxes and attach the old fronts. Sometimes you can just clean worn finish and do a very light coat of the same finish diluted with an appropriate thinner.
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You can't use side mount slides because the boxes are to wide. Your old slides are Go-EZ slides you can get them a Rockler woodworking supply item # 51997
There's the answer, buy replacement slides and install them, that is going to be the quickest solution. I'm amazed that Rockler sells these replacements though, wonder what kind of volume they sell - and how many people have gone through the work of making new drawers so they could use "modern" slides, not knowing that these were available.
Given that you have only 1/8 clearance all around, the fancy-pants slides you'd probably like to have won't fit. They require more clearance on either the sides or bottom, or both, depending on the slide.

However, Rockler sells these slides just for your application. I have no financial interest in Rockler, you may be able to shop around and find the cheaper on the internet somewhere. I buy from them because they go to the trouble to build a website that gives woodworkers the information we need to order hardware.

GO-EZ Universal Concealed Drawer Slide Set | Rockler Woodworking and Hardware
I think the openings need to be re-measured. Typically, the side mount standard sides like pictured take up 1/2 inch on each side. Unless I looked at the pictures wrong, and didn't understand, those slides look like the garden variety type used in many kitchens throughout the years.
Here's a link to the company that makes the slides - the Houck 500 Series is a concealed undermount slide. Minimal clearance on the sides (1/8" nominal, but the bottom had to be recessed and the drawer back notched for the slide to pass through.

Houck Industries 500 Series Undermoung Drawer Slides

Have torn out a few kitchens over the years that had these slides, didn't realize that they were still available.
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