Expert: Jamie Yocono - 1/1/2009

Question
Jamie, we have roller bearing drawer guides in the kitchen and some of the kitchen drawers creep open.  I've pulled out the drawers and looked at the guides, but I can't see exactly how to adjust then so they stay closed.  Can you explain the mechanism to me?  Thanks.

Edward

Answer
Edward,

It's a little hard to diagnose this problem without knowing the make of the glide, but I can tell you a couple of tips that I've used for getting a drawer to stop creeping open.

First, check to make sure there isn't anything stuck behind the drawer, which could possibly keep the drawer from fully closing. There are some times indentations in the roller tracks that keep the drawer shut, and if the drawer can't fully close, it doesn't engage and rest fully in the indentations. I've seen instances where a dish towel from the drawer below was sort of lodged in the very back of the cabinet, keeping the drawers from sliding all the way back where they belong.

The next thing I would check is the tilt adjustment of the drawer. See, most drawer glides have elongated screw holes, which give you a slight margin of adjustment for the glide. If the slot is horizontal, you can adjust the glide front to back. If the slot is vertical, you can adjust the glide up and down. Sometimes a heavy load in a drawer can make the glide slip in that vertical slot, thus "tilting" the drawer a little, and making it creep open.  Remove the drawer and look at the part of the glide mounted inside the cabinet. You can try putting a level on it, to check them out.  Look for something tilted toward the front of the cabinet, and if you can, try to adjust it back to being level, or slightly tipped backward. It might be wise to re-tighten every screw, too. That slide might be tilting and bobbing around if it's loose.

Finally, sometimes the glide just wears out, I'm not sure why or how, but it's just something I've noticed a couple of times. It loses it's ability to "lock" itself in place.  Sometimes, an easy fix is to add a thin washer under the glide (the cabinet member, not the drawer member).  Take one of the front screws out, slide a thin washer under the glide, under where the screw goes, and then reinstall the screw. What you're doing is sort of bowing the track, making the "fit" a little tighter, so that the drawer can't creep out.

OK, I hope some of these tips help you out. Write back if you need more advice, but I think if you play with it, you can fix the problem.  Good luck.

Jamie Yocono
Wood It Is! Custom Cabinetry
Las Vegas, NV
www.wooditis.com