If you are searching for “How To Replace Kitchen Drawers“, “Replace Kitchen Drawers“, or “Replace Kitchen Cabinet Drawers“; Drawer Connection can help! We will also show you how to order a replacement drawer, or build the drawer yourself!
How To Replace Kitchen Drawers
Accidents happen and if you’ve got a broken drawer in your kitchen you’ll want to fix it so you don’t have items falling out of your drawers. Parts of homes wear out and the drawers in our kitchens are no different. When they break it can be frustrating to lose the storage space and an eyesore having an open gap.
Some “quick-and-dirty” handymen will do things like nail or glue the drawer front back in place and just forget there ever was a drawer, perhaps to make a tee time or get back to watching TV. Learning how to replace kitchen drawers need not be a painful project, let us show you how here.
Kitchen Drawer Replacement Steps
Use this step by step guide to learn how to replace kitchen drawers and where to buy replacement drawer boxes:
1. Measure The Replacement
To get started you will need to know the size of the replacement you need. Get the height, width, and depth of the opening for the replacement drawer. Take off an inch for your height and width measurements and at minimum of a half inch from the depth which will allow for easy fitting and drawer slides.
2. Build or Buy a Replacement Drawer Box
Drawer boxes are typically custom built for each kitchen so heading down to the local Walmart to pick up a replacement isn’t an option. To get a replacement that will work you will either need to build a replacement, have a friend do it, or order a drawer box from a professional.
Custom made cheap replacement cabinet drawers can be made in your choice of material, using either dovetail joints or dowel joints, in exactly the size you need. A replacement drawer box measuring 18” wide by 20” deep by 4” high costs less than $30 dollars from Drawer Connection.
DIY Kitchen Drawer Replacement
Step 1 – Remove the broken drawer out of the cabinetry and put it on a table. Take the drawer front off by removing the screws that hold it in place.
Step 2 – Flip the drawer over and remove the metal runners from the sides of the drawer. If the bottom of the drawer falls out, just set it aside.
Step 3 – Tap on all the sides of the drawer to separate it into the 5 sections that make up a drawer, the 2 sides, front, back, and bottom.
Step 4 – Measure the sections of your drawer and use your table saw to rip new replacement sections. You’ll need to match the lengths and widths of all the the sections. The front, back, sides, and bottom need to be exact so the runners can be replaced and the drawer will fit correctly.
Step 5 – Using a 1/4 inch dado blade for your table saw prepare your table saw by setting the bland and fence to 1/4 inch. Run the front, back, and sides through the saw to create a channel in each of the pieces.
Step 6 – Set all four of your sections together, as if they were already put together. The side pieces should sit on the sides of the front and back sections. The channel from step 5 should all sit at the bottom of the drawer at the same height. Measure the inside of the width and length of the drawer and add 1/2 inch to each measurement. Cut a section of 1/4 plywood to those measurements to be the bottom of your drawer.
Step 7 – Get some wood glue and run a bead where the drawer bottom will sit. Set the bottom into the channel made for it ensuring there’s a nice coating of wood glue. Use clamps to hold all of the sections together until the glue dries. It’s a good idea to wipe off any excess glue at this stage.
Step 8 – Drill holes for the drawer front screws to go through that are 3/16ths thick. Using screws that are 1 1/4″ attach the front back to the drawer box. Reattach the metal runners on the drawer and screw them into lace using 3/4 screws. Set your DIY drawer into place back in the cabinetry and you’re done.d
3. Buying Drawer Slides To Match
The next step is making sure you have drawer slides that match your drawer box depth. You can choose from inexpensive roller slides to ball bearing slides that have soft close and smooth opening features. Most homeowners prefer buying the bottom-mount style drawer slides as they have a piece which wraps around the lower edges of the drawer box and makes for easier installation. There are cases where old hardware from the slides is still intact and can be reused, but many homeowners prefer starting fresh when repairing their cabinet drawers.
4. Prepping The Work Area
Depending on why the drawer broke, and how quick and dirty the repairs where you might have very little work, or a lot of work to do here. If there is any broken wood or hardware it should be removed and replaced. This can mean any glue that was used as a band-aid to hold the drawer front on the face of the cabinets, or it can mean removing and replacing broken or splintered wood inside your cabinets to have a solid area to secure your new drawer. For glues you can try heating the adhesive up with a blow dryer or you can simply use a scraper to work the glue off and then sand & repaint the area.
5. Installing The New Drawer Box
Once your drawer box arrives, you will want to wait to attach the drawer front until the drawer box is installed and sliding back and forth correctly. It can be a bit tricky to align the drawer front right, using double-sided tape to tack the pieces together saves time and effort. When installing the drawer ensure that the gaps on the top, bottom, and sides are equal. Once you are sure the box is installed right you can use at least 2 screws to secure the drawer front to the drawer box, from the inside of the drawer.
Buy Replacement Kitchen Drawers @ Drawer Connection
Buy cheap replacement kitchen drawers at Drawer Connection. You can also shop for replacement dovetail drawer boxes and dowel drawer boxes on Drawer Connection’s site.
