The Easy Fix For Stuck Drawers Without Replacing The Entire Box

Wooden drawers that get stuck easily are a nightmare, whether that's an old dresser drawer or the one in the kitchen you use to store utensils. Not only is it a daily annoyance when you try to access their contents, but having to constantly fidget with stuck drawers can lead to jammed fingers as well. Nobody wants that. After a while, most people consider replacing the drawer box entirely. This may not actually be necessary, however. That's because there's a relatively easy hack you can use to fix stuck wooden drawers without replacing them: installing metal door slides.

The reason wooden drawers get stuck over time is typically because changes in humidity cause the wood to swell. This being the case, simply lubricating the drawer slides isn't going to fix the problem. And while replacing the box entirely is an easy fix, it'll likely lead to the same issues happening again in the future. That's why we recommend installing metal slides on the drawer instead, as doing this will allow you to tackle your stuck drawer issues for good. So, with that in mind, let's explore how you should go about the installation process.

Let's be honest, we all have a lot going on in our busy lives, so when taking on basic DIY home improvement projects, it's in our best interest to approach them in the easiest way possible. That's why, when it comes to installing metal slides, you'll want to make sure you're selecting ones that allow for a simple installation; one that doesn't require much extra work outside of locking them in position. 

Your two options are going to be side mounted, full extension drawer slides (as seen in the image above) or bottom mounted slides. The best option out of these two is going to be the first one. If you decide you want to use bottom mounted slides, it's going to require adding an extra inch of clearance on the top and bottom of the drawer outlet.

That's because bottom mounted slides add an extra layer of material underneath the drawer, making it sit higher inside its frame when installed. Which means you'll have to carve out more space at the top or bottom of the drawer frame for the drawer to still fit inside. With side-mounted slides, the drawer will sit at the same level as it normally would, thus requiring less effort on your behalf when installing them.

The first step is to take out the stuck drawer and inspect it as well as the inside of the frame. Check to see if there are any modifications you'll need to add to properly install the slide. Then, use a hammer and chisel to remove the wooden drawer slides from inside the frame. Once that's done, measure the length of the drawer face and side. Now, cut pieces of ½-inch plywood to fit accordingly. Then install them on the side of the frame so they're even with the opening of the drawer fronts. This is key, since if they aren't even, the drawer won't fit.

Above all, make sure you leave a ½-inch of clearance on each side of the plywood in order to install the slides, this will come in handy later. You're going to want to place the plywood on the inside of the drawer without screwing them in. Then, measure to see if the distance between them from front to back is equal. If this is all good, go ahead and screw those boards into the side of the drawer frame with 1½-inch wood screws or pocket hole screws.

The next step you'll need to take is to do a dry fit, which is just checking how the drawer box fits inside your newly-installed plywood walls without considering the sliders. If it doesn't fit, you'll have to sand the sides of the drawer box down until it does. If you have a bit of wiggle room, that's good. Now you just need to make sure that the total width of both the drawer box and the sliders fits in-between the newly-installed boards. Next, you're going to want to sand, clean, measure, and mark the sides of the drawer you'll be attaching the slides to.

Once this is complete, attach the slides to the side of the plywood boards you installed, securing them in position with the appropriate screws and making sure they're properly aligned and leveled out. Attach the relevant part of the slides to the sides of the drawer box and test out the whole contraption to make sure it functions well. If everything has been done correctly, the drawer should slide in and out with ease. Congratulations, you just gave your drawer a major overhaul.