Full Extension Drawer Slide Upgrade for Cheap Cabinets Cheap drawer slides difficult to open?

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Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. At no extra cost to you, I may earn a small commission on items bought using them. These are the same recommendations I would make regardless of any compensation. For products that I have older versions of, I recommend the items that I would replace them with if I were buying them new. 

The problem:

The kitchen cabinets in my house were the cheapest pieces of…ahem…storage I’d ever seen. The drawers came with super low-budget center slides consisting of a stamped steel rail and a plastic guide. Even when they were new, they were about as smooth as dragging a brick on concrete. When the plastic guide breaks, like they ALL do, the drawer falls out and dumps everything all over the floor.

The worst part of these horrible slides is that they only let the drawer open about half way. Reaching anything in the back of the drawer was an exercise in frustration. When I would remove the drawers to clean them, I was always amazed at what utensils were hiding back there. That explains how I ended up with so many can openers and corkscrews!

Having to squeeze tongs into tiny drawer opening

Using tongs to get things in and out of a drawer that only opens part way

I lived with these daily annoyances for years, but when I decided to do my removable countertop extensions project, I knew the drawers would have to be dealt with—once and for all. It would have been impossible to get into the drawers at all when the countertop extensions were attached.

With that decided, I researched what options were available for center mount drawer slides and came to a surprising conclusion—full extension center slides existed only in the fertile imagination of my mind! It would have to be side mount or undermount slides to achieve my desired state of cabinet drawer bliss.

The big problem is that center mount cabinets do not have the required space between the drawer box and the sides of the cabinet opening to install full extension slides. Hmm, how to solve this dilemma?

The solution:

The way to fix these lousy drawers was to upgrade to undermount, full extension, soft-close slides.

Upgrading 5 drawers only cost me $120 or so

The drawers only had about 1/8″ clearance on each side, and needed 1/4″ per side to accommodate the undermount slides. Side mount slides require 1/2″ on either side, so those would have meant seriously hacking up the cabinet or rebuilding the drawers. These cabinets weren’t worth that amount of effort.

Using an oscillating multi-tool, I made 1/8″ cutouts the same height as the slide mounts on either side of the cabinet opening. This could also be done with a chisel, just like mortising a hinge on a door slab. That said though, if you don’t have a multi-tool, you don’t know what you are missing! It has become one of my favorite tools!

Incredibly useful tool! If you don’t have one, you NEED one!

I found that modifying the cabinets to create the space to install undermount slides was not all that difficult, and the hardware is hidden underneath the drawer for a super clean appearance. Once painted, these cutouts are not noticeable at all.

What a HUGE difference this made, and not just when the countertop extensions were attached. Now when I open the drawers, they glide as smoothly and softly as petting a rabbit lounging on silk sheets after its day at the spa.

I could never have imagined that this simple drawer upgrade would make these cabinets feel like they were high quality from the start. They make me say “ahhh” every time I open them!

 
 
 

The way the drawer slides felt…

Brick being dragged on concrete
Before – jarringly rough
Cute Chinchilla on silk
After – silky smooth

Summary of Steps:

  1. Remove old, horrible center slides!
  2. Make notches in side of drawer opening in cabinets
  3. Touch up paint if cabinets are painted
  4. Add spacer blocks of wood to back of drawers
  5. Attach mounting brackets to the back wall of cabinets and install new slides
  6. Attach the under-drawer mounting clips
  7. Clip drawers to new slides
  8. Be amazed by how smooth and accessible this simple upgrade makes cheap cabinet drawers!

If you are tired of low budget drawer slides, I highly recommend giving this project a try. If you do, please make sure to leave a comment below.

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. At no extra cost to you, I may earn a small commission on items bought using them. These are the same recommendations I would make regardless of any compensation. For products that I have older versions of, I recommend the items that I would replace them with if I were buying them new. 

Resources for Full Extension Drawer Slides

These are the tools I used in this project. You do not need all of them, so feel free to substitute with tools you have available.

Kobalt 24-Volt Max 1/2-in Cordless Drill

From Amazon
Powerful drill with long lasting battery

Kobalt 24V MAX Brushless 2 Tool Combo Kit

From Amazon
Great deal on the combo kit if you need an Impact Driver too

 

There are more DIY projects in the works, so stay tuned to Uncharted DIY. Feel free to comment, post photos or ask questions.

Uncharted DIY is for DIY enthusiasts tackling uncommon projects, utilizing common tools and often on a limited budget

Uncharted DIY is for DIY enthusiasts tackling uncommon projects, utilizing common tools and often on a limited budget