Avoid sticky wooden drawers with these simple fixes.
There aren’t many things that are worse than a door that won’t open. It takes a lot of time to order your kitchen, but now when you need something, you can’t reach it without hurting your arm.
Don’t worry anymore! These two simple fixes will make sure that your wooden door slides open when you tell them to.
Wooden vs. Metal Drawer Slides
If drawers won’t open, they’re not very useful. So, they need a slide, which is also known as a runner, to get in and out. That’s how they usually get stuck.
These days, metal drawer slides are the most popular, and they have some clear benefits. Metal slides with ball bearings make it easy for drawers to move. Most of the time, they also have an automatic stop feature that keeps drawers from falling out when you pull them too far. Metal slides will save you a lot of time when you’re adding drawers to a project.
Wooden drawer slides are possibly something you know about if you work with wood or make furniture by hand. Of course, they don’t just sell nice furniture. Workbenches with wooden drawer slides keep tools and other goods close at hand and organized. If you install wooden drawer slides correctly, they can hold more weight than metal ones, which is useful for keeping heavy tools.
One problem with wooden drawer slides is that when it gets damp, the wood can grow, which can make more drawers get stuck. Luckily, there are a few simple ways to fix wooden drawer slides that won’t move.
How to Fix Wooden Drawer Slides That Won’t Move
Wax
Apply paraffin wax to the drawers’ wood joints. Hobby and craft stores, grocery stores that sell canning supplies, and even some hobby and craft shops carry paraffin wax. Sticky notes, bar soap, or even dry spray lube can be used in a pinch.
Nylon tape
If you want to make the fix last longer, put nylon drawer slide tape on the parts that touch. Most home shops sell nylon tape that sticks itself.
Wax or dirt won’t stick to the tape, so lightly sand the surface with 100-grit sandpaper and then clean up the dust. Then, use tools to cut the tape to the right length, peel off the back, and stick it to the wooden drawer runner.