Drawer Slides and Lazy Susans

Drawer slides and lazy susans let you pull out drawers and turn cabinet shelves to reach what you put away. Get the fit and movement right, and the back of the cabinet becomes useful space. Full-extension drawer slides move outward by the full slide length, a worthwhile upgrade when you’re tired of reaching beneath the countertop for things at the back.

Montana’s winter interior-renovation season is a good time to tackle those stubborn kitchen drawers. Choose the hardware before building replacement drawer boxes so you build in the clearance it needs.

For a CEE drawer slide replacement, choose the 16-inch, 18-inch or 22-inch version by matching the existing slide length, mounting arrangement and drawer clearance.

Self-closing drawer slides

Choose the 20-inch or 22-inch self-closing drawer slides for a compatible drawer you want pulled shut through the final part of its travel. That closing action is useful on a kitchen or bathroom drawer you use throughout the day. Match the length to the drawer and cabinet space; a slide that’s too long can keep the drawer from closing fully.

Self-closing and soft-close mean different things. Self-closing slides finish pulling the drawer shut. Soft-close slides add damping that slows the final movement. Buy self-closing for the closing action; choose a compatible soft-close mechanism when a controlled finish is the priority. Judge opening effort separately from closing feel.

Drawer slide mounting and replacement parts

Match the small hardware as carefully as the runners. Face-frame cabinets may need rear mounting brackets, and the slide must reach its rear support. A drawer that binds can have an alignment problem, so check the drawer, cabinet and attachment points before choosing replacement parts.

For a matching Blum TANDEM installation, the glide bracket and 1-inch spacer are parts to match to the existing mounting arrangement. Choose the left-hand or right-hand Blum TANDEM locking device to match the drawer’s corresponding connection. For a roller or socket repair, match the left-hand rear drawer roller or the Knape & Vogt plastic drawer slide socket to the existing hardware.

For a 6-inch lazy susan replacement, match the item to the existing assembly and mounting layout.

D-shaped and polymer lazy susans

Choose a D-shaped lazy susan for a pantry arrangement that needs a flat side at the door. That flat side lets the pantry door close flush over the shelf. D-shaped arrangements often have three to five rotating shelves, so plan the vertical space around what you actually store.

Polymer lazy susans are the practical choice for shelves you want to wash. Molded polymer shelves commonly use reinforcing ribs. For a wall cabinet, start with the cabinet’s interior dimensions: an 18-inch Susan can fit a standard 12-inch-deep upper corner cabinet, but the shelf still needs room to turn past the door hardware.

For a diagonal-corner base cabinet, a full-round shelf gives you circular rotation. For a blind corner, a pivoting arrangement brings the tray through the opening; some systems then slide outward. Choose that movement when you want the contents brought out to you. Check the whole swing past hinges, door hardware and the face frame, and leave vertical room for both shelves and hardware.

Undermount, side mount or center mount drawer slides?

For replacement drawer slides, keep the existing mounting type. The drawer was built around its clearances. For new drawers, choose the movement and mounting first, then build the box to suit.

Side mount drawer slides attach to the drawer’s sides. Ball-bearing versions offer three-quarter extension, full extension or over-travel, depending on the slide. Buy full extension when reaching the back of the drawer is the main improvement you want. Side mounts need space beside the box, so drawer width and cabinet-opening width both matter.

Undermount drawer slides sit beneath the drawer, concealed from view. Undermount full extension drawer slides give you full-length travel with the runners tucked underneath. They are a good choice for new drawers when you want concealed hardware. Match drawer-box depth to the selected runner’s requirements and account for the space underneath; extra clearance there reduces usable drawer height.

For drawer slides for a dresser, inspect the existing construction first. Center mount drawer slides use one concealed runner beneath the middle of the drawer and commonly serve as replacements in older cabinets. They are typically limited to three-quarter extension. For an older dresser with wood drawer slides, match the existing wood profile and drawer construction before choosing the replacement.

Full extension and heavy-duty drawer slides

Extension tells you how far the drawer travels. It is separate from the closing mechanism and load capacity.

Extension type	Drawer movement	Choose it for
Three-quarter extension	About 75 percent of slide length	Replacing a matching partial-travel arrangement
Full extension	The full slide length	Reaching contents at the back
Over-travel	Approximately 1 inch beyond the cabinet	Bringing the drawer box entirely clear of the cabinet

For heavy-duty drawer slides, choose by the drawer’s size, loaded weight and frequency of use. A deep tool drawer deserves that attention before you choose its closing feature. Drawer slides for a tool box, pantry pull-out or heavy file drawer need a load rating suited to that particular job.

Truck box drawer slides also need selection for the vehicle application and mounting arrangement. Treat the loaded drawer and its travel as the starting point. A heavy-duty description alone doesn’t settle the fit.

How do you measure for drawer slides?

Measure the drawer box from front to back on the outside, excluding the drawer front. Measure the drawer width and cabinet-opening width at both ends, then check the usable cabinet depth and internal obstructions. The difference between the two widths tells you how much space is available beside the drawer.

Ball-bearing side-mount slides should typically match drawer-box length. For undermount slides, preserve the required relationship between the runner and drawer-box depth instead of applying a side-mount rule. Full-inset drawer fronts also reduce the depth available inside the cabinet.

A 22-inch side-mount slide and a 21-inch undermount slide are typical kitchen sizes. Those are useful starting points for comparison; your measured drawer and cabinet determine the fit.

How to install and remove drawer slides

For new drawers, build a square box before fitting the slides. For replacement work, check the existing box and cabinet for damage first. Slides must sit level, and misalignment can cause binding or scraping.

To install side mount drawer slides, fit the drawer members to the sides of the box and the cabinet members to their supports. Use elongated mounting holes for initial adjustment where provided. Check movement and alignment before finishing the fastening. Full-extension travel makes clearance through the entire opening particularly important.

To install undermount drawer slides, match the runners, drawer preparation and locking devices as a complete arrangement. The runners sit beneath the drawer, and the locking devices connect the box to them. Establish the drawer dimensions before cutting a new box.

To remove ball bearing drawer slides with lever releases, extend the drawer and operate the release levers upward or downward as their mechanism requires. Clip-release hardware releases at the drawer’s bottom front corners. Drawer slides with wheels may release by pulling outward and lifting slightly; release any safety tabs before lifting the roller from its track.

The Pick

Buy the matching 16-inch, 18-inch or 22-inch CEE slide for a CEE replacement. Buy the 20-inch or 22-inch self-closing slide for a compatible drawer you want pulled shut. Match Blum TANDEM brackets, spacers and locking devices to a TANDEM repair, and choose the matching rear roller or drawer slide socket for that specific repair. Buy the 6-inch lazy susan for a matching replacement assembly. Get the mounting and size right first, then choose the movement you want every day.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you measure for drawer slides?

Measure the drawer box’s outside depth from front to back, leaving the drawer front out of the measurement. Then measure the cabinet’s usable depth and the space beside and beneath the box, including any obstructions. Ball-bearing side-mount drawer slides typically match the box length; undermounts have their own drawer-depth requirements. In a face-frame cabinet, the runner also has to reach its rear mounting bracket.

How do you choose heavy-duty drawer slides?

Choose heavy-duty drawer slides around the loaded drawer and its mounting arrangement, then compare the actual load ratings. The words “heavy duty” aren’t a shared rating across brands, and full extension tells you travel, not strength. Before comparing two ratings, check whether each applies to one runner or a pair and whether it includes the drawer’s weight.

How do you install drawer slides?

For side-mount drawer slides, attach the cabinet members inside the cabinet and the drawer members to the box’s outside faces, keeping them level and aligned. Use the horizontal adjustment slots where provided so you can correct the position before adding the remaining fasteners. On full-extension hardware, run the drawer through its entire travel to check for binding or scraping before finishing the fastening.

How do you remove ball-bearing drawer slides?

Check the release mechanism on your ball-bearing drawer slides before pulling the drawer free. With a lever release, extend the drawer and move the levers upward or downward as indicated, then pull the drawer members out. A push-latch release uses a button instead, so a drawer that stops at full travel may need its latch released rather than a harder pull.

How do you build a drawer for slides?

Choose the drawer slides before sizing the box, because the mounting style determines where you need clearance. Side-mounted hardware takes space from the drawer’s width, while clearance beneath the box reduces usable height. Build to the selected hardware’s dimensions and leave room to insert and remove the drawer; epoxy Euro mechanisms require you to tilt the box upward for that step.

How do you install undermount drawer slides?

Fit undermount drawer slides beneath a box built for their required depth and supported drawer-side thickness, then attach the box using compatible locking devices. Those devices may be sold separately, so account for them along with any rear mounting brackets before assembly. Follow the selected hardware’s drawer-preparation requirements; a box that fits side-mounted runners isn’t automatically ready for concealed ones.