inconvenient sticking drawer, hard to open

14 years ago

I have this very expensive dresser that has a long upper and lower drawer with two cabinets between (one with two larger drawers behind the door)...

well the top drawer and the bottom drawer..that are actually very large shallow drawers..never have opened correctly..

they were supposed to "loosen up with use"..well they didn't and that was 7 years ago when we moved in here after our housefire.

well in those 7 years those two drawers seldom ever got used..they were mainly empty with a few things throw in them..they open..but not all the way..and they stick.

well this morning i was thinking..that is p!$$ poor use of that storage space..what can i use them for.

well i know that you should always use the "more difficult to access" places of your home for things you seldom use..

well being allergic i seldom wear my jewlry (as i only wear it over layers..and not often at all)..i have 8 extra pair of eyeglasses that i hung onto incase i lose mine or whatever..sunglasses, bifocals, plains, etc....and i had an entire smaller drawer full of rolled up belts..and i very very very seldom if ever wear belts..but want to have them..so i just organized that entire drawer..jewelry on the left, glasses in the center, belts on the right.

this freed up two other drawers in the house that are much easier to get to and use..

the bottom sticky drawer which is even more difficult to access is still nearly empty..but i'll still be thinking on that one..and will find a way to utilize it someday soon

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Comments (9)

oilpainter
14 years ago
If they are wooden sliders in a groove of wood, get out the candles and run them back and forth over the wooden slider. It cuts down on friction and they should glide with ease
ysop1016
14 years ago
Ronbre,
I just solved the same problem. A cabinet maker came in and put all new metal slides on each side of the drawers. They pull in and out like a dream. It doesn't matter how expensive the dresser is, they put cheap wooden runners with plastic stops. This is like having a new dresser. Mine is 10 yrs. old.
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marie26
14 years ago
You can always call the manufacturer and they can sell you new gliders for the drawers.
ronbre
Original Author
14 years ago
they are metal slides..expensive metal slides..i think the cabinets are too tight for the drawers..so the entire cabinet would have to be rebuilt..or the drawers cut down and reattached..which might work..if you could get the drawers OUT to repair them..but they won't come out to fix them..so they are going to be my "seldom used drawers"..i can get into them..just not comfortably
karinl
14 years ago
Make sure the slides are cinched right into the sides of the cabinet and to the drawers? If you can get to the screws via the cabinet below perhaps. But if you can't even get at the things, then you're stuck (pun intended :-))

KarinL
ronbre
Original Author
14 years ago
yeah you can't get to anything to fix it..but as i said, it opens far enough to get things in and out..just not all the way..and it is sticky, but does open..

so better to store things in it that i don't often need.

as i said two of the drawers in that unit are like that..i think the unit was built with too tight dimensions..and they forced the drawers into the glides and then couldn't get them back out so they left it like that.

i wouldn't buy from that company again..but do like the piece..and have enough other storage to where i can use it like this

basically what brought me to doing this was re reading my notes on "putting things that you seldom use in those more inconvenient places, and things you use allt he time in the convenient easy to get at storage"

that was what got me thinking about using those drawers for the things i seldom use..

not actually asking for repair advice..but thinking more on the lines of how to use the inconvenient storage to it's best potential..i'm sure we all have some inconvenient storage that we use that way..like the cabinets above the frig or washer/dryer..top shelves in our closets,etc.
wantoretire_did
14 years ago
ronbre - Have you tried switching the drawers. That sometimes works.
ronbre
Original Author
14 years ago
can't get them out..
wantoretire_did
14 years ago
Ooops, you said that. I have one like that - drives me nuts. I keep socks in that one so I don't have to use it in summer. DH (matching dresser) top drawer is off track; will come out completely. I cannot get it back on track. Can't reach manufacturer, blah blah blah. Maybe I'll just get rid of them and go consignment/CL solid wood :-)