Swapping Out Kitchen Drawer Cabinets

[David Stone]

My kitchen cabinets have these old style slides, and they're all a bit hincky:

   

   

   

If I want to replace them with Accurides, I assume I'll need to add a piece of ply from the front to back to affix the slide?  
What's the best way to position the slide on the drawer and frame to get the drawer front to line up correctly?  The drawer front is the front piece of the box -- not a separate piece screwed in place.
Maybe it's not as daunting as I think, but I'm guessing I'd get it off by 1/4" or so, and the drawer wont fit.

Would it be easier to just build new drawers?

[thewalnutguy]

My kitchen cabinets have these old style slides, and they're all a bit hincky:





If I want to replace them with Accurides, I assume I'll need to add a piece of ply from the front to back to affix the slide?  
What's the best way to position the slide on the drawer and frame to get the drawer front to line up correctly?  The drawer front is the front piece of the box -- not a separate piece screwed in place.
Maybe it's not as daunting as I think, but I'm guessing I'd get it off by 1/4" or so, and the drawer wont fit.

Would it be easier to just build new drawers?

Most modern slides have adjustment slots, typically vertical on one half of the slide, horizontal on the mating half. Use those slots for the initial mounting screws and adjust the drawers to the proper orientation in the cabinet, then use screws in the round mounting holes to lock them in place.

[barryvabeach]

No ,  it would definitely not be easier to make new drawers.  I am just starting a similar makeover, though I am making new drawer fronts and door fronts, I am using the drawer boxes, they are in fine shape, and would be a lot of lumber and time to make.  There are adjustments on the slides, and if you need more, you can add shims, or use a chisel and that would be far less work than making new drawers.    Most slides I looked at offered as a separate item a bracket that gets screwed to the back of the cabinet and holds the rear of the slide, and the front of the slide gets attached to the cabinet face frame.   There are some good youtube videos on different ways to do the install to make the process easier.
BTW,  I haven't installed the slides yet, but read a few reviews that said soft close was not a great idea, in part because the weight in the different drawer boxes are so different from lighter drawers, that you will have issues in a year or so. ( I have slides on pullout drawers on all my lower boxes, some have aluminum pans, other cast iron pots, so big difference in weight.) So I went with full extension, but not soft close or self close

[Willyou]

Yes. You will need to add mountings on the sides unless you use bottom mount slides. I've never used the latter. So, I can't advise on those.
Whether you build new drawer boxes or not, you will still need to add the mounting boards (for lack of better term). Based on your photos, I would say that your boxes look fine. Just be sure to install the mounting boards square with the cabinet fronts and leave the required side spacing (usually 1/2").
Having said that, there are brackets that mount to the back as with the ones you now have. Can't tell from the photo, but maybe what you have will work with new slides.

[Roly]

No ,  it would definitely not be easier to make new drawers.  I am just starting a similar makeover, though I am making new drawer fronts and door fronts, I am using the drawer boxes, they are in fine shape, and would be a lot of lumber and time to make.  There are adjustments on the slides, and if you need more, you can add shims, or use a chisel and that would be far less work than making new drawers.    Most slides I looked at offered as a separate item a bracket that gets screwed to the back of the cabinet and holds the rear of the slide, and the front of the slide gets attached to the cabinet face frame.   There are some good youtube videos on different ways to do the install to make the process easier.
BTW,  I haven't installed the slides yet, but read a few reviews that said soft close was not a great idea, in part because the weight in the different drawer boxes are so different from lighter drawers, that you will have issues in a year or so. ( I have slides on pullout drawers on all my lower boxes, some have aluminum pans, other cast iron pots, so big difference in weight.) So I went with full extension, but not soft close or self close

As far as soft close the Blum soft close on the kitchen drawers are now 12 years old with no faults.  A first I installed Blum soft close clones on storage drawers that only lasted 2 years, I replaced them with Blum soft close and are now 10 years with no issues.   So go with a brand name on slow close slides as it will be cheaper in the long run.
  Undermounts are a different ball game.  You will be making different drawer boxes for them.  Undermounts are very good if you are making drawer boxes any way but the sizing is from the inside width of the drawer and the side thickness.    Roly

[jteneyck]

Look at the back of the slide in the cabinet.  See that L shaped bracket.  I'll bet it's mounted to the back of the cabinet or a cleat that runs in front of the back.  You can buy slides with a similar bracket, including Blum's undermounts, that allows the slide to be mounted at the back, so you don't have to pad out the interior flush with the faceframe.  The bracket also allows you steer the drawer front for a flush fit.  

You will not be able to use Blum's undermounts unless you are very lucky.  The drawer bottom needs to 1/2" above the bottom of the sides, and the drawer length needs to be exactly 18", 21", etc, whatever length slide you are buying.  Side mounted slides are much more forgiving in those regards, and will cover the holes from the slide you now have.  K&V make some very nice soft close side mounted slides.  You'll see the rear mounting brackets and some K&V slides at this Link.  And their soft close side mounted ones:  Link 2

John

[museumguy]

You need to figure out what you want. For example, the easiest solution is side mount slides, i.e., Accurides as you mentioned. You pad out the side of the cabinet to allow for Accurides and boom, good to go. You can use side mount, soft close but I've never had much success. Others may have a different opinion. Undermount slides are the best (in my opinion). This would require new drawer boxes (most likely). I just swapped out undermount non-soft closing slides with soft close slides. I ended up ordering the wrong ones and had to shim the new slides 1/8" to fit the existing drawers. There is always a way to make it work.

[David Stone]

Thanks everyone. I’ll give it a shot soon. And hoped I’ll get it lined up correctly, or else my wife will laugh at me.

[jteneyck]

Thanks everyone.  I’ll give it a shot soon. And hoped I’ll get it lined up correctly, or else my wife will laugh at me.

My wife has never laughed at my work after I pointed to my tools and told her to give it go.  

John

[museumguy]

My wife has never laughed at my work after I pointed to my tools and told her to give it go.  

John

A comment just like that got me fired once. I hurt the feelings of the owners son. The whimpy college dropout.