How To Install Drawer Slides

The best type of drawer slides out there are the simplest to install, have the ability to carry the heaviest load, and protect your cabinets from the constant slamming of drawers. The under mount soft close drawer slides are the best slides I’ve worked with. This slides are simple to install, will go on standard cabinets or face frame cabinets with no problems and can. be adjusted even after you install them. The slides mount to the drawer box from underneath, so there is some requirements for the drawer box, so be sure to check your drawer boxes before you order these slides. The video below will provide you with a visual representation of how to install.

The first thing that you need to confirm is that your drawer boxes have at least a 1/2″ spacing on the bottom. There should be at least a 1/2″ between the bottom of the box and where the drawer bottom is. This is where the slides will actually ride on, and where the clips that attach the slides to the front of the box are to be installed. With the slides come a pair of clips that need to be screwed onto the front of the under side of the drawer. There is a right and left version of the clips so be sure to get them placed correctly . There is also a right and left slide so it’s important to mount them correctly. On the back of the slides you’ll see a little pointed hook type piece.

These hooks need so be a hole drilled out in the back of the box to sit in. These help pull the box forward when you open the drawer. The order of operations that I prefer to follow is to flip the drawer box over. Then place the slides on there and mark the back of the drawer box where the slides sit. Then with a coping saw or a jig saw cut that portion out so that the slides sit flat on the bottom of the drawer box. Once you’ve done that you can see where the hook is hitting the back of the drawer box, that is where you’ll want to drill a 5/8″ hole, but only drill it about 1/4″ deep as to not drill through the back of drawer. Then you can attach those clips, be sure to pre-drill before adding those screws. This is the edge of the wood and it will easily split if you don’t pre-drill.

Once the box is prepped, move on to adding the slides to your cabinet box. If like me you’re working with a face frame cabinet you’ll want the back of cabinet clips to attach the slides to the back of the cabinet. Add the clips to the back of the drawer slides, screw the front of the drawer slide to the face frame of the cabinet. I prefer to leave about an 1/8″ space from the edge of the slide to the front of the face frame. Then check your distance from the cabinet wall to the outside edge of the metal from the slides, that distance should match in the front and back of the cabinet. This will ensure that you are straight. For the bottom of the cabinet you shouldn’t have to worry about level because it’s going to sit on the bottom of the cabinet, but for drawers that are off the bottom of the cabinet you’ll want to check for level as well.

Once you’ve done all of this simply slide the drawers into place until you hear the click of the clip connecting to the drawer slides. Pull it out and test the soft close, it should work like a charm. There should be some resistance when pulling the drawer out at first as that’s the soft close mechanism that you have to pull the drawer through. For troubleshooting, if it won’t close all the way or the soft close isn’t working that tends to be a problem in the back of the cabinet. Either it’s too close together or it’s not level. The slide need to be equal distance apart at the from and back of the cabinet and need to run parallel.

Thanks for reading, don’t forget to subscribe and check out the YouTube video for some more visuals into how to install drawer slides.