DIY // How To Make Old Wood Drawers Slide Easier

an easy DIY tutorial on how to make old wood drawers slide easier

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(Updated: 1/19/18)

Old wood drawers. We have a lot of them in our old houses. They're beautiful. They're solid. They're full of character and history and I sure do love them.  But they're not always the easiest to open. They stick and grind and often take two hands to pull.

So what's an old home lover to do?

Our Bryant House renovation, kitchen (drawer pull / cabinet latch)

Well it turns out that there's an easy fix. And it costs under $1 and takes only a couple of minutes. Read on for this easy DIY.

DIY // How to Make Old Wood Drawers Slide Easier

STEP ONE

Pull out the drawers and arrange them so you can access the underside.

STEP TWO

Rub a bar of soap (we used a basic Dove bar here) along the tracks on the bottom of the drawer and in the cabinet/dresser. Make sure to get anywhere wood rubs against wood and give it plenty of soap. This is one of those rare quantity over quality situations.

STEP THREE

After everything is soaped up, slide the drawer back in. That's it! The drawer should slide easier. Of course they still won't open like brand-new soft-close drawers, but for $1 and a couple minutes, I'd call it a win!

The Grit and Polish - Bryant DIY How to Make Wood Drawers Slide Easier 7

The pulls and latches are from the Martha Stewart line at Home Depot and super inexpensive. I've linked to them below.

I've heard about this DIY being completed with wax, which I think would work well too. Either way, if you try this DIY, please let us know how it went in the comment section below. And if you want to know more about this kitchen, the Bryant House renovation, or the Grit and Polish, scroll down to the "Related Posts" section.

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The Bryant House, DIYsCathy PoshustaDIY, How to make wood drawers slide, old wood drawers43 Comments