We renovated a house and put in inset drawers, cabinets. This can be done while the drawer is installed. Published by Cathy Rabeler. BTW, thanks for everyones support on this. He also said that once we loaded the drawers with our stuff it would not be so hard. No question is too stupid, too simple, or too basic. Perhaps not as nicely as Watre I've never used Blums, so I can't comparebut they open easily, and close themselves after Soft close drawer slides hard to open water give them a reasonable "push".

To be absolutely sure you need to find out what brand slides you have and get in touch with that company. Any drawers out of spec sizewise need to be remade, but the drawer fronts can be re-used. Here is a link that might be useful: Blum literature. By the way- Blum is not the best on the market just the best marketshare- don't get me wrong they are ok but they are not the best by far.

Some slide companies make a soft close and a self close. I have found that the self close are tougher to open. Good news though- slides can be replaced. Most slides use the same clearance tolerances and specs so they can be interchanged so if you simply don't like them you can have them replaced.

I thought my Kraftmaids were hard at first and then they weren't. I don't know if I got used to them or there's a period of them adjusting themselves. When you say hard to open and close are you meaning really, really hard??

Or just something you're not used to yet? I talked to the cabinet maker. They are definitely not made by blum. I was basically told this is how these are and if I wanted something that opens and closes easier then I would need to change them out for the blum and they would need to make all new drawer boxes. The cabinet guy said we should have known they would have resistance and would be alot harder to open and close.

Should we have known this? I mean everything I've read and all the drawers I've tested did not have this problem. Are we really at fault? Should he not have told us the pro and cons? Needless to say the cabinet maker is not very happy with me right now.

I'm so stressed as majority of my base cabinets are drawers with the exception of the two corners. I had to basically tug at the drawer the entire time to get it to open and push extremely hard to close. It almost felt there there was a resistance band on it when I try to open and then something resisting me closing it. I thought I was being wimpy so I had my husband try - he has found that it was really, really hard to open AND close. Does your cabinetmaker have any displays in his shop that you can go check out to compare with what you have?

Any "references" he can give for you to check out to make sure that they're "supposed" to be like that? I doubt it. There's a problem with the glides most likely and he doesn't want to waste his time fixing it. But thats just my opinion. Look for the 'made in china' stamp.

Please post photos so that we can debunk the cabinet maker's claim of 'resistance'. This is becoming a recurring problem. One more comment- our blum self close, soft close with 50 lbs worth of stuff inside can be opened with the pull of a finger. Travisalfrey, could you share with us some of the other brands that are as good Soft Close Drawer Slides Hard To Open As as, or better than blum? That doesn't sound like they're working correctly at all. I have Kraftmaid cabinets, so I don't have Blum brand glides - but my drawers open and close fine.

Perhaps not as nicely as Blums I've never used Blums, so I can't compare , but they open easily, and close themselves after I give them a reasonable "push". Now, this is only after my cabinets were replaced. The carpenter had originally installed the cabinets badly, putting the boxes out of square - then the drawers didn't work well at all.

Once the cabs were replaced we had to reorder them! That makes no sense. When you test out cabinets at a store or display, there is nothing in them! The soft-close drawers I've seen are still soft-close when there's nothing in them. Cabinet maker has agreed to replace all the drawer slides to blum. He said he will need to remake all the drawer boxes to accommodate the new slides. Does this sound right? Can anyone tell me if the blum slides are bottom mounted or side mounted?

The current crappy slides are side mounted and they take up alot of space, therefore making my drawer boxes smaller. BTW, thanks for everyones support on this. All the information that was provided in response to my post helped my case when I had to talk to my cabinet maker today.

My newly installed cabinets have bottom-mounted Blum glides. There is an initial resistance when opening the drawer, but my 6 and 8 year old daughters can do it without a problem. You do have to give them a little tug, so it feels a little strange never having had this kind of glide before , but not difficult.

Hettich makes high quality cabinetry hardware - a bit more up market than Blum as I understand it. Side mount full extension and soft close are different than Blumotion which are undermounted ball bearing glides if I have my terminology right.

With undermounted ball bearing glides your drawers will be wider and it will have a very different feel. How deep are your cabinets? I think hettich is the best made. I also like the motion of the Accuride but Accuride has a difference clearance than blum or hettich so they are not interchangable.

I use the accurides on inset jobs because they are the most adjustable. How can I tell if the Blum soft close, self close will fit? This is the wrong question to be asking. You simply TELL the custom cabinetry maker what you want an he goes and makes it in the size necessary to fit your space.

This should be part of the specifications that are given to the cabinet shop. This is the glide that's mounted inside the cabinet.

They are the only kind I use and work get when installed properly. The drawers have to be made to specific specifications. You can't change out cheap side-mounted slides without making all new drawers.

May I join in on this discussion with my dilemma? My cabinets were installed this week and Accuride slides are totally dis-functional!

If you push the drawers softly, they don't close; if you push them with enough force to close completely they bounce open. IMO, they are unacceptable. They are really easy to open, and pretty much close themselves without banging if I get them close enough they kind of "suck themselves in". The side-mount glides on the Rev A Shelf? One more voice in the discussion. We are building out our kitchen and have many Blum Tandem soft close units.

They work smooth and correctly. BUT, we have had 3 of the catches as pictured above but with a small white plastic tab for bottom screw install break. But the slides attach to the drawer using special clips mounted to the bottom of the drawer box. The entire slide is hidden from view once the drawer is in place. This type of soft-close slide also has less maintenance than the side mount slide because less dirt collects on the slide under the drawer than the exposed side mount version.

They also tend to keep the drawer better aligned inside the drawer cavity, meaning fewer adjustments over time for you. Drawer with under-mount soft-close drawer slides. Side Mount Drawer Slides: Although the under-mount soft-close drawer slides are recommended whenever possible, there are times you may need to use a side mount drawer slide system. One such situation is when there is no bottom of the drawer to attach the drawer slide to.

Pull-out baskets and hybrid cloth drawer systems are two examples. In these instances, you need a side mount drawer slide. Consciously or not, consumers always equate under-mount slides with better quality. Side mount slides are a little less expensive than their under-mount counterparts, but you will recoup the difference in price when you eventually sell your home. This wire basket for closets needs side mount drawer slides to function properly.

Weight Rating: Drawer slides are rated according to how much weight the drawer will be able to hold once they are installed.

For everyday use, you need a slide rated to hold at least pounds. Everyone ends up sticking more in their drawers than they thought they originally would. Overweight drawers will wear out quickly or collapse entirely. Avoid the mess and buy a better-quality drawer slide to start with. Extension: This refers to how far you will be able to pull the drawer from the drawer cavity. Full-extension slides allow you to pull the drawer all the way out.

They give you the greatest flexibility for loading and unloading the drawer. They also allow you to see the entire drawer contents at once. This indicates a cheaper product. Adjusting soft close drawers are easy.

Adjust your under mount soft close drawer by moving the adjustment knob in the corner of the drawer clip. Use this knob to fine-tune the space between the drawer fronts.

This can be done while the drawer is installed. You do not have to remove it. Tile and Stone AMA. Tiling, A Guide. Windows AMA. Windows Part 2. Are soft close drawers supposed to be hard to open?

I got new cabinets with soft close drawer guides DTC L is the part number on them , and you have to give them all a good tug to open them. They seem to be lined up properly. They slide and close just fine. It's just the first inch or two is really difficult to pull. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy. All rights reserved. HomeImprovement comments. Want to join? Log in or sign up in seconds. Submit a new text post.

Get an ad-free experience with special benefits, and directly support Reddit.

Carpenters Voice Of The Heart Lp Router Circle Jig Rockler Jet Planes For Sale Australia Job