Full Extension Drawer Slides: Choosing The Right Size

Full extension drawer slides have become popular with both builders and homeowners alike in recent years. They are just the thing when every square inch of a drawer is used for storage and you need to be able to access all items in a drawer. How can you be sure to purchase the right size?

The Importance of Measuring Accurately

If you have high quality full extension drawer slides that are properly fitted and measured, you will get years of life from them. They will extend the life of your cabinetry as well.

However, if you get poorly fitted slides, they will warp the cabinets as well as jamming the slides themselves.

Full extension drawer slides come in measurements from 8” to 28” and widths of 250 mm to 600 mm, so you will find the right slide for your drawer with a little persistence.

Measure The Drawer

When you measure the drawer, remember to remove it completely from the cabinet or dresser. Depending on the current drawer glide (if this is a replacement project) then this may require some manipulating.

Lift up on the front of the drawer, and if that doesn’t work, try lifting on the back of the drawer to lift it out of the current glides.

It may be easier to measure the drawer if the old glide hardware is removed, but it is not necessary.

Measure the drawer carefully and accurately from the front of the drawer box to the back. Do not include the false front of the drawer box in your measurement. If you haven’t worked much with drawers and glides, you may not realize the drawers are made separately from the false fronts. You can replace and exchange just about any front onto a drawer box.

For measuring a drawer, be sure to measure only the box portion itself.

Measure Inside the Cabinet

You should also measure inside the cabinet and look for any extensions, bolts, wood pieces or other obstructions that might interfere with the operation of  the drawer glide.

If you are replacing other glides with a full extension drawer glide, then  you may find some problems.

Remember that full extension drawer glides are side mounted, so if you had a bottom mount glide previously, it will not have the same fit.

Measure Clearance

If you are moving from wood glides or a bottom glide to full extension drawer glides, you’ll need to measure and see if there is enough clearance to handle the side mount glides.

You need ½ inch on each side of the drawer box in order to mount the glides. So you should measure the width of the box from outer edge to outer edge, then the interior of the cabinet and be sure you have the 1” of clearance.

Choose the Glides
If you have the proper clearance and no obstructions in the box, then choose the glide. If your drawer box measures 15 inches, you can get a 15 inch slide. If the measurements are slightly off – in other words, if there is no full extension drawer slide in your drawer’s size – then purchase the next smaller size glide.

If you purchase one that is even slightly too large, you’re likely to have problems with the drawer closing.