Types of Drawer Guides You Should Know

Curious about drawer guides?

When you plan to replace your kitchen cabinet drawers, it is crucial to know the different parts of one, as it can help you in sourcing materials that you need. One of the critical components that you know is the drawer guide or drawer slide. They are the ones responsible for allowing you to slide the drawer in and out of its frame.

There are various types that you can choose from, depending on how you want to mount your drawer, the length of the slide, and the weight of the drawer it would carry. Moreover, drawer guides also differ in terms of the mechanism it uses.

In general, there are three most common types of drawer guides: wooden, roller, and ball bearing. In this post, we’ll detail its functionalities so you would know which one is appropriate for your use. 

3 Most Common Types of Drawer Guides

1. Wooden 

Before the advent of plastic and metal drawer guides, most cabinet makers would only use wooden slides. It involves the use of wood strips that would serve as the horizontal rails wherein the drawers would slide on. 

The use of wooden guides requires precise craftmanship during the fabrication and assembly stage. One cannot allow the smooth sliding of the drawer if the guides are too loose or tight. Additionally, each finished drawer has no way of adding components to make up for errors. 

As such, the use of wooden guides is now limited, especially since they are prone to warping when exposed to humidity. 

2. Roller

Roller drawer guides would have two metal profiles often coated with epoxy. One profile would attach to the drawer and the other on the frame of the cabinet. It also comes with nylon wheels, which allow for the smooth sliding of the components. Since they are attached to the drawer sides, they are more exposed than wooden slides and may need a false face. Hiding it can also be possible by extending the drawer front lip. 

Roller drawer guides can be used as a side or bottom mount and are often preferred for lightweight uses. 

3. Ball-Bearing

As its name implies, ball-bearing drawer slides use ball bearings that would allow the stell components to slide quietly and smoothly as the drawer goes in and out of the frame. Unlike roller slides, these guides are capable of carrying higher loads of more than 250 kilograms. 

Ball-bearing drawer slides can come as either progressive or telescopic. Progressive ball bearing guides are notable for allowing the smooth and quiet opening of the drawers. Telescopic guides, on the other hand, would follow stages–the drawer must fully extend before applying the following function.

Choosing the right drawer guide is essential to ensure that you wouldn’t have any difficulty as you use your kitchen for preparing meals for your family. Consider your cabinet design and make sure that your choice of drawer guide would help. Connect with us, and we can help you craft the best cabinet for your home. 

Sources: 

https://www.thomasnet.com/articles/machinery-tools-supplies/types-of-drawer-slides/ 

https://www.popularwoodworking.com/woodworking-blogs/3-kinds-of-drawer-slides-pros-and-cons/ 

https://www.rockler.com/learn/choosing-drawer-slide