DRAWERS STICKING? 5 Easy Fixes!
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- Опубликовано: 5 июл 2024
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Sticking drawers are a common problem in older wooden dressers. This video from The Honest Carpenter will show you 5 EASY FIXES to get your wooden drawers sliding smoothly again!
(Keep in mind that these methods are for what we typically call "web frame" drawers--drawer boxes slide on wooden components inside the dresser. With the exception of #5, these methods won't work on sliding metal hardware or more modern components with bearings and tracks.)
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The action of wood-on-wood components sliding across one another produces a lot of friction, which results in the drawer "sticking" or dragging. In many cases, the key to fixing this problem is ELIMINATING FRICTION.
5 EASY FIXES FOR WOODEN DRAWERS STICKING (HOW-TO):
1) SANDPAPER: Use 180-grit sandpaper to lightly sand down components that may be rubbing against each other too harshly. Look for abrasion points where components are catching one another. Consider lightly sanding these spots to reshape them a bit. (Note: this method won't work for every dresser, but for ones that have experienced some warpage, it can be helpful.)
2) BAR SOAP: Use common bar soap to lubricate the components that are rubbing against each other. Simply rub the bar soap across these surfaces--but don't leave too much gunk or residue. Focus especially on the underside of the drawer box, and the top of the wooden web frame pieces inside the dresser.
3) BEESWAX: Use beeswax in a similar fashion to coat or lubricate wooden components in drawers, particularly the center slide (if one is present). You can also use: paraffin wax, or even common household candles, though it may be wise to avoid anything scented.
4) WAX PAPER: Fold pieces of wax paper into pads and rub them against components. The thin layer of wax on the paper will be transferred to the wooden components without creating too much residue. BUT, be careful not to pull up any wood splinters!
5) DRY LUBE: Use dry lubricant to spray the web frame components. Graphite and teflon are two common forms of dry lubricant--I prefer teflon. A tube applicator can help to direct the flow of the lubricant to problem areas. Lubricant will go on wet but soon dry out, leaving a slick layer. This is the most effective method, and dry lube can also be used on metal, plastics, and rope!
Thank you for watching the video! Be sure to check back in with The Honest Carpenter channel for more videos soon.
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(Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Apex, Cary, Wake Forest--North Carolina) 
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Many years ago an old carpenter told me never to use soap, only use wax. He said soap is hydrophilic(attracts water)and will cause the screws to rot and wax is hydrophobic(repels water)
Saw this video, went straight out to the hardware store and bought some Teflon spray. Worked like a charm. Stickiest drawers ever are now sliding like a dream. Thank you Honest Carpenter !!
OMG. Over the years I've used beeswax, bar soap and God knows what else but none of that ever works. I'd never heard of dry teflon lubrication and I used it, and it's amazing. I can't think you enough.
Wow! So glad I found this video. I’m going to try these techniques out tomorrow on a 50 year old dresser! Thank you :)
Wow, what a lifesaver you are. Thank you for the tips.
I don't usually comment on videos...but oh my goodness!! I tried the wax paper method and it worked like a dream. I have been beating my poor desk trying to get drawers to open. Not any more!! this worked so well! Thank you so much for your video :)
That’s awesome, Brooke!
You are a genius!!! I used thee dry luv on my old antique dresser...the drawers were so stuck I had to leave them open about 5inches so I could open them with out hurting myself. I vacuumed the drawer tracks as you said.and then sprayed the dry lube....... later I tried to open the drawers and it was like they were floating on air..thankyou !!!!
So much better and to the point than the last video I could not watch before looking for another video just like this one.
Thank you!
Plz guide me my drawer is not coming out at all
Oh thank you. I'm on a tight budget and was given an old dresser its just simple but hard to move the drawers. I'll try this and then I'm going to paint it shabby chic with pinks for my kiddo
Oh wow this is a great tutorial. I just inherited a old fashion wooden desk from my sister. It is the kind with the roll down closure. It has great bones but the drawers are hard to open and close. Thanks for sharing!👍🏼
🙏🏽☮️🌏🌴
Thank you! YOU are a lifesaver! I’ve been fighting with this problem for months! Will get the Dry Lube tomorrow!
Hello Peggy, did you get the dry lube - if you did, does it smell weird? Cheers.
I have an old, real wood dresser in my garage and the drawers really didn't like the damp during winter months. I happened to have a can of silicone lubricant to hand, so before I went as far as remaking the drawers and installing extension runners, I gave the drawers and frame a good coating and they work so much better.
I still have to use both hands to close the drawers so one side doesn't bind. That's a whole lot less work than reworking them. I'll get the Teflon lube next time for an even smoother action.
Thank you for this video! And, randomly, kudos on that super organized kitchen drawer 😅 I can't wait to try the tephlon spray!
Perfect content. Thank you for sharing your knowledge, it helped me a lot !
Informative video. Thank you!
Thank you for posting this. It's people like you that save me from buying things I only need once, and I save money. I just used a simple tea candle, and whoa the difference. Ok let's see how this goes.
I am going to use your advise, I am confident it is the answer. Thanks so much... have a blessed day.
Thank you campmein!
Thank You SOOOOO Much. Your ideas are wonderful!
I have a map chest with 9 shallow drawers that all of us suddenly started to stick. This video gave me some great ideas!!! Thank you.
Thanks for the helpful information!
It worked for me. Thanks very much for the tip. Subscribed as well
Glad to hear, Vijeesh! Thanks for subscribing 🙂
Thanks. I needed this resolution.
Thank you! So helpful!
Very helpful. Thanks!
Saporito....tasty
Thanks. Some great tips.
Never ever thought of dry lubricants. Have always rubbed a household candle along the runners before so many thanks from your newest subscriber.
Thanks UK Tony! I appreciate you watching 🙂 Where do you live in the UK? I lived in Glasgow for a while many years ago
Watching in Berkshire. My son in law is from Glasgow and currently serving as a Petty Officer on HMS Prince of Wales. How did you get on with the Glaswegian accent
That’s great to hear! Took me about 5 months to get glaswegian nailed down, and I’ve never been able to imitate it. But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss it 😄
You did better than me, I still have trouble with Son in Law after 20+ years 😁.
I’ve tried all but the Dry Lube. I will purchase that hoping it helps during the cold weather months.
Thank you for making this vid:)
Thank you Mike!
Thank you! I was just about to get my daughter another bedroom set because she hated her sticky drawers! Paying $5 versus $1000 sure is sweet! God bless!!
Great to hear, A K! 🙂
The dial soap was a fixer thanks so much!
Thank you so much!
Thanks for the info.
Thank you sooo much. I have my Grand mothers dresser drawer, and the drawers are more , and more difficult to open. Everybody has candles for emergencies, so I won't have to buy anything to alleviate this problem. Than you again GOD bless you
I thank you so much for sharing your knowledge. I have some tea lights in the house I used three of them but my drawer slides in and out thank you again❤❤❤
Great ideas for drawers you already have out. How do I get extemely stuck drawers out of a antique cabinet?
Great to know dry spray is available. Used soap before. Thanks
You’re welcome, Marilyn! Stuff works great 🙂
Great video
Thank you! 😄
many thanks
Great video! What kind of turntable is that you have?
Will look for the dry lube And give it a try. Thanks for the informative video Ethan
You’re welcome, Ed! Thanks as always for watching 🙂
Thanks a lot 🙏
thank you!
Thanks!!
I think that's a Statton Trutype dresser. I just bought one at auction and I'm doing the same thing you just did. Thanks, man!
That looks like the "Buffet" I have from my Mother.
Thank you : )
I have a yarn swift with a wooden screw. When it got sticky my carpenter dad used a soft pencil on the threads. It worked really well on the small surface that needed to be lubricated.
Thanks so much!
You’re welcome, Raven! 🙂
I think I have the same set and color. What is good to refinish the top. Thanks gor dry Luke with Teflon.
Bel-Ray Waterproof Grease works great too! 😊
Thanks Debrah!
Love dry Teflon lube. Also great for sticky door locks and bike chains.
I use Johnson’s Paste Wax on my sticky drawers. But I have used soap and it will work, for a time.
I’ll try Johnson’s next time, Dewey!
thank u !
Hello. I am in the UK and can't get hold of the blaster spray in your video. Would you happen to know a good alternative thats readily available in the UK?
I tried the soap and it works ...I wouldn’t use the spray bc Teflon is so toxic and I don’t want that in cabinets where I store my cooking appliances.
Thank you for this! Do you know if I could use the lub for sticky painted drawers?
I think it could help, A! The paint should give a firm, stable surface for the Teflon.
@@TheHonestCarpenter thank you!
Do you put the dry lube on the drawer as well, or just on the track? Thanks!
Rockler makes a Nylo tape Friction Free Drawer Slide Tape for this purpose too.
WHat about for particle board drawers that don't slide easily? thanks.
Thanks for the advice, used bar of soap and now sticky drawer glides in and out!
The wax paper did the trick! (Other than this nasty splinter.) Thanks!
The soap and beeswax scented can help keep stink down in older furniture especially. Be careful with sprays that stink it's lots of chemicals that can then be all over your clothes. Also check the gliders as some habe screws that need tightening or even changing grom all the friction and expansion issues. Prayers to your journey
thanks
I have 2 dogs and I want to use the dry lube same one you used, my question is, does it have a strong smell ? Thanks
Only word of caution with the spray on lube......make sure all the drawers are out because you wouldn't want that stuff getting on your clothing. Small chance it could seep through any small voids in the wood before it dries.
Thank you, Paul! That’s a very good point
Gosh I need this. Have an old Hooker dresser/chest (Hooker Furniture company) and between moving the drawer were mixed up and now, they are driving me crazy to get them back in properly
My drawer already get stuck and any solutions to open it? Once it is open and I can maintenance per your above video advice.
How long do the natural methods usually last?
Hi. We are dealing with the rough open and close, but also the top drawer is not closing bc somehow it's just a good quarter inch too high so it hits. Would we try to plane this or ????
My bottom drawer was 'sticking' trying to pull it out because it has a wooden support bar/board glued from one end to the other and the front part had fallen down. I supposed I could just try to re-glue it in place and see how long it lasts, but is there any good tricks to otherwise re-securing a failed wooden beam? I can't screw it in place because it's in the front, and then I'll have a screw showing in the face of the face of the drawer.
2:32 p.m
I have an antique chest of drawers that was in storage.
The bottom drawer is stuck- won’t open at all!
How do I open this?
Do you know how to make or fix the underside of an old wooden drawer slide? I believe you called it a web frame. I have a table saw but haven’t have the guts to turn it on. It took me three years to put it together. LOL Thanks for all your videos!
Do ypu have to use any of the methid on a regular basis or once?
Combined sanding and bees wax for great results on the drawer of an antique dry sink! Thanks :)
Great tips! What about drawers that won’t budge at all! I found a 1950s "teacher's" desk and I can't open any drawers. The finish is really old so I don't think they have been unintentionally glued on by some fresh varnish or anything. I think it's been exposed to moisture and the wood expended over time. I have put it indoor next to a heater for a couple of days in hope that drying it would resolve the issue but no luck! I'm starting to think that I'm going to have to take this baby apart or at least open the back… :-( Any tips would be much appreciated!! Thanks
I just got a set like this open - I was lucky that there was at least some visible gap at the tops on some of the drawers, so I got a large screwdriver into the gap and levered them out . I used first cardboard then books to protect the drawer edge as it took a LOT of force - I think if the drawers had been flimsier the faces would have broken off! If you can get from the front maybe the only choice would be to make holes in the back of the unit and hammer them out from behind - if you do that stay close to the runners or you will almost certainly smash the rear of the drawer.
@@sodoff6374 Ok, but then? I opened mine but they won't close back... Will try the miracle spray, but the drawers weirdly seem too big for their openings.
Edit...And a few months later... My drawers are working again, without me doing anything... I had kept them for too long under the porch all through the fall during my house renovations.
Sometimes I'd use both a sander and candle wax, and oftentimes the sides of the drawer can catch, so going in with a sander to take out the high spots on the frame does wonders.
I was about to try that, then I thought first I would try sanding down just the upper outside corners of the hole the drawer goes into, just where it hits. But this is something I don't care a ton about remaining perfect. It stays in the garage and I love it's giant drawers (it once held patterns at a 1940s fabric shop) so the dampness makes it tight hard the year in Seattle. Okay 11/12th months a year :)
@@Linusrox123 but a drawer that works is world's better than one that... Kind of works.
@@classydays43 Oh yes yes I understand, and I have done sanding and wax on all the areas that might hit before - I am just noticing that in my case with the one, its's only the top outer part that is dragging badly so I meant to I will FIRST try to instead of doing the whole top of the drawer that contacts the hole, sand a little off the place tit contacts the while way in and whole way out. Boy this is hard to explain without pics haha
Cheap lip balm worked great!
Vanity is screwed and plumbed against the wall. How to press down plastic tab spring attached to frame about several inches in. Can't get leverage to press down tab.
I have some graphite dry lubricant but it's black due to the graphite and doesn't seem to be a good option to me.
Min was was suggested to me. But only 1 drawer didnt w as nt to buy a whole pint. I will go buy the dry lubes with teflon ! Thanks so much
How do we loosen sticking drawers cabinet
I have a problem, how do you change the depth of a drawer from thin to deeper? It's only about 2 inches high, not high enough to put books in. How can you reconstruct it?
I’ve tried all those products. conclusion Time to getting the big guns,out, yes the (Sander) slightly sanding, the sides top and bottom of the draws that has fixed the problem ,open, and shut, with without any effort, if all prevailed..
👒🥂👒
I have the opposite problem. The second drawer from the top of my wife's dresser keeps sliding out. Any thoughts on how to fix this?
Lucky! I would dream of having that problem instead of the opposite! 😤
I cannot take the drawers out at all . Any idea how to do it? Thanks.
My drawer is not getting out of chest body how i will remove n fix it with lubricant
How about Vaseline or petroleum jelly? I saw that in another video.
I tried vaseline and it does not work. I believe the lubricant should be dry like wax in order to work.
It has been 2 years since you made this video, Do you still feel Dry Lube is the best wood lubricant of all you mentioned? I have a customer that has a 14 ft wood attic ladder, that slides on a metal bracket. Each side of the ladder has a 3/4"W x 1/2" slot/channel that runs the entire 14 feet. the wood is dried out (lack of TLC) and the guilds are catching in those grooves. Dry Lube or beeswax?
Good question, Terry. Because it’s wood on metal, you could maybe try finishing paste wax. That’s what a lot of woodworkers use on table saw tops. 🤔
How about using contact paper.
I sticked a piece on the slide and
That was that!
Dry Lube..... Works
I have that same exact buffet. Do you know the maker.
It looks like some Drexel Heritage furniture to me.
One more though not easy to get - French chalk. Either rubber along contact surfaces or grate and sprinkle.
I can't find Any videos showing how to fix my antique dresser that had no runners whatsoever. So when you pull it out over half way is falling. Is never had runners in it. That how old or is. There's not a lot of room for runners. Idk what to do. It's a 3 drawer little dresser with swivel mirror on top.
Hey I have a similar situation! What did you end up doing?
My problem is how to open them in the first place. Wooden drawers on wooden frame completely stuck.
I have used wax on other furniture but I could get the drawer open.
😢
Last record on that turntable? 50 bucks says it was REO Speedwagon!
Maybe…spray it on a small rag and wipe the surfaces Great video
Just keep Sanding I find works
Just watched again to get the name of the spray and then heard you say "doors, windows" and thinking OH MY GOSH- my sliding glass door is more like moving a wall. And my windows!!! I can hardly open any of them. We thought the frames may be warped. I am using this stuff all over my house. I may be able to open the door and windows!!!
I just painted antique drawer and expanded can not put drawers back? help 9-13
Me too. I think I shouldn’t have painted the sides of the drawers
@@linderlouhubbard4784 Good Morning! I just used a blessed candle and the wax along with prayer worked! Thank You so much God Bless You!!!!!
What about the "professional" wax products? I realize you may find them expensive for what they do. Or, maybe you have other reasons for not recommending them. But, shouldn't they be at least a comment? And, used over time, does DryLube damage the wood? Thanks for your informative video.
But what if you can't get the drawers open to solve the problem?
I found out, all I had to do was wait a couple more days....LOL
Turn it on its front and lift the case off letting the drawer(s) drop out??
I used soap, wax; including Odies(50 bucks); sanding and chanting! LOL - BOOM...Teflon Spray worked!
Feed-n-wax