After years of wear and tear — pulling your drawers in and out thousands of times, moving things around from drawer to drawer and filling your drawers with junk until you can't open them — your drawer boxes can start to look like they've seen better days.
If you bought a house back in the '70s or '80s, or if you're renting an apartment or townhouse, your kitchen and bath cabinet Drawer Boxes were most likely made of 3/8" or 1/2" particle board or some other low-cost material. Most drawer boxes built at that time were stapled or pinned together with a thin bottom panel — they were functional and stored your items, but they weren't built to last.
Maybe you're noticing that one side of a drawer is starting to give way, or the bottom panel is getting wet and the paper is starting to bubble and peel. Maybe a drawer slide is starting to stick because it has come loose over time.
Whatever your reasoning, you now want to upgrade to something better, replacing the drawers in your kitchen or bathroom with higher quality materials. Upgrading your drawers is an ideal investment for any house, but if you're going to be in your home for 10 or more years, then this is an especially great choice!
WHEN TO REPLACE YOUR DRAWER BOXES
There are plenty of reasons that people choose to replace their drawer boxes, ranging anywhere from large-scale renovations to simply broken pieces.
One of the most frequent reasons homeowners choose to replace their drawer boxes is because they want to upgrade their kitchen or bathroom. Maybe their drawers aren't broken, but they've been in use for 40 or 50 years, and they weren't built with the best materials. Rather than waiting for the drawers to fall apart, it could be better to get new drawer boxes while you renovate the rest of the kitchen or bathroom.
But you don't have to upgrade the entire room if you need new drawer boxes. When you get replacements, you can keep your old drawer fronts if you prefer, allowing your new boxes to completely blend in with your existing kitchen or bathroom. There are plenty of reasons to upgrade your drawers without changing the rest of the room.
For example, if your drawers are older or made from low-grade materials, you might notice your drawers bowing or bending when you pull them out. If that's the case, it's best to replace the drawers now, before they get worse and either break or stop closing all the way.
However, most often, if homeowners are looking into replacing drawer boxes without remodeling the whole room, it's because their drawers have broken or fallen apart.
In some cases, you can salvage a broken drawer. If the drawer merely came apart at the corners, you might be able to glue or screw the pieces back together. However, if your drawer box is broken from the bottom, or if the sides are split, or if you simply don't want to deal with fixing your old drawers, then your best option is to order a replacement drawer box.
But how do you replace a broken drawer? In the rest of this guide, we'll walk you through all the steps of finding, ordering and installing replacement drawer boxes.
HOW TO FIND THE RIGHT DRAWER BOXES
Once you know you need to replace your drawer boxes, there are several things to look for in the replacements to ensure that you are buying quality products. You'll want drawer boxes with better, sturdier materials that can stand the test of time, and you'll also want boxes that are well-constructed and won't break or fall apart easily.
MATERIALS
Leave particle board drawer boxes in the past! Sturdy, high-quality materials are crucial for anyone interested in upgrading their drawers. At Cabinet Doors 'N' More, our drawer boxes come in several types of solid wood options, including birch, plywood and higher end species like cherry or walnut.
Solid wood drawer boxes are much sturdier and will last much longer, making them the clear option over particle board. Most solid wood Drawer Boxes are also finished with a clear UV finish that protects the drawers from damage and gives a nice completed look.
Most solid wood drawers are also economical — depending on the height, width and depth that you need, new drawer boxes could cost as low as $40-50.
JOINT CONSTRUCTION
Construction is the key to any good drawer box. After all, if you need new drawer boxes, you probably want to make sure that whatever you buy will last for many years.
We've already covered the importance of solid wood materials in construction, but there are other crucial factors to consider. First, you have to be sure that the drawer's joints are constructed well.
Joints are a crucial part of a drawer. Poorly built joints will cause your drawers to quickly fall apart after steady use, but well-made joints will stay solid for years to come. While there are several different types of joints used for drawers, if you want to make sure your drawer has the best construction quality, you should find a drawer that uses dovetail joints.
Dovetail construction is an old woodworking method that has been used for hundreds of years. A dovetail joint, also referred to as simply a "dovetail," is a technique most commonly used in woodworking for joining pieces together. Builders achieve this joint by carving slots on the ends of boards and fitting them perfectly together, much like puzzle pieces. This method is often utilized for products such as cabinets, log buildings, furniture and traditional timber framing.
The dovetail joint is commonly used to join the sides of a cabinet or drawer because of its notable resistance to being pulled apart. The dovetail joint is very strong because of the way the "dovetails" are shaped and assembled. It's difficult to pull this kind of joint apart, and if glued, it's virtually impossible to break apart. If your drawer is built with dovetail joints, its corners will remain tight through plenty of wear and tear.
BOTTOM PANEL CONSTRUCTION
Joints keep your drawer together, but the bottom panel of your drawer is what actually holds its contents. The second critical key to quality drawer construction involves the bottom panel of the drawer and how it is installed within the drawer box.
The bottom panel is crucial because it will be supporting a lot of weight. You want to be confident that no matter what you put into a drawer — from light pens and pencils to heavier items like pots and pans — the drawer is going hold up over time.
Unfortunately, some companies simply use a thin piece of cheap wood, like luan or press board, and staple it to the bottom of the drawer box on all four sides. But when you keep adding more items to a drawer with a weakly connected bottom, the staples or pins will eventually come loose, and the bottom panel will fall off sooner or later.
Instead, you want the bottom panel to be "encapsulated" into every side of the drawer box. With this method of construction, a groove is manufactured into all four sides of the box, and the bottom panel then slides into the grooves. Once the Drawer Boxes are manufactured and assembled, the bottom panel will never move again.
You also want to make sure the bottom panel is constructed of a solid material like plywood so it can withstand the weight of anything you put inside. A drawer box with a minimum of 1/4" veneered plywood construction will stand the test of time and allow continued usage in your kitchen or bathroom.
FULL EXTENSION DRAWERS
Finally, when deciding on what quality of construction you want from your drawer boxes, make sure your new additions are full extension drawers. It might seem like a small difference, but without full extension, it will be difficult to see or grab items from the back corners of your drawer.
High quality drawer makers don't cut corners. A good drawer will be made of sturdy materials, with well-crafted joints, a strong bottom panel and full extension capabilities. Drawers without these features are either carelessly or cheaply made, and you'll notice their poor design if you try to use them long-term. For the best quality custom drawers, order from Cabinet Doors 'N' More!
HOW TO REPLACE DRAWER BOXES
After you've decided on which new drawer boxes to purchase, you can begin the drawer box replacement process. Before you order your new items, you'll have to ensure that you take the proper measurements in order to receive the correct size drawer. Then, once you have your new drawers, you can begin the installation process.
MEASURING
Measuring for new drawer boxes is an important step, but luckily, it's also pretty simple — all you need is a notepad, pencil and tape measure.
If you are replacing your current drawer box and you plan to use existing or new side mounted drawer glides, all you need to do is measure the height, width and depth of your current box. Be sure that you measure these dimensions on the outside of your current drawer box.
If you have or plan to use undermount glides, then the measurements for your drawer box will be slightly different. Check out our how-to video on installing new undermount glides for full details on how to incorporate them into your measurements. If you are using undermount glides, be sure to order the "notch and bore" drawer option so the glides fit properly at the back of the drawer.
For more information, check out our video explaining how to measure for new drawer boxes, or explore our online guide.
ORDERING
After you've taken all the measurements for your drawers, you're all set to buy your new boxes. At Cabinet Doors 'N' More, we make ordering simple. All you have to do is enter the measurements of your drawer, the quantity of new drawers you need and any customizations, such as the "notch and bore" option, and you are ready to order.
Cabinet Doors 'N' More is committed to providing premium drawer boxes at the highest standard of service. If your order consists of only drawer boxes, it will ship within 10 business days. If you purchased other products from us, such as cabinet doors or drawer fronts, we will ship everything in our typical 10-15 business day window.
INSTALLATION
When your new drawer boxes arrive, it's finally time to start the installation process.
We always ship our drawer boxes fully-assembled, so you won't need to put your new drawers together. Before you get too far into the installation process, however, you'll want to check to make sure the drawer measurements are correct. Pull out your tape measure again to ensure the height, width and depth of your drawer boxes are all accurate.
After you've verified that your drawers will fit, you can begin the installation process. Replacing a kitchen drawer box can be a little complicated, but if you follow our steps, you'll be finished in no time.
If you are using new or existing side mounted glides, simply follow these four steps for a smooth drawer box installation:
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Remove the old drawer box: Once you take the old drawer box out, you'll want to strip all the hardware off it. Remove the side mounted glides, the drawer front and any other hardware you want to reuse.
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Drill pilot holes: For best results, drill pilot holes where you plan to mount the glides on the new drawer.
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Mount glides: Using your pilot holes, mount your new or existing glides onto the new drawer box. Because you're attaching these to a real wood box and not a particle board box, they will stay better secured over time.
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Reattach drawer front: Finally, reattach your drawer front to the new box. You can choose to get new hardware for your drawers, or you can reuse your existing hardware by reattaching it in the same way it was secured before you removed it.
If you're using new undermount glides, the process will be similar, but you can check out our video on installing undermount glides for more detailed information.
Once you've finished these steps, you've successfully learned how to replace a drawer box, and now you can get started on replacing any other drawers!
ORDER NEW DRAWER BOXES WITH CABINET DOORS 'N' MORE
Whether you're completely remodeling your kitchen or bathroom or you're simply looking to replace a single broken drawer, we can build the top-quality drawer boxes that you need.
Cabinet Doors 'N' More provides the highest quality assembled drawer boxes in the industry. Our drawer boxes feature:
- 5/8" natural, solid birch
- All drawer boxes are shipped assembled - no extra charge
- Classic dovetail construction for long term durability
- 1/4" plywood veneer bottom panel for added strength
- Entire drawer box finished with clear UV finish
- If ordering only drawer boxes, we can ship in 10 business days. If shipping with other components like Cabinet Doors, Drawer Fronts or accessories, it will be our normal 10-15 business days.
We're confident that if you order from our company, you will receive the highest quality product and excellent customer service. You can browse more of our products online, or you can contact us for more information by calling us at 1-667-877-8777 or emailing us at info@cabinetdoorsnmore!
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