Drawer Glides

Drawer hardware is an important feature in cabinet selection, but often overlooked is the significance and variance of the mechanism that allows those drawers to open and close in the first place – the drawer glide. A durable smooth functioning glide is much more important than a pretty drawer, so let’s take a look at the buyer’s typical options.

Glides come in two main varieties: epoxy coated and metal ball bearing. Epoxy guides are entry level glides in production and semi-custom cabinets. They generally are sufficient, but over time they can show signs of wear and cause the drawer to lose some function, making opening and closing less easy.

Glides with ball bearings are more durable and will provide better function over time. These glides actually function better with heavy objects loaded in them. Heavy loads, up to limits 75-150lbs per drawer, make the glides slide smoother. In addition, within ball bearings glides there are two major type’s, standard and full extension glides. This refers to how much of the drawer box extends past the cabinet face. Standard extension exposes 3/4 to 7/8 of the drawer box past the cabinet face, so less than 100% of the drawer is accessible. A full extension drawer glide exposes 100% of the drawer depth past the cabinet face. Think of it this way, if you had an item like a cookie sheet, in a standard extension drawer box, you would need to lift up and then slide the item out. If the same item was in a full extension drawer box, you could life the item vertically because the entire surface area of the drawer box extends past the cabinet. Most cabinets that come with epoxy glides standard can be upgraded to ball bearing full extension glides for $50 to $100 each. Additionally, most manufactures automatically upgrade you full extension slides with the maple dovetail drawer option.

The last drawer glide option is the “soft close” feature. The drawer has a system that will cushion the drawer as it closes and makes slamming the drawer closed nearly impossible. This feature is offered as a standard on most dovetailed drawer box options and is a must if you have small children. Generally, these glides come with a Lifetime Warranty and are well worth spending the small amount of money to add the feature.