Adjusting your cabinet drawers is a crucial step that needs to be done during any cabinet installation. While this is true, your cabinets may need to be adjusted from time to time, as well.

Some people who install their own cabinets can often work themselves into a panic simply because the drawers look crooked. In most cases, a few simply adjustments can be made to rectify this issue. It’s also necessary to adjust the drawer guides periodically because the drawer boxes may contract and expand, and the weight of the box changes.

If you have soft close drawers, you can likely adjust them with the built-in adjustment tabs. These are found on the underside of the drawer box. There are some guides that also have a tilt adjustment, found on the back of the drawer slides.

Steps to Adjust Your Drawer Guides

If you have noticed your drawers need to be adjusted, follow the steps listed here.

• Step 1: Determine what you want the drawer face to do. For example, are you trying to get the right side of the drawer face to move up slightly?
• Step 2: Take the drawer box out and release it from the guide.
• Step 3: Adjust the tabs. These are in different places, but you can typically find them on the underside of the drawer box.
• Step 4: Check the fit of the adjusted drawer. Put the drawer box back in place and see if the adjustment was effective. If more adjustments are needed, repeat the above steps.

Adjusting the Tilt

There are some drawer guides that provide more adjustment points, which are responsible for controlling the drawer box’s tilt. These adjusters can be found at the back of the drawer slides, which are mounted to the cabinet box.

When trying to adjust the tilt, you should remove the drawer box and then use the tilt tab that is found on the back of the drawer slides. As you are moving the tab, you are going to see the mounting cleat, which moves with it. If the cleat goes up, that’s going to raise the back of the drawer box. With these tabs, you can easily get the drawer to tilt either to the right or left or to the front or back.

Drawer Adjustment Made Easy

If you aren’t very familiar with cabinets and drawers, you may find the steps here a bit complex. Don’t worry, there are professionals that can help. They can ensure your drawers are moving smoothly on the tracks and that they are even at all times.

By keeping your drawers even and moving properly, you won’t have “eye sores” in your kitchen. It will also help ensure the drawers don’t cause any damage to the cabinet boxes they have been installed in.

For help with your cabinet drawers, give us a call today!