A simple thing I see people mess up with drawer slides

For years, I thought you just screwed them in flush to the cabinet sides. Then I helped a friend fix a kitchen full of sticking drawers and saw they had all been installed that way. The real trick is leaving a 1/32 inch gap between the slide and the cabinet side for expansion. In my experience, that tiny bit of space stops the wood from pinching the slide when it swells with humidity. I learned this the hard way after redoing three drawers in a bathroom vanity last summer. Has anyone else found a different number that works better, or is that gap pretty standard?

3 comments

3 Comments

dylanwells7d ago

Read an article once that said the gap can depend on the wood. They recommended a full 1/16th for solid wood in a really humid climate, but said plywood boxes might not need any.

sandra_moore307d ago

My uncle built a picnic table with no gaps and it split after one winter. He used solid oak and thought it would be fine. Now he swears by leaving a little room for the wood to move.

ray6137d agoTop Commenter

Plywood swells too, I always leave a gap.