How to fix stuck cabinet drawers, damaged drawer glides, and broken drawer boxes.

Cabinet drawers can have a variety of problems that make them difficult or even impossible to use. They can become stuck, their glides can become damaged, or the boxes themselves can break.

Overloaded drawers are often the cause, so be sure to avoid stuffing them too full of heavy items or piling the contents too high. Also check that the runners haven’t worked loose or been forced out of alignment.

Here are some measures you can take to fix them yourself:

How to Fix a Stuck Cabinet Drawer

A drawer that’s off its track can be difficult to remove without damaging it even more. Try working the thin blade of a putty knife between the drawer and the runner and then gently tap the drawer back in line. If you’re successful, the drawer slide will pop into place and you can remove the drawer and correct the problem that made it slip its track in the first place.

How to Fix Damaged Drawer Glides

Broken or damaged drawer glides have a way of reminding you over and over that they need to be repaired. In some cases, the problem is merely that one or more of the mounting screws on the glides has fallen out. You can repair this by simply replacing the screw or screws. More commonly, the glides have become bent or broken. In this case, the easiest remedy is to replace them.

For the smoothest, most trouble-free drawer opening and closing, purchase prefabricated metal ball-bearing glide sets that attach to the drawer bottom or sides, depending on your drawer’s construction and current type of glide.

1) Remove the drawer by pulling it out and then lifting the front to disengage the drawer from its track.

2) Check the glides on the drawer and inside the cabinet. If they’re just bent or misaligned, reshape them with a pair of pliers and slide the drawers back in.

3) If something is broken, unscrew the glides both from the drawer and from the cabinet.

4) Buy replacements at a hardware store or home improvement center. Be sure to take along the complete glide set (both halves) as a sample of what you’ll need.

5) Screw the new glides to the cabinet and drawer and slide the drawer back in.

How to Fix a Broken Drawer Box

Drawers are sturdy but simple in construction. When they break, more often than not it’s caused by either a split in the wood or a glue joint that has come apart. Fix splits by realigning and gluing together the broken pieces (use wood glue), and clamp them together for at least an hour. Do the same with separated joints, but first carefully clean away as much of the old glue as possible, taking care not to damage the joint or the wood itself.