Thread: A question about soft closers for drawers

Have you checked if the currently available soft close runners are the same thickness (between carcass and drawer side) as your existing runners, (I'm not sure if all brands are the same thickness) and if they are your can rivet the runner to the draw side and screw to carcass as per normal

Ray, I cannot find any runners for metal sided drawers. The thickness issue is moot at this point. Any leads?

Regards from Perth

Derek

I suggest that the distance between the drawer side and the carcass is the critical point in determining drawer runners unless you are willing to resize the drawer width (that would be a PITA)
Contact kitchen manufacturers (custom kitchens/high end kitchens), they will have a better idea, failing side mounted there are under drawer(bottom mount) drawer runners
Shop Soft Close Drawer Runners | Artia

Looks like the gap between the cupboard carcass and the drawer side is at least 1/2" (12.7mm). I think the runners I recently used on both my kitchen reno (heaps of drawers, all with soft close runners) and some other drawers I built were about 12.7mm thick. That being the case I reckon it should be easy to replace what you have with soft close runners. I bought all my runners from Bunnings - the first lot as part of the Kaboodle range and the second a different brand. Both have functioned perfectly to date.
The only decision you may have to make is how to attach the runner to the drawer side since it won't be just a screw into wood. Maybe pop rivets or maybe small bolts?

10 Pairs of 500mm Soft Close Full Extension Ball Bearing Drawer Runner - DIY & Renovation > Kitchen


Bought mine from there, haven't got a change to change them over yet.

They are the type where the wheel drops down just before the drawer closer to help keep the drawer in the closed position and because of the thin metal side walls any new side mounted drawer runner will show the fixing on the inside of the drawer.

Remove the wheel from the back of the drawer and remove the runner from the carcass, glue a plywood spacer to the side of the drawer (to build up the thickness of the drawer sides) so that it tucks underneath the old runner (where the carcass wheel ran) and is the same thickness as the grove which the wheel ran in. This will give you something to fix the new drawer runner to without having self tapping screws sticking there points through into the inside of the drawer.

There is another option where you fix to the underside of the drawer, if you can get this to work then you can ignore my suggestion above because you will be fixing your runners to the underside of the drawers and thus not having to worry about the metal drawer sides.

Soft Close Undermount Slide

I do not wish to make new drawers to access slides for wooden drawers. The drawers have metal sides, are great, and just need a soft closing mechanism. My first choice would be to replace the existing slides, but if I cannot, then I will just add these to the existing slides ...



These fittings are quite inexpensive in comparison with new sliders. They are designed to be used with the drawers I have.
Any thoughts?


Regards from Perth
Derek

Originally Posted by derekcohen

I do not wish to make new drawers to access slides for wooden drawers. The drawers have metal sides, are great, and just need a soft closing mechanism. My first choice would be to replace the existing slides, but if I cannot, then I will just add these to the existing slides ...



These fittings are quite inexpensive in comparison with new sliders. They are designed to be used with the drawers I have.
Any thoughts?


Regards from Perth
Derek

These will be your best bet.

If you have not already contacted the makers of the runners you have to see if they have a retro fit soft close mechanism then you could try Blum Tandembox, Metabox or Movento systems. Lincoln Sentry have the full range

Like I have already mentioned the design of your old runners allows the wheel to drop down at the end of the run to keep the drawer closed, so while you can fit these after market soft close to your existing setup the closing action will not be the same as the new type of runner where the soft close is part of the mechanism.

Watching the video of the after market ones that you posted, the part which is fitted to the carcass looks to be deliberately fixed out of level with the back of it facing down, this will be to compensate for the wheel drop down of your existing runners, so I guess if you have never had soft close before this will be a great improvement on what you have now.