Thread: Advice on fitting some drawers into existing cupboards.

Originally Posted by jpdv

I can’t bring myself to use flexible, weak melamine faced chipboard here.

Weak and flexible? You could stand in a drawer made of 16mm chipboard and it wouldn't break.

Originally Posted by elanjacobs

Weak and flexible? You could stand in a drawer made of 16mm chipboard and it wouldn't break.

Agreed. Weak and flexible would be trying to do a 3mm bottom in a rebate so that the bottom bows and falls out.

Your friend wants cheap and good the chipboard with good construction techniques will tick those boxes. If you want to dress it up go solid wood edging and drawer fronts.

Hah! Thanks Guys. Maybe I'm just fat (!) but it's always broken/warped failed on me - it may just be the poor design of the relevant furniture. Given that he's getting this at significant mates rates, I will take your advice and use it as a test bed for just that - He actually doesn't want the solid wood edging, but I'm doing it for the drawer fronts... I'll use offcuts from the shelves/verticals for the drawer boxes, given your views. Many thanks.

The drawers in my kitchen and now updated laundry were made of 16mm MR melamine chipboard and were/are rock solid after 18 years of use. It had been rented out for quite a few years prior to us buying the place. I copied the construction for the new laundry drawers because why fix what ain't broke. The sides, back, and front are rebated 8mm deep to accept the bottom. Stapled and screwed together and jobs done in very little time and the rebates ensured the construction was square, no need for glue. If you really want to use glue, there is Titebond Melamine and Nightingale Grasp.

I would be going with side rebated for the front, back and bottom, with the front and back panels 16mm shorter so the bottom runs the full depth of the drawer and can be screwed in from underneath.

So I went back and had a look and apparently I can't even remember how I did the drawers, because they're more like elan said . Rebates are sides only and the front and back sit on the bottom.


drawers.jpg

These drawers are about 400mm and they are super rigid. The only downside is that they weigh a fair bit.

And yes, I will one day finish the drawer fronts. But that day is not today or tomorrow.

Fascinating: I have obviously been put off by the cheapo crap that has been purchased in the past using this stuff. Thanks gentlemen, I like the construction approach - I'm going with that, with a laminated oak or beech panel false front. I'll post some piccies if I get the chance when done. Love the collective/group experience in here...