Repairing Guides

how to repair sagging drawer bottoms

by Rosalia Bins Published 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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How to Fix a Sagging Drawer Bottom

  1. Replace the Thin Bottom With a Thicker Plywood. This first method of fixing a sagging drawer bottom is probably the...
  2. Use Braces to Hold the Bottom in Place. If you don’t want to replace the bottom of the drawer, you can use an...
  3. Reinforce With Square Wood Moldings. One of the reasons the bottom of the drawer pops out so...

Part of a video titled How to Fix Saggy Drawers from IKEA (or anywhere else)
1:10
5:51
But all you really need is a plain old screwdriver. Then i'm going to take things one step furtherMoreBut all you really need is a plain old screwdriver. Then i'm going to take things one step further and use a big clamp to hold this drawer together snug while i work on solidifying.

Full Answer

How to repair drawer bottom?

Reinforce With Square Wood Moldings

  • Measure and Cut the Square Moldings. Measure the length and width of the drawer and cut pieces of the square wood molding according to these lengths.
  • Glue the Square Moldings Underneath the Drawer. Position the drawer bottom back in place (push it into the grooves). ...
  • Nail the Moldings in Place. ...
  • Finish Up. ...

How to fix drawers that sag?

Fixing Saggy Drawers

  1. Broken Dresser Drawer. My daughter's dresser drawers are always getting overstuffed with clothes. ...
  2. Disassembling the Drawers. This step is pretty self explanatory, just disassemble the drawer the same way you put it together originally.
  3. Cutting a New Bottom. ...
  4. Widen the Dadoes. ...
  5. Reassemble. ...
  6. Finish. ...
  7. TV Cabinet. ...
  8. Update: Additional Repair Methods. ...

How to repair sagging dresser drawers?

Use Braces to Hold the Bottom in Place

  • Measure and Cut the Piece of Support Timber. Measure the width of the drawer. ...
  • Secure the Timber Underneath the Drawer. If you are working alone, you’ll have to secure the supporting timber in place as you move to the next step.
  • Drill the Braces on the Inside of the Drawer. ...
  • Finish Up. ...

How to replace a dresser drawer bottom?

  • Grab some wood strips. I picked some ¼-inch-thick scrapwood pieces that had been ripped into ½-inch-tall strips.
  • Cut those strips to fit. Hold them against the bottom edge of the drawer, mark the edge, cut it to size, then glue it into place. ...
  • Glue the strips in place. ...
  • Cut a new bottom. ...

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How do you fix a drawer on a bowing dresser?

1:103:01Reinforcing a Bowing Dresser Drawer - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipAnd keeping it from bowing out when that spring pressure is applied inside the drawer and it wasMoreAnd keeping it from bowing out when that spring pressure is applied inside the drawer and it was took me a little while to think maybe on them 15 minutes to bend this I just used a vise and a hammer.

How do you fix the bottom of a dresser?

2:546:20SBW#15 - How to Repair a Sagging Dresser Drawer Bottom - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipAnd the stayin away from the wood exposing were all I'm going to glue if you don't do this the glueMoreAnd the stayin away from the wood exposing were all I'm going to glue if you don't do this the glue won't actually stick and have just come right off the finish.

How do you fix a hanging drawer?

0:004:14How to Fix Sticking and Hanging Drawers, old carpenter tricksYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipAnd there's a simple cure for that it's an old carpenters trick. What you want to do is pull theMoreAnd there's a simple cure for that it's an old carpenters trick. What you want to do is pull the drawer. Out. Take a bar soap. And rub it wherever there's a point of friction.

What kind of wood do you use for drawer bottoms?

3/8" thick plywood is the best overall thickness for drawer bottoms and is available for Maple, Birch, Beech, Cherry, and Walnut. 1/4" and 1/2" thickness is available for all wood species and in White or Almond Melamine as well as other options.

How can I fix my dresser drawers for cheap?

0:003:05Stiffening cheap dresser drawers - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipYou're pretty easy to take apart just have to undo these nut gun fasteners. And then everything justMoreYou're pretty easy to take apart just have to undo these nut gun fasteners. And then everything just slides apart I'll glue that panel into the slot. And that will cut down on movements.

How do you reinforce the bottom of a drawer?

Cut a small block of solid wood or plywood to 3/8 inch thick X 2 inches wide X 4 inches long and glue it to the underside of the drawer bottom. Allow the glue to cure overnight. Next, flip the drawer right-side up and fasten a 1 ½ X 1 ½-inch metal corner brace to the rear center of the drawer.

How do you stop drawers from dropping?

Falling-Drawer Fix The solution is install a stop block at the rear of the drawer. Cut a small hardwood block about ½ X ¾ X 2 inches long. After boring an off-center hole through the block ¾ inch from one end, screw it to the rear of the drawer.

How do you fix the bottom of a cabinet?

2:233:30How to replace rotted sink base cabinet floor bottom. Easy! Home ...YouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipCut ours at about 21 place the board's in the cabinet. And fit the seams together. If you cut itMoreCut ours at about 21 place the board's in the cabinet. And fit the seams together. If you cut it upside down you can have a nice finished cup without splintering. I'm using quarter-inch. Plywood.

How do you replace the bottom of a dresser drawer?

To replace a drawer bottom, remove one end of the drawer and slide the bottom panel out. Replace it with a new plywood or hardboard panel cut to fit. Some drawer bottoms are lightly tacked to a piece of molding nailed to the inside edges of the sides and back, and some drawer bottoms are set on triangular glue blocks.

How do you reinforce the bottom of a drawer?

Cut a small block of solid wood or plywood to 3/8 inch thick X 2 inches wide X 4 inches long and glue it to the underside of the drawer bottom. Allow the glue to cure overnight. Next, flip the drawer right-side up and fasten a 1 ½ X 1 ½-inch metal corner brace to the rear center of the drawer.

How to fix a sagging drawer bottom?

To fix a sagging drawer bottom depends on the materials you have and how badly damaged the drawer bottom is. If broken or cracked, you can replace the bottom panel with thicker plywood. The other simpler solutions involve reinforcing the bottom with braces or using square wood moldings. In this article, we’ll give you detailed step-by-step ...

How to make a drawer with a thin bottom?

1. Replace the Thin Bottom With a Thicker Plywood. Disassemble the Drawer and Remove the Bottom. Measure and Cut Out a New Bottom Panel. Smoothen the Bottom Panel Using Sandpaper. Widen the Dadoes. Reassemble the Drawer. 2. Use Braces to Hold the Bottom in Place.

Why does the bottom of a drawer pop out?

One of the reasons the bottom of the drawer pops out so easily is because the dado grooves along the sides, front, and back are so tiny. You can correct this by adding square wood moldings along the edges of the drawer bottom.

What happens if you knock on plywood bottom?

If you knock on the plywood bottom, you can feel how more solid your improved drawer is. Now you can confidently store things in the drawer without worrying about it falling apart.

How to fit a drawer back in place?

Measure the width of the drawer. Cut out a similar length of the piece of timber and position it underneath the drawer bottom. This timber should not go beyond the lower part of the drawer; otherwise, you won’t be able to fit the drawer back in its place.

How to widen dadoes?

Widening the dadoes should be done very carefully and patiently to ensure you don’t take too much material from the grooves. You can use a table saw to do this. Make the dadoes wide enough to fit the new bottom without being too loose. Do this for the side pieces of the drawer, the back, and the front.

How to make a replacement bottom for a sandbox?

Lay down the plywood. Place the original bottom on top (aiming for a good corner) and race it out onto the plywood. Next, cut the plywood to create the replacement bottom.

Can you use quarter round molding on side drawers?

This one will work on the front and back to back up drawer dadoes, but because this dresser's drawer slides have a bit of this built in for the sides, this won't work on the side pieces. I think you could probably use some pieces of quarter round molding or shoe molding as long as it isn't wider than the distance between the bottom of the drawer and the outer edge of the frame.

Is the flange on a dado drawer good?

The flange is a nice feature, because it will usually make the hardboard stay in the dado, but the hardboard is still just too thin. When reassembling the drawer, the drawer bottom might be a little tighter than it was originally.

Can you sand a plywood drawer before putting it back together?

You might want to hit the plywood with a little sandpaper before putting the drawer back together because you might have some splinters otherwise. This drawer is nice and solid now and it can be the heavy duty drawer of the dresser.

Does plywood tighten dado drawers?

You want to allow for expansion, but if the plywood is just a little tight in the dado it will firm up the drawer a bit and prevent it from racking when it is pulled from one side or the other. This is another reason I think this is a huge improvement over the hardboard.

Reinforcing Kitchen Drawers

What to do when your drawers give out. Over time we all put on a little weight and put strain on the seams. My kitchen drawers are no exception! Fortunately, for a few dollars and in fewer than 30 minutes, reinforcing kitchen drawer bottoms can happen in a flash. If only other bottoms were so easy to fix…

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Instructions

Remove all contents of drawer (s). Remove drawer (s) from frame and glides. Place on top of carpet, rug, towels, or a tarp to protect drawer front from scratches.

How to make a drawer with a wood brace?

Cut a small block of solid wood or plywood to 3/8 inch thick X 2 inches wide X 4 inches long and glue it to the underside of the drawer bottom. Allow the glue to cure overnight. Next, flip the drawer right-side up and fasten a 1 ½ X 1 ½-inch metal corner brace to the rear center of the drawer.

Do drawer bottoms sag?

Pardon the question, but do your drawer bottoms sag? It's a common malady that strikes furniture drawers, especially wide ones with bottoms made of thin hardboard or plywood.

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