by Bob Schmidt

Created on: July 01, 2007

A sticky drawer will never fix itself, so let's do battle with one of life's more controllable problems. One of two things has happened, either a sliding mechanism needs attention, or there is a problem of excessive friction.

First, the drawer should be removed. With it fully extended outward, it should come out by lifting the back end, or by tipping the front of the drawer upward. This is usually not difficult to do. If you see a metal glide/guide, and a wheel type device, they need to be inspected carefully to see that everything is anchored in place properly.

If everything seems to be firmly in position, a quick shot of lubricant on the glides would be a good idea. I use WD-40 because it will not harm the wood, and will free up the action of moving parts. Reassembly of the drawer into its cabinet is the reverse of what was done to remove it. Hopefully, the problem has been solved.

Should there have been no metal hardware guiding the drawer in and out, then you are likely to be looking at a swollen, or warped wooden part on the drawer. The proper fix for this problem would be to plane the swollen (sticking) side a bit. If you don't have a small wood plane, sanding the tight side would accomplish the same thing.

Before going to all of that trouble, the good old WD-40 might do the trick, although I prefer graphite. Graphite is recommended for use in door locks, and is great on wooden surfaces. It is somewhat messy to use, but once imbedded in the wood it seems to work forever. Even couch potatoes can tackle the dreaded sticky drawer problems, so assemble your goodies and prepare to become the family hero! It sure beats being known as the family on the block with sticky drawers.

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