If you’re looking to upgrade your kitchen or bathroom cabinets, installing roller drawer slides is a great way to improve functionality and add a modern touch. These slides allow for smooth and easy opening and closing of drawers, making it easier to access your items. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the steps of installing roller drawer slides.

Installing roller drawer slides is not as hard as you think. You don’t have to go through very complex tasks nor tiring construction. In fact, roller slides are probably one of the easiest to work with.

Of course, you won’t understand how simple it is without knowing the basics. This is what we’re going to help you with in the next sections.

Apart from teaching how to install roller drawer slides, we’ll also walk you through a guide on the hardware items list to keep both your slides and your drawer in their best state.

Step 1: Prepare materials and cabinets

The first step on how to install roller slides is to prepare all the materials that you will need.

To be specific, here are the things that you should prepare for the process:

• Fasteners (Bolts, Screws, or Nuts)
• Drivers (For locking in fasteners)
• Cabinet Member
• Drawer Member

Usually, roller slides come with a fixed cabinet member and a moving drawer member. These are separated when purchased. Hence, you will mainly work with these two in the next steps.

All of these materials are available in local and online hardware stores. These aren’t also rare items, so don’t worry about having to go through a tiring hunt.

Once you copped all the materials, make sure that your cabinet is ready for the installation. By this, we mean that if it’s an old one, it should have its last drawer slide dismounted. All the things placed on and inside it should also be kept in another place.

Step 2: Install the cabinet member to the drawer

Moving on, the next step involves installing the cabinet member in the drawer. It’s crucial to remember that the first part that you should attach is the cabinet member. This usually comes in pairs for both sides of the furniture.

Here, simply place the cabinet member inside your cabinet. Align it on the component’s edge in a way that matches your desired mounting configuration.

Once you reach the proper alignment, hold the members steadily, and fasten them using either nuts, bolts or screws. Note, though, that bolts will require pre-drilled holes. Hence, if you want to keep the task simple, we recommend nuts or screws.

Going back, you should fasten two to three holes on the mounting plate to make room for adjustment in the long run.

Step 3: Set up the drawer member

After successfully installing the cabinet member, let’s now focus on the drawer member. This also comes in pairs to match both sides of your drawer.

To do this, you should again place the drawer member on the sides of the drawer. Keep in mind that it should be done on the outer part of the component. This may be a little harder to align since you can’t exactly compare both sides, so I recommend using measuring tools for marking.

Once satisfied, proceed to fasten the members with the same bolts, nuts, or screws you used before. There is no specific number of slots that you should fasten. Simply refer to the recommended slots on the mounting plate.

Step 4: Place the drawer and other accessories in the drawer

Before proceeding to Step 4, check if both the cabinet members and drawer members are securely fastened. If so, then you can start inserting the drawer into the cabinet.

Because we’re working with roller slides, you will need to align the roller of the cabinet and drawer for them to move together. If the two components seem not to fit, check if you placed the right alignments on each side. In some cases, however, it just needs a little push.

To wrap it up, attach the mounting holes of the drawer and cabinet members together through the same fastener.

For better quality, we suggest using secured versions of the nuts, bolts, or screws you used. It will help the cabinet hold a heavier load. Still, this isn’t necessary if you don’t plan on putting a lot in your drawers.

Step 5: Test out your new roller drawer slides

Once you’re done with all the installments, attachments, and likes, you can now test out your new roller drawer slides.

Here’s a checklist to know if your drawers are working properly:

• Your drawer smoothly opens and closes
• There is no unpleasing sound when using the drawer
• The drawers fit snugly in the cabinet
• Your drawers don’t budge when you put an item inside

Overall, if there are issues, then you may need to recheck every previous step we did. If there’s none, you can start enjoying the joy of your roller drawer slides.

Important Hardware Items for a Functional Drawer

Hardware materials refer to the accessories of a component (cabinet, drawer, furniture). Some of these are necessary, and some are optional.

When it comes to drawers, however, here are the things that you should have:

• Cabinet hinges
• Mounting plates
• Knobs or pulls (for drawers)
• Fasteners
• Fittings

These mostly come in aluminum or metal. Anyhow, without these, you can’t expect a long-lasting and sturdy cabinet.

Why Should You Invest in Good Hardware for Drawers?

As evident as it may seem, good hardware items (combined with proper installation) will bring convenience, efficiency, and quality to your drawers. High-quality fasteners, for instance, last longer compared to cheap yet low-quality ones. The former won’t need constant replacement, and will guarantee that your drawers move seamlessly.

This also applies to the other furniture hardware like the hinges and mounting plates.

Summary

To sum it up, the answer to how to install roller slides is easy.

You just need the cabinet member and drawer member of your roller slides to get started. Once you have these (and, of course, the necessary tools like screws and drivers), you don’t have to worry about having to hire a professional.

If you want to ensure that your roller slides, drawers, and the cabinet as a whole will last long, then you should get the right hardware material list for your needs. Drawer-related hardware may include knobs, aluminum, hinges, and likes.

For high-quality hardware, we recommend looking into Venace or their distributors. They guarantee a top-notch furniture hardware material list.