How to Fix Plastic Drawer Glides

Drawer glides, which also are known as drawer slides or runners, normally mount underneath or on the side of drawers. They are designed to enhance the ease of opening and closing drawers. A damaged or broken drawer glide, however, compounds the difficulty of opening a drawer and can lead to frustration each time you struggle to open the drawer fully. Repairing some plastic drawer glides is possible.

Step 01

Pull the drawer all the way out. You may need to raise the front of the drawer and lift the drawer to remove it completely.

Step 11

Examine the drawer glide on the drawer. The glide is usually on the right side or the underside. Also examine the glide inside the desk or cabinet from which you removed the drawer; it is in the place that corresponds with the glide on the drawer, whether it is an undermount or side-mount glide.

Step 21

Install a replacement mounting screw into each glide in which the current screw is stripped or missing. Tighten each screw to secure the glides in their proper position.

Step 31

Straighten bent areas of the glides, if necessary, using a pair of pliers.

Step 41

Remove the mounting screws from glides that are damaged beyond the point of simply needing straightening. Take out both the glide on the drawer and the glide inside the desk or cabinet. Mount replacement glides that are the same design as the old glides. Position the new glides using the previous side or bottom configuration on the drawer and within the desk or cabinet. Secure the new glides with mounting screws, using a screwdriver to tighten them.

Step 51

Reinstall the drawer inside the desk or cabinet. Slide it out and in to ensure it moves smoothly.

Check out this related video from Homesteady on Youtube.