Drawer Slides...Opinion/Advice

[woodlaker2]

I've decided to incorporate steel, full extension drawer slides in two dressers I'm building for my son. He has requested deep drawers (Ex. the lower bank of drawers will be 12"x 18"x 24"). I have mainly used wooden drawer runners/guides in my projects in the past (mostly period pieces) and my experience selecting/installing steel drawer slides has been limited. My thoughts/concerns run to possible weight of contents and a desire to have the drawers hold up well over time. My research has shown there to be a huge variety of slide choices with a wide range of price points. So, lots to choose from...
I'm wondering what members, who have experience with drawer slide selection and installation, might advise on brands and quality of slides available; ; good sources for buying the slides themselves; and installation tips that might be useful to consider as I move forward. Thanks in advance.

 

[Martin Roper]

If you want a traditional look with full extension capability, you might want to check out undermount slides.

 

[Jack A.]

Side-mount slides will hold as much weight as you could want. Typical examples are typically rated for 100 lbs, but you can get much higher than that. For a dresser it's extremely unlikely that you'll need more than 100 lbs.

The upside to side-mounts is that they are very easy to get (you can pick them up at a box store or order from Amazon), are relatively inexpensive, and are fairly easy to install.

The downside to side-mounts is that they are visible when the drawer is open, and they will take up about 1/2" per side of your drawer opening. So your drawer box needs to be 1" narrower than with wood slides.

Undermount slides are very popular for cabinetry since they are not visible when open. They are typically rated for 100 lbs so should be more than enough capacity for a dresser. They are not quite as plentiful as side-mounts, but still readily available at a big box or Amazon.

The biggest downsides to undermounts is that they cost more and are more difficult to install. They also take up about 1" under your drawer, so you drawer needs to be that much shallower than with wood slides.

 

[Rwe2156]

Undermounts +1. Side mounts look awful on furniture. Just my O.

 

[Mark Johnson]

Undermounts +1. I like Blum.

 

[Wilsoncb]

For side mount, the light weight (75-150) capacity slides are good enough, but can be finicky. Accuride are probably more reliable but will cost a bit more. I’ve used them and some cheap Chinese/Amazon for non-critical projects and they work fine as well. They all have a tendency to get hung up as they extend or return when they hit the transition between sections. (BTW Accuride have a plant in Mexico and China. They supply North American from the Mexico plant).

 

[Goobs]

Another vote for undermount slides. I had to use some knock off brands when Blums were impossible to find a year or two ago, and they worked well enough if you want to save some money compared to the blums.

 

[bob vaughan]

A lot will depend on the recipient's sensitivity to convention and detail.
Quick example: Drawer 5" high, 20" deep, and 20" wide.
Undermount storage loss: 400 cubic inches
Side guide storage loss: 50 cubic inches
For the loss to be equal, the drawer will have to be 20" deep.
Cheap side drawer slides have a sandy rumble to them.

 

[McRabbet]

Lots of good choices at very fair prices at Custom Service Hardware, a Wisconsin family-owned company. Here is a link. I have used them for purchase of drawer slides for more than 15 years and have never been disappointed.

 

[woodlaker2]

To those who replied to my post...Thanks for your useful thoughts.