DIY drawer repair

In detail: DIY repair of a drawer from a real master for the site my.housecope.com.

The chest of drawers is rightly popular with people, offering a compact arrangement of things, making it easier to access and keeping the house tidy. But, as with other furniture, certain malfunctions happen to it. Moreover, armed with some specific knowledge, the necessary tools and patience, everyone is able to independently repair the chest of drawers without overpaying.

Chest of drawers restoration operations are divided into three classes:

  • adjustment;
  • redecorating;
  • complete renovation.

Products need adjustment after purchase and after complete restoration of the old one. And here it means setting up mechanisms, hinges, setting levels, fixing loose handles. It happens that you want to repair a chest of drawers, simply by updating a boring design or having lost its freshness. Then they resort to cosmetic restoration, based on the current state and the desired result. A complete renovation implies the return of functionality to the furniture parts and the replacement of elements that cannot be restored.

The required set of tools for working with a dresser depends on the nature of the problem, therefore, first carefully inspect the product and make a list of breakdowns. But, it will not be superfluous to keep the following at hand:

  • a set of screwdrivers ("cross" and slotted);
  • a screwdriver with bits and drills (optional, but makes the task easier. Instead, they drill with a drill);
  • hammers (standard and rubber);
  • metal spatulas or a household knife;
  • tape measure, level, plumb line;
  • abrasive paper (for cleaning polished surfaces, special abrasive wheels are also used for a drill);
  • hexagon.
Video (click to play).
  • sets of screws and furniture nails (staples with a stapler);
  • dowels for wood;
  • pins;
  • PVA glue;
  • furniture varnish;
  • wood putty;
  • paints.

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Since the chest of drawers itself is a supporting structure, increased requirements for strength and stability are imposed on it. Ideally, it is advised to remove the drawers from the chest of drawers on runners, disassemble the parts, replace the panels that are dry or cracked. Before screwing with furniture bolts, it is important to thoroughly grease the joints with PVA glue so that they do not part later. After the glue has dried, the restoration is started. And for this, the old coating is removed by applying a solvent with methylene chloride (allowing it to act for a maximum of half an hour), or by scraping with a spatula, knife, emery. Then the defects are putty, the surface of the chest of drawers is sanded, thoroughly cleaned and degreased, after which a new selected coating is applied (stain with varnish, tint varnish, paint with varnish, decorative film).

Often there is a repair of drawers, which consists in fixing the fixings of the bottom or the facade. With the overhead mounting type, the drawers are pulled out, old nails or staples are removed from the bottom, and then the panel is nailed into place with new fasteners. With a cut-in bottom type (a sheet of plywood or laminated fiberboard enters the grooves of the side walls), the boxes are disassembled, the grooves are carefully cleaned, the bottom is replaced with a new one from a suitable material and glued into the grooves. A façade that is loose or in need of replacement is unscrewed, coated with PVA at the points of contact with the front and side walls of the box, and then screwed or nailed with pins (chops) using new fasteners.

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The way of troubleshooting dictates the type of retractable fittings.If the roller version (metabox) has become difficult to guide, then it is possible that the fasteners have sagged and then the runners are unscrewed, and then attached in the right place, observing the horizontal surfaces. If the metal parts are deformed under the weight of the contents of the box, you will need to replace the guides with new ones. After that, it is important to adjust the drawers of the chest of drawers on roller guides. Ball options (telescopic) are more reliable than roller ones, and often only need competent adjustment, and not repair. If a loss of functionality is noticed (the frame flies off the wheels), the slide is dismantled, disassembled and cleaned, and, if necessary, the wheels are lubricated.

Very often, a chest of drawers in the basic design does not provide the required level of strength, which is why the panels are deformed, fasteners loosen faster, drawers slide out or fall out worse, guides fly off, a shelf falls. This means that the frame should be strengthened. For example, replace a thin bottom made of plastic or fiberboard with a similar thickness made of lacquered plywood or laminated chipboard. Strengthen the back wall in the same way. If you plan to heavily load furniture, it is recommended to additionally tighten the joints (facade - side wall, back wall - frame) with corners.

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Loose handles of the chest of drawers, sagging or torn hinges, broken locks, latches and closers cause a lot of inconvenience. Fittings that have not lost their attractiveness are easy to fix with their own hands. For repair, parts are removed, and then screwed again, making sure that the holes do not coincide with the old ones.

If it is impossible to repair because of the size or geometry, you will have to fill in the old holes and carry out a complete restoration of the selected area or facade.

Cracked handles need a complete replacement, and worn ones need new painting and varnishing. Closers and clamps are checked for functionality, dismantled, cleaned and lubricated, and then reinstalled and adjusted. Broken locks are easier not to fix, but immediately replace with new ones.

  1. For lightly loaded drawers of a chest of drawers, when installing the bottom, eight-millimeter brackets are used. But, it is safer to take a red-hot 10-ku.
  2. The worse the quality of MDF or chipboard, the thinner the screws of the fastener are chosen (maximum 3.0 mm).
  3. With loose pins, they simply ream the old holes to a larger diameter and take a larger diameter of the fastener.
  4. Pins, grooves and even stapled or screwed connections are pre-coated with PVA for reliability.
  5. So that the chest of drawers does not lose functionality, drawers' pull-out does not become difficult, and the doors of the shelves do not stop closing, in no case should too many layers of paint or varnish be applied. If the appearance still requires a multilayer coating, the extra 1-2 millimeters of the base are first removed with a grinding wheel.
  6. Prolongs the life of the retractable rollers with a regularly applied silicone grease. So it recommends, by the way, to take care of furniture from IKEA.