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More than 2000 kinds of furniture fitting hardwares are available.
If you plan on building cabinets or renovating your old one’s then you should consider installing soft close drawer slides for it. Unlike regular drawer slides that close hard and can injure your hand in the process soft close drawers close slowly without any noise. A soft closing drawer slide is designed especially for face frame cabinets.
The great thing about soft close drawer slide is that it is easy to install and doesn’t require any special tools or techniques. However the results of these slides make them worth the hassle of installing them. With that said knowing the exact steps to install the soft close drawer slide does make the installation a lot easier.
If you are planning to install soft close drawer slide yourself and aren’t sure how to do it then keep reading. This article will cover the steps to install soft close drawer slide and explain other key information you should know about soft close drawers.
Soft close drawer slides are also called easy close drawer slides and they are the safest option when it comes to drawer slides. They are designed in a way that they have dampening components such as spring and cylindrical dampers to slowly close the drawer near the end of its travel.
Altogether a soft close drawer slide is made up of three parts the sliding arm, metal housing, and the drawer runners. As the name suggests metal housing is the outer casing that contains the runners and the sliding arm.
While these drawer slides don’t pull the drawer in as soon as it is released they do pull it shut if you leave the drawer at the last 2 inches of travel. They are best suited for people who want to keep the noise levels of their homes low. With a soft close drawer you will never have to worry about anyone slamming the drawers loudly ever again.
A soft close drawer slide can be installed on both face frame and frameless cabinets. For a face frame cabinet you will need two slides that go on either side and support the drawer’s movement.
They position of these slides is kept near the bottom of the drawer and therefore they balance the weight of the drawer perfectly.
Now that you know what a soft close drawer slide is and how it works it is time to get to the main part of the article which is the installation process. Before we start the installation process make sure that you have the drawers ready and the face frame has been assembled for the cabinets. Next all you have to do is follow these steps to install soft close drawer slides on a face frame cabinet:
Step 1. Measure the length of the drawer: Before you start the installation process make sure you measure the drawer’s sides to make sure you have the right sized slides.
Step 2. Fit the jig on the cabinet: Now take a jig and install it in such a way that it is fitted where you want the bottom of the slides to be. The jig will need to be installed on the inside of the cabinet and you can secure it to the frame of the cabinet. You will have to do the same on the other side as well.
Step 3. Installing the slides: Now hold the closed slide on the inside of the cabinet so that the front of the slide is flush with the inside of the frame. The slide shouldn’t be poking out of the frame when you install it.
Now take the screws that come with the slide and screw them in to secure the slide to the cabinet. Repeat the same process for the second slide.
Step 4. Reattaching the jig: Once the slides are attached on the inside of the cabinet remove the jig and reattach it on the outside of the frame. Make sure that the jig is positioned where the bottom of the drawer will be when it slides out of the cabinet.
Step 5. Attaching the drawer to the slides: Now place the drawer on the jig and extend the slides outwards so that they are fully extended.
Now take the other set of screws and drive them into screw holes on the extended arm of the slides on both sides of the drawer. Now you can remove the jig from the frame and your soft close cabinet drawers are ready for use.
Soft close drawer slides are most commonly used for the following applications:
Wardrobes: Wardrobes that are installed in bedrooms are one of the most common structures that use soft close drawers. Since you want peace and quiet in your bedroom softclose slides make sure that you don’t accidentally shut the drawer too hard and wake your partner up.
Kitchen cabinets: Kitchen cabinets are probably the most used cabinets in your house so it makes sense you want them to last as long as possible. It makes sense that you would want your kitchen cabinets to last a long time. The soft close action of these slides makes sure that your expensive kitchen cabinets last a long time without the risk of accidental damage.
Work tables: Whether you work in an office or from home you need cabinets that doesn’t make a lot of noise to ensure a quiet and productive environment.
It makes sense that the soft close drawer slides are popularly used for drawers of work tables due to their low sound output.
Conclusion
Installing a soft close drawer slide is not a difficult project and it doesn’t require a lot of time. Now that you know what you need to install a soft close drawer slide on your face frame cabinet and the exact steps of the process its a lot easier for you to undertake this DIY project.
If you are looking for high quality soft closer drawer slides manufacturer you can browse our range of soft close drawer slides by Hench Hardware.
