How To Remove Dresser Drawers With Bottom Slides

How To Remove Dresser Drawers With Bottom Slides

It’s challenging to know what kind of dressers you should buy. There are many kinds and styles of dressers, each with its own pros and cons. But there’s one thing that all good dressers need: bottom slides on their drawers. These things might look small and insignificant, but they make a huge difference when it comes to the use, operation, and maintenance of your dresser. Without these handy little pieces, it will be nearly impossible to remove the drawers from the dresser so that you can clean behind them or change out the linings. So in this article, we will discuss how to remove dresser drawers with bottom slides and what you need to do.

How To Remove A Dresser Drawer With Bottom Slide?

By Hammer And Chisel

One way to remove a dresser drawer with a bottom slide is by hammer and chisel. You might cringe, but it actually works. It’s like erasing something by just slamming it into oblivion—except you’re erasing the wood around the slide. You might have to do this around the entire slide and the dresser, but it’s good if you just want to remove the slide and keep the dresser. Hammer and chisel will also work in removing a sticky sliding panel.

With A Drill And Screwdriver

If you don’t want to destroy your dresser, you can always remove a slide with a drill and screwdriver. You might need to use a drill bit if the screwdriver doesn’t fit in the hole. You can use this on sticky panels as well. Just drill out the hole around the slide, and the panel will easily pop out. If you want to keep the slide, you can just leave the hole open.

With A Saw

Another way to remove a dresser drawer with a bottom slide is by sawing it off. You can use a handheld saw or a table saw. This works best if the slide is made of softwood. If it’s hard, you might have to hammer or use an electric saw. Using a handheld saw, cut off the wood above the bottom of the slide. If the slide is long, you can also try to see it in half.

With Dap Krazy Glue

If you want to remove a dresser drawer with a bottom slide and keep it, then use DAP Krazy Glue. Just add a drop of DAP Krazy Glue to the back of the slide and let it dry for a few hours. Then, pry the slide off using a flathead screwdriver. This way, you can remove the slide, but the bottom of the slide will remain stuck to the dresser. This works best on sticky slides, but you can also try it on non-sticky ones.

With Wood Glue And Clamps

If you want a clean and sturdy removal, then use wood glue and clamps to remove a dresser drawer with a bottom slide. Just apply a generous amount of wood glue to the bottom of the slide and the bottom of the dresser. Let the wood glue dry for a few hours before you put the clamps on it. Once the glue has hardened, use a flathead screwdriver to pry the slide off.

Why Is It So Hard To Remove Dresser Drawers?

The Drawers Are Too Big

If the drawers are too big, then they won’t be able to fit in the new dresser. You may have noticed that some dresser drawers are much wider than the average drawer. If this is the case, then you won’t be able to use those drawers elsewhere. This isn’t a huge problem if you’re building a new dresser. But if you need to remove the drawers from a pre-existing dresser, then you’ll have your work cut out for you. Those extra-wide drawers will be much harder to remove than standard drawers. If the drawers are too wide and you don’t have a plan for repurposing them, then you should consider splicing the drawers in half. This unusual technique for removing large drawers is relatively straightforward. All you need to do is mark the halfway point on each drawer. Then, you need to use a table saw to cut the drawer in half. You can then remove each half individually. This isn’t the most graceful way to remove drawers. But it will get the job done.

The Drawers Are Nailed In Place

Even when the drawers are the correct size, they might be nailed in place. If someone installed a new dresser in your home, they may have used nails to secure the drawers in place. If you’re not careful, you could accidentally trip the nail heads and mess up your flooring. This can be a real problem. It’ll be virtually impossible to get the nails out of the wood. You’ll also struggle to remove the nails without damaging the dresser. This can make it very difficult to remove the drawers from your existing dresser. If you’re not sure if the drawers are nailed in place, then you can check for nails with a magnet. Magnets are great for finding nails when working on wooden furniture. If you find nails securing the drawers in place, then there are a couple of options. You can try to remove the nails carefully. The risk is that you’ll trip them and cause damage. Alternatively, you can cut the nails off with a saw. This is a much safer option.

You Don’t Have The Right Tools For The Job

Sometimes, the drawers will be nailed in place. They’ll be too wide. And they’ll be made of a hardwood that’s unyielding to your standard tools. All of these issues will make the job much more difficult. The first thing you should do when you’re working on removing drawers is to check for the right tools. Ideally, you should have a pair of snips for cutting nails. A hammer is also useful for removing nails. If you have neither of these items, then you’ll have to improvise. This can make the job much more difficult. And it may even lead to damage to your existing furniture.

There’s Nothing In The Drawers You Want To Save

If there’s nothing in the drawers that you want to keep, then you should remove the drawers as quickly as possible. It’s far easier to remove stuck drawers when they’re empty. And it’s much easier to remove drawers when they’re not held in place by heavy items. If you want to remove drawers that are full of stuff, then you need to put safety first. You should wear gloves and eye protection at all times. You should also make sure that you have a plan for dealing with the contents of the drawers. You should be very careful when removing heavy items from drawers. It’s possible to dislodge the drawers by pulling on the items inside the drawers. This is why you need to wear gloves. You don’t want to risk cutting your fingers on anything inside the drawers.

Why Are Bottom Slides Important?

  1. As we’ve already discussed, they make it possible to remove the drawers from the dresser. If they’re not there, you will have a very difficult time removing the drawers of your dresser. And you might even break something while trying.
  2.  Another important aspect of bottom slides is that they allow you to straighten out the drawer if it has been bent or warped. 
  3. You can do this by applying even pressure to the drawer from both sides until it is once again straight. In addition to this, some dressers have bottom slides for the purpose of adjusting the height of the drawers. 
  4. If you have one of these types of dressers, you can readjust the height of the bottom slides to make the drawers sit at the height that you prefer.

 Tips For Removing Dresser Drawers

  •  Clean the Drawer First – Before you try to remove the drawer from the dresser, you should clean behind it. This way, you will have more room and less to grab onto while attempting to remove the drawer. 
  • Maybe You Can Remove The Bottom Slides – If you have a dresser that has a type of bottom slide that you can remove or adjust, then do so. You will have a much easier time removing the drawer if you can take the bottom out. 
  •  You Can Use Pliers To Remove The Slides – If the bottom slides are made out of metal, then you might be able to use pliers to remove them. The goal here is to get a good grip on them so that they will come out easily.

Conclusion

So, to sum up, dressers are difficult to remove because they weren’t built to be taken apart. However, it is possible to remove them with a little bit of effort. There are three main factors that make it possible to remove the drawers from the dresser. They are rails, guides, and bottom slides. Now that you know how to remove a dresser drawer, you can try to clean behind them and repair any damage that they may have.