How To Get A Drawer Unstuck

HOME CLINIC

HOME CLINIC; WHEN A DRAWER BEGINS TO STICK, FIX IT SOON---HERE'S HOW

April 3, 1983

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April 3, 1983

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WHEN drawers in a dresser or cabinet begin to stick or bind every time you try to open or close them, it is best to take corrective measures promptly. Otherwise the constant tugging and pulling may eventually loosen the joints of the drawer to such an extent that it actually starts to fall apart. Or, one day you may find that the drawer is completely stuck closed and you cannot open it at all.

The first step in correcting a situation of this kind is finding the source of the trouble. Take the drawer completely out and shine a flashlight inside the chest or cabinet so you can examine the slides or runners on which the drawer rides. See if any of them are caked with dirt or dust, and see if the wood seems rough.

Rough spots should be sanded smooth. Dirt and dust, including dripped varnish or paint, should scraped off. Next, spray these runners with a silicone lubricant, or rub on some wax or paraffin to minimize friction and make the drawer slide more easily.

While examining the slides or runners, see if any of them have broken or pulled away from the sides of the cabinet, and look for signs of cracking or splintering. Loose slides or runners should be refastened - usually with small brads and glue. Splintered or cracked runners should be mended by working glue into the crack and then clamping the split closed until the glue dries. If you don't have clamps, strips of adhesive tape, positioned to hold pieces tightly together, will usually do the job. Remove the tape (or clamps) as soon as the glue dries, then sand smooth.

After cleaning and lubricating the slides or runners, do the same with the edges of the drawer that ride on these runners. Rubbing with an old candle is an excellent way of applying paraffin to these edges. While you are doing this, examine all the edges of the drawer carefully to locate places where there are signs of rubbing. Look for shiny areas or worn spots that obviously indicate extra wear. If you see any such spots, mark them clearly with a pencil so that after cleaning you will still be able to determine the places where rubbing occurs.

Now try the drawer again. If it still sticks or binds, you will probably have to do a bit of trimming or sanding along the top edges of the drawer. If the drawer only sticks or binds in the first inch of so when you first try to open it (and the last inch or so when you are closing it), the trouble is probably along the top edge of the drawer front. If it sticks in several places, then the pencil marks previously made will serve as a guide to the places where sanding or trimming is required.

One of the quickest and easiest ways to trim off excess wood along the top edge is to use a Surform tool similar to the one illustrated in the drawing. Sold in all hardware stores, these handy shaping tools have serrated steel teeth (something like an old-fashioned potato grater) that remove wood much faster than sandpaper will, and they are easier than a regular plane to work with. Hold the tool at a slight angle to the length of the wood and then push it forward in a straight line while bearing down with steady pressure.

After trimming the wood just enough to make the drawers slide smoothly, it is a good idea to give all the wood, including the edges, a thin coat of shellac. This will keep the wood from absorbing moisture and swelling in the future - a common cause of wood drawers binding inside their case.

Sometimes a drawer will stick and bind for an entirely different reason: because the corner joints are loose or the bottom is starting to fall out, causing it to stick against the runners, or against the contents of the drawer below. When these defects are evident, there is no sense in simply lubricating or sanding the edges; the drawer must be repaired by regluing the loose corner joints and repairing the bottom (if that is the problem) to make it rigid again.

If a dresser or freestanding chest of any kind stands on a sloping or uneven floor this, too, can cause drawers to stick or bind. The uneven floor causes the chest to become slightly twisted or makes it shift sideways enough to force its frame out of square, - and this keeps the drawers from working smoothly. To see if this is the problem, place a level on the top of the dresser or chest to determine whether it slopes severely to one end or the other. If it does, place shims (thin pieces of wood) under the legs at the low end until the unit stands level.

Answering the Mail Q. About five years ago I painted the outside of my house with an oil-base house paint. The north and east sides of the house have not lost their gloss the way the south and west exposures have. I intend to repaint with a latex paint. How should I prepare the surface so the latex paint adheres properly? - G.J.C., Stratford, Conn.

A. The north and east exposures did not weather as much as the south and west because they normally do not get as much sun. This is true on most houses. As far as preparing for the latex paint is concerned, it is best to make certain that most of the gloss on the existing paint is gone before you put the new paint on over it. Areas that are still glossy can be dulled by sanding lightly, or by wiping with a deglossing liquid (sold in most paint stores and in many hardware stores). Also, make sure you wash off dirty or oily stains before repainting, and if there is much powdering or chalking, use the primer or sealer recommended by the manufacturer of the paint you will be using as a finish coat. Questions about home repair problems should be addressed to Bernard Gladstone, The New York Times, 229 West 43d Street, New York, N.Y. 10036. Questions of general interest will be answered in this column; unpublished letters cannot be answered individually.