We don’t think about them often unless they end up broken somehow and it becomes a struggle to pull out a drawer. After years of constant use, of course, something is going to happen to them.
If you’ve found yourself here because your drawer guides are not working as well as they used to, whether they’re jammed or just hard to pull out and you’ve had enough. Maybe you just want to upgrade your existing drawer guides in general, whatever your reasons, you’re in the right place to get started.
This article goes over the different types of guides, what they do, and what type of drawer they’re best suited for.
1 - Standard Drawer Guides
The most common guide is a standard guide that pulls ¾ of the way out.
Easy enough and pretty straightforward, these guides, depending on the brand, can hold a weight of 75-100lbs.
These are great for drawers and Roll-Out Shelves, all the same, you can rely on them to hold up well for a reasonable price.
2 - Full Extension Drawer Guides
Full-extension guides are exactly what they sound like; slides that fully come/extend out. That means you are seeing the whole contents of your whole drawer or Roll-Out Shelf when you use it.
These usually hold a weight of 110LBs+ which means these can hold more than you can imagine.
The only drawback to these is that you HAVE to pull your drawer or Roll-Out Shelf out all the way, otherwise the ballbearings have a tough time doing their job and thus making it harder for you to use. They can even break if not pulled out all of the way every time, so knowing how to properly use them is the key to loving your full extension guides.
3 - Full Extension Guides with Soft Close
Soft-close is something that almost everyone wants in a drawer guide. No more worries about slamming drawers closed too hard that it makes loud noises or makes things clatter around.
Soft-close guides are a double-edged sword, however. Its greatest strength is also its greatest weakness. Soft-close means that it closes slowly and softly, which, sounds pretty great and is fantastic for certain items, but it requires patience.
Not only that but you have to resist pushing it in all the way yourself, which can damage the guides.
These guides are probably more suited for drawers more-so than roll-out shelves since you have to wait for the roll-out to fully close before shutting your cabinet doors.
4 - Push To Open Drawer Guides
Push-to-open is nice for RVs and other traveling vehicles that have cabinets. It’s an easy way to secure drawers from sliding open while on the move.
Of course, they can be used in a regular kitchen if you want certain drawers to open with a push.
They are very ideal for kitchen cabinets that might be placed in strange areas, such as really close to an oven or a tight space where handles might make it impossible to open because they bump into an appliance or other part of the cabinetry.
5 - Undermount Drawer Guides
Undermount guides have become more popular with people who are upgrading their cabinets and drawers.
The benefits are appealing since you can gain more space in your new drawers since undermount guides mean that they aren’t taking away width on the sides.
One of the drawbacks to these guides is that the drawers need to be built to accommodate them..so it’s a possibility that it might cost you more to have these types of slides installed.
Well, there you have it!
Who knew that there were so many different options on guides?
It’s safe to say that this list only scratches the surface, but these are the most common ones to use in the kitchen and other cabinet spaces.
Hopefully, you have more information and more understanding of what drawer guides will work for you and your cabinet spaces.
If you are looking for a way to take your pantry and kitchen organization to the next level, then look at the roll out shelves offered by All Organized!
We are ready to help you transform your kitchen with easy storage solutions like:
If you are ready to transform your kitchen, schedule your design session today!
As Noelle B. says:
“Just had roll-out shelves installed 10/27/22. Instantly I loved them. What wonderful storage options it added and it is an economical way to do a kitchen refresh. The installer was prompt and on time and it only took a few hours. I was pleasantly surprised with the additional new drawer placed under the cooktop, adding an additional drawer where originally was just a faux face. Thanks again AllOrganized!“
