retrofitting pantry cabinets with shelves to drawers


tnova

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I am retrofitting the pantry.  There are two large cabinets currently with shelves.  I want to fit the cabinets with drawers instead.  Inside dimension approx. 36 "wide x 15" deep. Drawer contents will be can goods, etc.  I  was planning to create each drawer at approx. 35" wide with a divider in the middle to accommodate two separate bottom sections.  Will that however be too long/too heavy a span for the two side-mount slides?  Or should I insert a central panel to allow a drawer on each side each at 17.5" or so?  Thanks for the advice.

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I am retrofitting the pantry. There are two large cabinets currently with shelves. I want to fit the cabinets with drawers instead. Inside dimension approx. 36 "wide x 15" deep. Drawer contents will be can goods, etc. I was planning to create each drawer at approx. 35" wide with a divider in the middle to accommodate two separate bottom sections. Will that however be too long/too heavy a span for the two side-mount slides? Or should I insert a central panel to allow a drawer on each side each at 17.5" or so? Thanks for the advice.

They make drawer slides to accommodate different weights i don't think that is an issue. Im sure 100lb drawer slides would suffice. However, be sure you add a spacer on the inside of either cabinet side to install your drawer slides on or else the drawer will hit the doors when they are open. If the inside of the cabinet is 36" and you put a 5/8" spacer on either side plus 1/2" for each drawer slide you would be looking at a drawer of approx 33 3/4". That is of course if we are dealing with full overlay euro style cabinets. If they are inlay with face frames then you would have to have a bigger spacer to give clearance for the face frame.

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Use 100 to 150 lb slides that are rated for lateral filing cabinets. It's the shallow depth and wide drawer that is your enemy. Most slides are rated for about a 24" wide drawer, lateral file slides are designed to handle a wide drawer . Use a 3/8 or 1/2" ply bottom and you should be fine. KV and Accuride both make a slide that will work. Avoid off brand imported slides for this application.

The slide will have two sections, one on top of the other, with a rail that mounts to the drawer.

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Depth front to back not actual height of drawer side. Short slides don't handle the racking if one side gets pulled out faster than the other. Lateral file slides have a little rubber wheel in the middle plus the upper and lower slide sections so it has a progressive action pulling out and going back in.

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Take a look at KV 8500 or KV 8505 slides. The 8505 has overtravel, so it pulls out an extra inch or more past full extension. I always get those if they are available.

I never thought about that being a concern. Thanks

I used those slides due to your recommendation when I built a craft house for my wife. They make a heck of an improvement over the full travel that are in my kitchen!

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Steve,

I am looking at the KV8505 per your recommendation. One concern however. The drawers will be 4" sides at the back tapering to 2" front. The 8505 is mounted so that the bottom of the cabinet member is even with the bottom of the drawer. Since the height of both members together is about 3 1/2" that will not work. However I am planning about 3-4 inches between drawers (to allow for taller objects). So can I mount the slide so that the bottom of the drawer member sits even with drawer bottom and the cabinet member is below the level of the drawer? Or will that make the mechanics unworkable? Thanks.

Bill

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If you put the mounting rail as high as possible on the drawer (but still level) it should work fine. If you haven't cut the drawer side profile yet increasing the front height to 2 3/4" or 3" would keep more of the upper slide in contact with the drawer. You could also scoop the front if you wanted to be able to read labels etc.

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