How to replace and reface a kitchen drawer?

I recently had an IKEA induction cooktop installed, replacing a gas cooktop. If installing this cooktop over drawers, IKEA stipulates that you must insert an IKEA heat shield and make some space for ventilation under the unit. The instructions require you to hang the heat shield off some hooks at the top. Unfortunately the kitchen drawers in my kitchen have the runners at the top, so this is not possible. Just to be able to use it now, I removed one of the three drawers to allow for ventilation, but I would really like to purchase a new drawer case with runners at the bottom of the drawer, but reface it with the old flatpack drawer face. Preferably cutting that face down a bit to allow for ventilation at the top, and perhaps then re-sealng the bottom strip of the particleboard face with some sort of tape? The dimensions of the drawer are 56 cm across & 50 cm deep. Does Bunnings sell a drawer case this size? Which could be re-faced? &and if not, do you have any other suggestions to resolve this problem? Many thanks, KitKate

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MitchellMc

Hi @Kitkate,

Self-drilling metal screws will allow you to attach the new slides. They'll drill right through that metal by themselves, but just make sure to select some that a short enough so they won't penetrate the inside of your drawer.

Standard drawer slides can hold up to 45kgs which should be more than ample for your metal utensils and the additional weight of the metal sides.

Mitchell

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MitchellMc

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @Kitkate. It's wonderful to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about replacing a drawer.

Our drawer kits suit 450mm base cabinets, so they're only 450mm wide. Would you be able to remove the old drawer slides and purchase a new set to replace them? You can position this new set at the bottom of the drawer and then cut down your drawer front to allow for ventilation.

Does that sound like it would work?

Mitchell

Kitkate

Oh that’s a thought. The existing sides are metal and I can’t quite work out how they’re affixed - a sort o metal and screw sleeve - see 2nd ( I think) pic. They have a little wraparound bit underneath with (it seems) only one screw at either end attaching to the base, & glue I guess sticking them to the front face.
If I got the existing metal sides off, and bought one of your less wide drawers, maybe I could attach the sides with the runners?

MitchellMc

Hi @Kitkate,

Would you need to remove the metal sides from the drawer? I would have thought removing the runner from the cabinet carcass would be enough.

If you could use your existing drawer and new drawer slides, that would be best. Even if you could attach the new drawer's sides to your current drawer, you'd still need to secure new drawer slides to them. Do you need to reduce the height of the sides and back of the drawer to allow the heat shield installation? I presumed that the only issue was the slides at the top, but if the drawer sides are also impeding the heat shield, you'd need to either cut the sides down or replace them as you've mentioned.

Mitchell

Kitkate

The tops of the metal sides are folded over so they form the slides. I’d rather not replace the sides, but if I bought new drawer slides, how would I fix them to the metal? This top drawer is the one I use for implements, mostly metal. This, plus the fact that it has metal sides, makes the drawer heavy. It might be too much for the new runners. As for the gap: Of course, the IKEA instructions are not written in any language and are just diagrams, but I think they suggest a gap between the top of the top drawer and the underside of the benchtop.

MitchellMc

Hi @Kitkate,

Standard drawer slides can hold up to 45kgs which should be more than ample for your metal utensils and the additional weight of the metal sides.

Mitchell

Kitkate

Thanks Mitchell, I really appreciated discussing this with you! But I just had another thought:

if the existing runner were to be lowered, and the top were to be chopped off the drawer, I would have the gap the heat shield requires and ongoing ventilation! It wouldn’t be perfectly symmetrical with the other drawers, but it at a casual glance, it wouldn’t matter, and it would still fit in with the existing kitchen cabinetry. Can you recommend any kind of product to seal the top of the chopped-down drawer face? Make it look like Melamine?

Kitkate

Mind you, this assembly info isn’t the clearest

MitchellMc

If the top (and slides) are cut off the drawer, how are you going to install it on the runners @Kitkate? What you've mentioned would work, but you'll have to cut the bottom off the drawer instead of the top, which wouldn't be a horrible idea because then the cut on the drawer front would be on the underneath side, not the top.

We have iron-on melamine edging for sealing exposed edges.

Mitchell

Kitkate

Oh, I may not have made myself clear. I would cut the face of the drawer, either the top of it, or the bottom. I would move the runners down and slide the drawer back in. Moving the runners down would allow the widgets to go in, on which the heat shield sits (they’re not really hooks). The face is much deeper than the actual drawer is, so trimming the face as well as lowering the runners would create a gap for airflow. Do you think this makes sense?

MitchellMc

Oh, OK! I get it now @Kitkate. I thought the drawer bottom would hit the drawer below, but now I see the front is much taller than the drawer. So, I'd look at cutting the bottom of the drawer front off just about in line with the bottom of the drawer. Move those runners down and bobs your uncle!

Keep us updated, and reach out again if you get stuck.

Mitchell

Kitkate

I really appreciate all of your help and this discussion, Mitchell, thank you very much. It’s been very, very useful. (Cross fingers I can get this to work.) Thanks again, KitKate

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