Adapting IKEA Cabinet Drawers to Your Existing Kitchen Cabinets.

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Purpose:

This purpose of this project is to show one possible way to use IKEA Rationell cabinet drawers in an existing Kitchen cabinet.

Why??

1. IKEA makes great Drawers! I built a new kitchen using them and discovered just how good they are! Go see for your self.

2. IKEA also has an AS-IS room in some stores where you can find all sorts of left over and returned items for CHEAP! Were talking $5 for a drawer and another couple of dollars for the rails. Normally this is priced ~$30-$40 which even then is a great price in my book.

3. The drawers that came with my cabinets are very cheap and can't hold up to daily use when heavily loaded.

4. To add another drawer to make my wife happy!

I could be like IKEA and just post pictures without words but I'll be nice and explain everything!

Let's move on with the story.

This first picture shows the preexisting slide drawer. The bas is made from 1/4 inch particle board.

 I decided to make a framework to hold the IKEA drawers. I also decided to go with Oak wood for a nice look. (Note, I used 2x3 pine on another drawer and decided I that even though you don't see it, it just didn't look great.)

I made a total of 8 side pieces.

I took my measurements and made a Materials list. Off to Lowes!

Note: Go to ebay and buy a 10% coupon for Lowes. Spend $100, save $10! Not bad for $1.

I got luck on the first drawer. It fit right in perfectly and almost lined up when I stacked two boards side by side. Note: I used Oak, 1 inch thick by 4 inches wide by 22.5 inches long.

This picture shows some of the dimensions of the IKEA drawer.

Dimensions for the slide.

Test fit for the drawer slide. Yup these are the ones to use. Note there is a Right and a Left slider.

Slider attached.

Note this is the fully close position.

(Price tag still left on!)

I put the two pieces of oak along the side of the cabinet. I had to pull out some staples that were in the way. The staples were connecting the side and the front trim.

Now to see if the slider clears the front. Nope. It almost clears it but one feature hanging down does not. So Looks like we need to shim it.

NEVER throw away those extra slats from your Venetian Blinds! They can always be used somewhere. Use one shim to keep the slide from making direct contact with the back. I used a few more to set the height of the slider. Once shimmed, go ahead and mark the mounting holes on the oak.

I also picked 6 points where I will bolt the oak panel onto the existing cabinet wall.

I used a countersink drill for the 6 mounting holes. I didn't counter sink the slide mounting holes.

Next I transferred the pattern to the other left hand side board. I then flipped the pattern and made the two right side pieces.

At this point I had 4 templates and 4 undrilled sides. I matched them up as set and clamped them while I drilled out the center mounting holes with a clearance drill for a #6 screw.

Here is the finished mated pairs with their #6 bolts (2 inch long bolts)

Next I mounted the sides. (I didn't need the shim, it likes to get it's picture taken I guess)

The side of the cabinet makes and the refrigerator (Yes I used a coupon for it!) are VERY close. I used one of my shims to make sure the screw did not stick out past the cabinet.

I then mounted the rails and test fit the drawer BUT it didn't work. Bummer. The slides were just a little too far apart.

Nothing that my shims can't fix! I cut the shims to length and them drilled them for where the slide mounting holes are.

The drawer now slides like a kid with his new sled!

The drawer goes in just the right amount too.

I cut some 9 inch oak to make the supports. Why?

1. It guarantees I get the top sides even.

2. Supports the front (not that it needs it) when the drawer is fully extended.

I mounted the supports so they will line up with the face of the drawer.

Top sliders installed!

With shims of course!

Top drawer works great too!

Now both top and bottom are installed.

Next, call your wife so she can put the pots an pans back in! Pan Tetris!

Note my leftover oak. I was using these to simulate the front of the drawer. I'll build that later.

All done for now. This one came out so nice , I decided to do another one!

Part 2. What to do when the drawer is not quite small enough to fit in the existing area.

The next cabinet was 2 3/4 inches narrower than the first one. That's the magic number!

I marked out the back of the next drawer and then used my air grinder to split the back part as shown.

I also marked out the drawer bottom to show where the new edge would be and where I would have to make a new slot for the cabinet side. Basically everything shrinks by 2 3/4 inches.

I'm not showing the framework but it's basically done the same way as the first cabinet.

My new reduced size drawer fit the first time (and with no shims!)

A close up of the cut. I used 1 bolt to secure the two pieces together.

Part 3. Drawer Fronts

The Drawer fronts were cut to length so they just barley extended past the drawer sides. I had an existing drawer front that I used as a template. I marked (incorrectly !) the position of the sides relative to the mounts using a sharpie.

(Even though I messed up, when I turned the front 180 degrees, It lined up nicely!)

A. I drilled out the existing mounting holes.

B. I clamped a bar on as shown to set the bottom of the drawer front.

First victim.

The first drawer front was should line up directly with the holes on the template. I drilled (just a little) from behind to mark the hole positions on the front panel.

I used a drill press to bore out the hole but not deep enough to go through the front.

Sanity check. Looks good!

I repeated the process for the other front panel and then moved on to the shorter panels.

I marked where the ends of the longer panel landed on the template and then drilled one side for the short panel, slid it over to the other side and then drilled it too. Hard to explain...

The predrilled the mouldings for the top of the front panels. These were cut to exact length of the panels.

I then glued and nailed them to the top of the panels to complete the front.

The fronts were installed and the job was completed!

Optional:

1, Stain

2. Counter sink the nails and fill in the holes.

Mark