Adding Drawers to Cabinets: All You Need to Know
Are you tired of running out of space in your kitchen cabinets and cupboards? Or is it high time to clear all the clutter in your base cabinets?
Either way, if you want simplified and well-organized storage, you have landed on the right virtual space.
Efficient living is taking modern homes by storm, but efficiency should not take the back seat.
Adding drawers to cabinets is the ultimate key that opens the door to efficient living.
However, if you are unsure where to start, rest assured that we got you!
Today, we will explore everything about cabinets and adding drawers to them. So, are you ready to explore functionality at its best?
Let’s get started!
Why is Adding Drawers to Cabinets Essential?
Well-decorated and freshly painted cabinets exude a beautiful interior glow and elevate the overall look of a room. But are they functional enough to house an organized array of everyday essentials? Well, not really!
Drawers enter the picture and snatch the spotlight to impress everyone with their efficiency. Both roll-out and pull-out drawers revolutionize small, sustainable, and functional living standards in modern times.
Are you still wondering how? Let us give you a quick sneak peek.
1. Clutter-Free Storage
Cabinets often have a deeper space for storing ample food, clothing, and other essentials. Finding the needed items in the farthest corners might occasionally be challenging. Thus, adding drawers to cabinets resolves the problem and enables clutter-free storage.
2. Easy Access to Essentials
Installing drawers in kitchen or bathroom cabinets helps one have a clear view of their contents. Thus eliminating the need to reach into depths and locate a particular item.
3. Better Storage Organization
Adding drawers to cabinets helps organize storage according to individual needs. It is easy to classify our essentials in any desired order. The result is a clean, neat, clutter-free kitchen storage space.
4. Multiplied Functionality
One can never have enough storage space. Especially in a modern, tiny living culture where living areas are limited. Cabinets with drawers thus successfully multiply functionality by offering space for non-immediate essentials that are not yet worth throwing away.
5. Aesthetically Clean
Clutter can potentially degrade the aesthetic of your interior, even from behind the cabinet doors. Drawers aid as a simplified solution. It helps one maintain an organized, visually pleasing room for daily necessities.
Kitchen Cabinet with Drawers for Different Purposes
So, are you all ready to add drawers to cabinets? But how would you identify what drawers look best where? Let’s take things a little slow before jumping straight to the installation process.
There are a lot of things to keep in mind before picking the right drawer for cabinets. Factors like interior aesthetics, purpose, cabinet style, drawer style, type, functionality, and size need our practical consideration.
Here are the top four types of cabinets to help you equip your kitchen with the highest efficiency.
1. Kitchen Cabinets for Liquor
Whether you are a seasoned mixologist or a cocktail enthusiast, a liquor cabinet is a must-have in your kitchen. We recommend assigning a base cabinet with a tall height and deep volume for this purpose. It will enable arranging the bottles in an upright position.
These bar essentials come in glass bottles and thus demand a sturdy base to receive the weight. A heavy-duty wooden roll-out drawer is best suited for liquor cabinets in your kitchen.
2. Kitchen Cabinets for Utensils
A diverse array of utensils demands a flexible, spacious, and functional drawer. As most of us have chunky pots, pans, and bowls with lids, we need creativity while adding drawers to cabinets. A chrome roll-out drawer helps organize spacious storage to hold these utensils.
A harmonious pull-out drawer works best for spoons, cups, plates, and other small crockery. It gives you a clear visual and helps you reach any item without disturbing the others.
3. Wall Cabinets for Groceriers
One brilliant way to organize your groceries is to arrange them in a wall cabinet. Adding drawers to cabinets on the wall will help you access any desired spice, cereal, or condiment without messing with the others.
Wall cabinets seamlessly blend with your wall interiors and even elevate the overall look of your kitchen. Installing drawers can help arrange a separate pantry for dry foods, spices, cereals, jams, and pulses.
4. Base Cabinets for Appliances
Finally, it is time to find ample space to store the portable kitchen appliances. A large cabinet with an added pull-out drawer is the best thing to employ for this purpose.
One does not have to limit their kitchen arrangement and keep the appliances exposed on the countertops. Appliance cabinets are magic storage and an ultimate kitchen upgrade.
Things to Consider Before Adding Drawers to Cabinets
Moving forward, here are various factors to consider before investing in the appropriate drawers.
Begin by understanding the structural integrity of a cabinet and checking its storage volume. Then, proceed to measure its depth and decide what style of the drawer will ensure smooth functionality. Finally, do not forget to acknowledge the significant requirements of the cabinet.
Here is a detailed explanation to help you check these factors better!
1. Raw Material
Kitchen drawers should be heavy-duty to hold all the groceries, silverware, and bar essentials. Settling for a chrome or steel drawer for utensils and a wooden base for liquor and appliances is the best option. Both of these options are durable, easy to clean, and enable maximum functionality.
However, it can be a little difficult to clean the cabinet base with steel drawers. Besides, be cautious of spilling liquids inside wooden drawers to avoid long-term damage.
2. Drawer Build-Up
If you want an open cabinet, it is wise to opt for drawers with three sides. This feature will create a shelf-like look to amplify your kitchen. However, ideally, adding drawers to cabinets with four sides is a sturdier option.
3. Drawer Size
Do you want to make your kitchen cabinet more robust, safe, and long-lasting? Well, we need to be creative with the drawer size. We recommend increasing the sides to the full length of a cabinet to maximize its strength and longevity.
4. Drawer Volume
It is essential to sort all the appliances, liquor bottles, and hefty utensils with care. Therefore, it is crucial to gauge the drawer’s size and capacity. Additionally, pull-out drawers outperform roll-out drawers when used with high-volume cabinets. Additionally, we advise keeping the bulkier goods at the rear of these drawers. The drawer won’t tip over as you pull it out, which is the cause.
Lastly, with all these factors, there are two last things that one needs to consider. Individual skill level and budget are crucial in making that informed decision. However, one always has the option to hire a professional to have a mess-free installation.
Type of Cabinet Drawers for Every Space
It is finally time to introduce the aesthetic game changers in your kitchen. While adding drawers to cabinets, these are the two infamous types that most interior designers recommend.
Pull-out and roll-out drawers will transform cabinets into a more simplified, neat, and accessible space. These drawers bid goodbye to clutter and skyrocket your kitchen functionality. Modern homes with modular kitchens unquestionably set new standards for innovation, efficiency, and convenience.
Below is a detailed explanation of these infamous drawer types you might love.
1. What are Pull-Out Drawers?
Optimizing your kitchen storage or closet space becomes easy with pull-out drawers. These slide-out compartments fit perfectly into a cabinet to maximize space.
The innovation works on sliders or runners. A drawer sits on the runner and is pulled out at full length using a handle attached to its front.
Pull-out drawers are infamous for their ability to use the maximum available space, their versatile application, and their easy installation process. As the sliders allow the drawer to stretch out of its housing, one can visually access any innermost content with ease.
2. What are Rollout Drawers?
The roll-out drawers are also known as sliding drawers. Adding drawers to cabinets with this mechanism maximizes space utilization.
These are employed to store heavy and chunky items like pots, pans, and small appliances. They also promote clutter-free storage organization and are more flexible.
Besides, roll-out drawers are the best choice for those who are looking for a budget-friendly option. The drawer usually sits on a roller that makes it slide out fully. This star mechanism is comparatively easier to install for DIY projects. Lastly, we recommend using side-mount or under-mount glides to ensure the flexibility of the storage at its best!
Installing Drawers to Cabinets
We have arrived at the final stage of adding drawers to cabinets. The process requires tools, raw materials, and simple steps that any beginner can afford. We also advise you to follow one step at a time to ensure a smooth installation.
List of Tools and Materials
Here is a quick list of all the tools that will help you in this mini DIY project.
Under-mount drawer slides, plywood for drawer boxes, screws, a screwdriver or a drill machine, measuring tape, a saw, a few clamps, super glue, knobs, or handles for drawers.
1. Steps to Install Under-Mount Drawers to Cabinets
Step 1: Measure the cabinet’s internal dimensions and finalize the number of drawers you want. Evaluate their height, width, and depth to ensure they fit the desirable cabinets perfectly.
Step 2: Read the user manual carefully to install the sides. One part of it will be on the cabinet’s interior. The other part sits beneath the drawer boxes. Ensure their alignment and your drawer slides are ready.
Step 3: Start by sanding the plywood and cutting it into appropriate pieces. This step will help you build the drawer boxes. Now, use super glue and screws to secure their shape.
Add the front panel of the drawer and mark its center. It will help when adding knobs or metallic handles. Finally, sand out the edges to ensure a smooth finish.
Step 4: Find any desirable handles or knobs to maintain the interior aesthetics. You can use superglue or screws again to clamp the knobs on the front panel of the drawers.
Step 5: As the drawer boxes are ready, it is time to test their smooth sliding. Align the sliders and push the drawer boxes inside the cabinets. Try moving them in and out to check for a smooth mechanism.
Step 6: Finally, sand the drawer bodies and paint them with a color to match the overall aesthetics of your kitchen interiors. Your drawers are ready for use.
2. Steps to Install Ready-Made Drawers to Cabinets
If the above steps sound too hectic for you, we can cut down on the process and make it shorter for you. Installing ready-made drawers helps eliminate the hassle of building drawers by themselves.
Here is how you can proceed with adding drawers to cabinets!
Step 1: Measure the inner dimensions of the cabinet to ensure proper fitting of the drawers inside it.
Step 2: Place the pre-made drawers inside the cabinet and align them perfectly with the sliders.
Step 3: Ready-made drawers come with all four sides. Therefore, you can skip the hassle of cutting and gluing the plywood. You can add any final touches by sanding or painting it.
Step 4: Mark the center of the front panel to paste the knobs, slide it in, and test for a smooth mechanism.
Step 5: Confirm that the drawers are level and they fit properly with the cabinet’s frame. Make any final adjustments, and you are all set to use them.
Wrapping Up
All in all, adding drawers to cabinets is an uncomplicated task when one has an eye for details. Minimalist and tiny living trends incline towards sustainability, space efficiency, and the utmost functionality.
Storage cabinets are no exception, as drawers multiply their efficiency!
Today, we have covered a long way, from understanding the importance of drawers, their science, and their types to exploring their purposes and installation.
We hope that a detailed read helps you boost the aesthetics and use of distinct cabinets in your home.
One can either engage in a DIY project or buy drawers to install them. The choice lies with you.
Which type of drawer suits your significant needs? Comment below and share with us.
