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Need help with placement and size of drawer pulls!

13 years ago

I have spent so many hours on this forum as I have been planning and remodeling my kitchen -- such incredibly valuable info and opinions. Thank you all!

I can almost see the light at the end of the tunnel. Now I have to decide on my cabinet hardware asap or I will have to install them myself! I have chosen Amerock Revitalize in ORB for medium/dark stained select alder cabinets, but I am not sure what size pulls to use, especially on larger drawers, and on my panelled dishwasher and refrigerator drawers. The drawers are overlay and recessed panels with applied molding. There will be knobs on all the doors. These drawer pulls come in 3" centers, 3 3/4", 5", 6 1/4", and 8" heftier appliance size. I am using the 12" appliance pulls on my side by side built in fridge.

I am also not sure whether to center the pulls on the drawer vertically, or place the pull for the bottom drawer higher than center so it is easier to reach. I prefer not to put 2 pulls on wider drawers (I have 3 banks of 32" wide drawers, one of which is right next to the refrigerator drawers on the island) because I don't want to have to use 2 hands to open the drawers easily. I also am keeping in the back of my mind that it wouldn't be a bad idea to choose sizes that would not be hard to find if I decide a few years from now to change the hardware for whatever reason.

What is the best size to use on a dishwasher and refrigerator drawers -- are the big appliance handles more comfortable, or do the regular pulls work fine? Pics would be great. Thanks!

Comments (3)

blfenton
13 years ago
I would definitely put the appliance pulls on the DW and fridge drawers. Unlike your cabinet drawers which are on slides and so easy to move, the DW and fridge drawers almost have a suction action to them which require a "tug" to open. I have never checked this but I wouldn't be surprised if the screws on the appliance handles are actually bolts and so are heavtier than the drawer pulls and are built for the heavier pull action required. Using the 12" ones would give a uniformity to your appliances.

I have a bank of 15" drawers, a bank of 19" drawers and 2 banks of 30" drawers which are shaker style. I have the same not quite 7" pulls on all of them with only one on the 30" drawers. They are all centered in the middle of the drawer. I know that some people center them on the top narrower drawer (cutlery) and then raise them to be set higher on the wider bottom two drawers. That drives my sense of symmetry up the wall.

P.S. what do you mean centering them vertically?
chgojudyinaz
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks for responding. I read somewhere that if you want them to look centered on the drawer, you actually install the pull a little bit higher than the center so that it looks centered when you are looking down at them. But I don't remember where I saw this, and how much higher to install them -- half an inch? an inch higher than center? Since my original post, I installed 12" appliance pulls on the side by side, and a 6 1/4" (centers) on the DW, and 8" appliance pulls on the fridge drawers. All of them work just fine. Still debating whether to do one 5" pull on all the drawers, or use 6 1/4" for the bigger ones (30-33")and 3 3/4" for the small drawers. What do you think? Is any of the sizes rare so that I would have a hard time changing out the hardware years from now? Thanks!
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thimdog
12 years ago
What size did you end up going with?

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