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Please talk me down - drawer slide catastrophe!

10 years ago

I'm sure this will all look better in the morning, but for now, I'm kind of beside myself. I had specified to my cabinet maker that I wanted Blum undermount slides, but he installed a bunch of my drawers today, and they have KV side mounts! I've been playing with them, and they're nowhere near as smooth as the IKEA cabinets we put in our last remodel. What to do? Are there Blum sidemounts that could easily be subbed in? Or perhaps the current slides just haven't been adjusted and will be fine? I really, really don't want him to remake practically all of my cabinets, but I also don't want to be dealing with crappy slides for the next 20 years.

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Comments (8)

gpraceman55
10 years ago
I do believe so, but they are not soft close. If anything has to be remade, it would just be the drawer boxes.
rmiriam
Original Author
10 years ago
But there are like 50 drawer boxes! So you think he could still use the drawer fronts? I guess I can offer to pay part of the replacement cost...
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Thanks everyone for your answers. and yes, Candi, I mean the side mounts. I have a feeling that these slides may be discontinued. Or maybe they weren't kv after all. But yes, I am sure. The levers for disengaging are all inside the cabs...they can't be seen or felt when the drawers are opened. We discussed this when he was here and he just said that it wouldn't matter since they were full extension. Matters to me....When I go to clean those lower drawers, I will be wishing I could take them out and put them on the counter for the sake of my back! I may call KV.....
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Teched: Mine are the pegboard type. Although I LOVE the dishdrawers, I find the the pegs are not the greatest way. The weight of the dishes pushes the pegs when sliding the drawer in and out. The pegs have never come out all the way, but they need frequent reseating. I am curious about those of you that have soft close on your dish drawers. My KD, who did a wonderful job on everything, said that dish drawers are too heavy for soft close. I have soft close on every other drawer in my kitchen, except the dish drawers - and I wish I did have it there. However, I was told that adding it now, parts alone would be $180 for EACH soft-close. I have 2 dish drawers, so that would be a total of 4 so $720! Sounds ridiculous to me. Anyone have any words of wisdom on this? Boxie
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User
10 years ago
WHY would you pay for HIS incompetence? It's not a big deal for him to change out the drawer glides. Insist he do what you hired him to do. And now is a good time to go over other details that he may "misremember".
Fori
10 years ago
Don't be so nice! Well, be nice but also firm and find your inner Hollysprings (bouncy and a little prickly?). You're being generous enough going from your specified undermounts to side mounts because of his error. You oughtn't pay any more.

Good luck!
rmiriam
Original Author
10 years ago
Thanks, everyone. I need reminders to stand my ground. Being nice to contractors has been my downfall before, but somehow I never learn. So what, exactly, should I ask him to do? Remake the drawers for Blum undermining, or just replace the current slides with...what?
barthelemy
10 years ago
Sidemount glides are cheaper than undermount, if you specified Blum undermount glides, he is ripping you off.

What you want are Blum Tandem plus Blumotion drawer runners. Sidemount glides never operate as smoothly, they are the low-end choice.

Here is a link that might be useful: Blum Tandem
PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
10 years ago
rmiriam:

Suppose he had substituted paper mache instead of wood drawer boxes? Would we be having this conversation?

You specified a particular slide. It was not provided. He must provide them or compensate you satisfactorily.
rmiriam
Original Author
10 years ago
I just want to thank everyone who replied to this thread. You gave me the conviction to insist on replacing the slides with the Blum undermount, which the cabinet maker is now doing. Without you, I'd probably be cursing my beloved drawers for years.

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