Lontan Soft Close Drawer Slides
Smooth Open, Budget Friendly
TOP PICK: LONTAN
IN THIS GUIDE:
› BEST UNDERMOUNT: BLUM 563H
› BEST SIDE MOUNT (BULK): LONTAN 4502S3
› TOP BOTTOM MOUNT: PRIME LINE EPOXY
› TOP MOUNT PICK: HARDWARE RESOURCES
› CENTER MOUNT SLIDES: KNAPE & VOGT
› DRAWER SLIDE JIG: KREG DRAWER JIG
When woodworkers build drawers, they know the types of drawer slides. But if you are new to drawer construction, the terminology can be downright confusing. And no aspect of a drawer slide is more confusing than the mount type.
This makes choosing and buying your drawer slides first very important.
From confusing use of mounting locations, soft close vs. self close (they are different), and weight capacity, there is just a lot of jargon to cut through.
In this article, you’ll learn:
- The five types of drawer slides by mounting location
- Key features of each slide
- Why slide mount and drawer slide size are important
- Heavy-duty drawer slides and when to use them
- Why side clearance matters
- Pros and cons of each slide type
- And critical features of the various slide types
Page Contents
Types of Drawer Slides
First, this needs to be clarified – the rules change between top and bottom mounts on understanding mounting location. But first, here are the five types of drawer slide mounting locations:
- Top mounts are connected to the “top” of the cabinet or furniture opening and the side of the drawer
- Side mounts are connected on the side of the drawer and cabinet
- Bottom mounts are attached to the bottom of the drawer and the side of the cabinet
- Meanwhile, under mounts are two slides attached to the underneath (invisible) of the drawer and side of the cabinet
- And lastly, a center mount is a single slide found on the bottom of the drawer (not visible)
Ok, so why have five types? Cabinet or furniture construction, aesthetics, features, and cost dictate different slides. Ultimately, the choice is up to the maker on what they prefer and can afford.
1. Top Mount Drawer Slides
See on Amazon: Hardware Resources Top Mount Slide
As the name implies, these slides are mounted on the top of the opening but to the side of the drawer.
Confusing right? Well, bottom mount slides are just the opposite – but we’ll get to those following.
Overview
Typical uses: Pencil drawers in desks where side or bottom openings aren’t present.
Popularity: Due to these slides’ design, they are generally limited use for keyboard trays or pencil drawers.
Purchasing considerations:
- Look for full extension or over-travel to allow full access to the drawer contents
- Since the total weight of the drawer and its contents is on the screws, ensure you have the best screws with aggressive threads.
Features like soft closing or push-to-open are less common in this slide type.
2. Bottom Mount Drawer Slides
See on Amazon: Liberty Bottom Mount Slide
You’d think a bottom mount slide would mount on the bottom of the cabinet, right? Because, of course, that’s the opposite of “top.”
But, alas, the bottom-mount drawer slides mount to the bottom edge of the drawer and the side of the cabinet. However, this makes this type of slide extremely easy to install as there’s a fixed position for each drawer slide to mount to (you have no choice!).
Overview
Typical uses: All types of cabinets and furniture.
Popularity: High due to the low cost of these slides (installed in millions of kitchens!)
Purchasing considerations:
- Use a name brand like Liberty or Blum and avoid generic brands
- For face frame cabinets, use rear mounting brackets and 5/8″ or 3/4″ screws (or shorter, if needed).
Features like soft closing or push-to-open are not available in this slide type. Also, a 1″ top drawer clearance is needed to install and remove the drawer.
For most drawers, the Liberty bottom mount slide is a great place to start. Remember to buy rear mounting brackets for face frame cabinets.
Manufacturers
3. Undermount Drawer Slides
See on Amazon: Blum Tandem Soft Close
So to keep things confusing, not only does this slide also install on the bottom of the drawer, it’s also one word! Who knew understanding the types of drawer slides would involve a lesson in spelling?
But grammar aside, this is my favorite slide as it’s concealed and has the best construction for soft closing slides.
And my favorite feature of this slide? It installs underneath the drawer and, after installation, is invisible when pulled open.
Typical uses: All types of cabinets and furniture.
Popularity: Typically used in higher-end furniture and cabinets due to its higher price point.
Purchasing considerations:
- These slides generally come in 18″ and 21″ lengths
- Due to a rear locking mechanism that fits into the rear of the slide, the drawer will be slightly shorter than a standard drawer
- Best for new drawers and not retrofits
Blum and Grass are prominent manufacturers, with some generic brands starting to enter the market.
Related Article: Best Undermount Drawer Slides for Cabinets and Furniture
4. Side Mount Drawer Slides
See on Amazon: Vadania Soft Close
Chances are good you have an existing cabinet, piece of furniture, file cabinet, or toolbox with steel drawer slides mounted on the side of the drawer.
And for good reason.
Of all the types of drawer slides, the side mount slide is the most popular drawer slide as it offers the capability for the widest variety of applications. And they are almost always a ball-bearing steel design about 1-3/4″ tall and 1/2″ thick.
Lastly, as their name implies, they are installed on the side of the drawer and the cabinet.
Typical uses: All types of cabinets and furniture.
Popularity: All kinds of drawers work best in heavy-duty applications.
Purchasing considerations:
- Choose features carefully – especially soft close
- For drawer weight over 100 pounds, use a heavy-duty drawer slide.
- Always use rear mounting brackets for face frame cabinets
- Use a drawer slide jig for installation
- Great for retrofit drawer applications
5. Center Mount Drawer Slides
See on Amazon: Knape & Vogt Center Mount
This last type of drawer slide is least expected (outside of factory furniture). And for a good reason, it’s usually a single slide mounted in the bottom center of the drawer.
While many variations of this type of drawer slide have existed for furniture applications (wood and metal), it isn’t the best drawer slide. But we’ll get to that later.
Typical uses: Dresser drawers
Popularity: Typically used for manufacturing dressers and factory furniture
Purchasing considerations:
- Typically purchased as an after-market replacement slide
- Be sure to verify slide length, rear mounting requirements, drawer bottom clearance, and “side roller” requirements for the drawer edge
Drawer Slide Installation Tips
See on Amazon: Kreg Drawer Slide Jig
While you can install drawer slides without a jig, self-centering drill bit, or rear mounting brackets, it makes the job much more difficult.
So, with all types of drawer slides, you’ll want to have the following on hand:
- A quality drawer slide jig that will hold the drawer slide at a perfect 90 degrees with the front or face of the opening.
- Rear mount brackets for most types of slides that will hold the rear of the slide. This prevents needing to build specialty build-up blocks to the side of the cabinet.
- Upgraded wood screws like the Rok #8 that will hold the slide in place.
While you can skip these three accessories, the installation will be more difficult.
Key Drawer Slide Features
Now that we understand where the drawer slides can be mounted, it’s time to look at the features of drawer slides you’ll find.
Considering such a simple piece of metal, there is a surprising variety of drawer slide features:
- Self-closing slides
- Soft closing drawer slides
- Push to open slides
- Heavy duty (125 to 1000 pounds)
- Motorized
Self closing types of drawers
This type of drawer slide is often confused with a soft close drawer slide. However, it serves a different purpose altogether.
The best way to think of a self-closing slide is as a “stay closed” slide.
What is a self closing drawer slide?
A self-closing drawer slide is designed to keep the drawer closed and prevent it from opening unexpectedly. To provide this stay-closed feature, a self-closing drawer slide uses either gravity (bottom mount) or a rubber block (side mount) to reduce the chances a drawer slide might open.
How does a self closing drawer slide work?
While a locking drawer slide is required (keep reading) to keep the drawer shut under any condition, a self-closing drawer slide will generally work like the following:
- For top mount and side mount drawer slides, a rubber tab (pictured above) will keep the drawer closed.
- However, in a bottom mount, the drawer slide will use gravity that slopes the last 1/3rd of the drawer slide down and away.
- In my research, neither center mount nor undermount has self-closing.
Soft closing drawer slides
Soft closing versus self-closing is confusing.
So, let’s clear that up because it’s widespread for soft closing and self-closing drawer slides to need clarification. Soft closing slides prevent the drawer from slamming shut. Meanwhile, self-closing slides keep the drawer from opening without the user pulling the drawer.
What is a soft closing drawer slide?
A soft closing drawer slide is designed to pull a drawer closed over (about) the last 2″ of drawer travel. By using a sled that connects and disconnects from the main slide, the soft close drawer slide will be “caught” and not slam. A soft close slide will use a damper to slow the closing force and springs to pull the drawer shut.
How does a soft close drawer slide work?
A soft close slide works by separating it into two pieces.
Essentially:
- When the drawer is opened, two springs and a damper are pulled forward about 1-1/2″.
- Then, a catch on the main drawer slide is released.
- And left behind is a “sled” held in place but under the tension of a spring and damper.
- As the drawer is closed, the slide reconnects with the sled and triggers the release pin.
- The damper takes over and prevents a fast (slamming) close
- Meanwhile, the springs provide the pulling force to bring the drawer closed.
Pretty complicated, huh?
Heavy duty drawer slide
While some drawer slides call themselves heavy-duty at a 100-pound rating, the actual heavy-duty slides start at 125 and just get started at 250 pounds.
What is a heavy duty drawer slide?
A heavy-duty drawer slide is a drawer slide rated for 125 pounds or more. Due to thicker sidewalls, heavier steel construction, and enhanced ball bearings, these slides can support loads up to 1000 pounds. And they also feature extension lengths of up to 96″.
How is a heavy duty drawer slide made?
First, heavy-duty drawer slides are almost exclusively side mount, steel ball-bearing slides with:
- Weight ratings up to 1000 pounds
- Extension from 10-96.”
- Side clearances typically of 0.75″ or more
- Locking levers to hold slides open
The tricky part of these slides is buying the proper weight load versus your budget. Due to the extra load capacity, these are specialty slides with substantially higher cost versus a 100-pound or less drawer slide.
You can see our guide to the best heavy-duty drawer slides if you’d like to learn more.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are soft closing and self closing drawer the same?
No. Soft close drawers are designed to prevent drawers from slamming shut through dampers and springs. At the same time, self-closing slides are intended to prevent drawers from opening while the drawer is not in use.
Are top mount drawer slides mounted to the top of a drawer?
A top-mount drawer slide is mounted to the top of the opening and side of the drawer. This slide is most commonly used for keyboard trays or pencil drawers.
What is the cheapest type of drawer slide?
Bottom mount and economy center mount drawer slides are generally the lowest price – but features are sacrificed.
Summary
While there are five main types of drawer slides, you can narrow down to just a couple of options quickly for most applications. And, while expensive, choose a high-quality slide subjected to increased manufacturing and industry quality tests like found with Blum.
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- 🔎【Soft Close Drawer Slides】: The drawer...
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- 🔎【Maximum load capacity: 100LB】: The soft...
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- 【Anti-rust & Smooth work 】The anti-rust...
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Last update on 2024-09-22 at 07:13 / Images from Amazon
- About the Author
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Eric has been a professional woodworker for over thirty years and has worked in small cabinet shops making everything from kitchen cabinets to hand-made furniture. Now working from a home woodworking shop Eric is sharing his passion for woodworking, tool advice and how-to knowledge from his Minnesota-based woodshop.
Can you use a bottom center mount as a top center mount with another bottom center mount on bottom?
Hi Mark – this is usually done with pullouts where the drawer/box is taller than wide as a “guide slide”. For a standard drawer check out a Accuride 9301 instead for higher weight ratings. Follow manufacturer installation instructions, though, as this is not a standard configuration and the weight ratings cannot be exceeded.
Thanks,
Eric
I am looking for a spice rack mounting system that allows me to pull the spice rack out (i.e., a vertical drawer) and then once fully extended, the mounting system allows me to swivel (i.e., turn side to side) the extended spice rack. This allows me access to the spices on the side of the spice rack that faces a corner-mounted cabinet, which is 45° from the end of the spice rack cabinet. What mounting system is available to fill this need and support multiple spice racks side-by-side? I get very frustrated using a lazy susan.
Hi Art –
The closest I’ve seen is a system like this extendable rack.
Thanks,
Eric
Excellent articles
Hello, I have a solid wood dresser that needs new slides. The slide attached to the dresser (center) is wood, however, the slide attached under the drawer is metal. My boy child managed to bend the metal and we cannot find replacements so it seems that we should just replace the entire assembly. The types of slides available do not appear to be able to handle a heavy drawer before it is loaded with clothing and a pre-teen boy. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. It is a great piece of furniture and really do not want to replace it but currently, 2 drawers are unusable. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Hi Jamie,
This is a common problem and there are two options. First, if you have 1/2″ of space on each side of the drawer a side mount drawer slide is the best option for a heavy duty solution. Second, though, you can look for center mount drawer slides as a replacement. If you can’t remove or replace all of the middle components you can install two of these slides (one on the left, one on the right).
Good luck!
Eric