Pro Handyman Blog

How many times have you pulled out the kitchen drawer and it flops down into your hand. Chances are good that the guide has broken. Drawers are installed in a variety of ways, put when it flops down it usually indicates that the rear guide has broken in some manner. Drawer guides have either guides on either side of them or a plastic guide attached to the rear of the drawer.

If the drawer flops down, it is likely that the plastic guide at the rear of the drawer has broken, since if one of the 2 guides mounted on the sides should still keep it relatively in place.

Pull the drawer out of the cabinet and inspect the guide. They ride in a groove at the top of the cabinet’s opening and will either break off or just come loose from the back of the drawer. They are usually stapled to the top rear of the drawer, so it may just have come loose and fallen off. You can re-staple it and put the drawer back in.

If you need a new guide, most home centers carry a good variety. Bring the old guide with you and match it up. Some guides are even coded by color. Re-secure it back on the drawer and install it into the cabinet.