Ikea Drawers Not Gliding Properly

[flobadob]

I put together an IKEA 4 drawer chest of drawers last night. However only one of the drawers is sliding in and out smoothly and the 3 others aren't.

What is usually the reason for this? There is a roller thing on the side panel and then a roller thing on the drawer itself.

I presume it's something to do with the way these were fitted, perhaps they need tightened or loosened.

Has anyone come across this before?

[diddlydo]

Try putting some furniture polish on the bits that are supposed to slide.

[bhg481]

The first thing to do is to check that all the rollers are rotating freely. Take out the drawers and check the wheels on those and stick your hand inside and check the wheels on the side panels. If any are not rotating freely, there is no obvious reason why and you can't free them I'd complain to IKEA.
Furniture polish is only useful on drawers with wood-to-wood contact on the sliding surfaces.

[diddlydo]

Not true bhg. When my plastic curtain hooks start sticking on the plastic curtain rail, a quick spray of polish makes them smooth as silk again.

[bhg481]

Not the same, Diddly. Curtain hooks are meant to slide, drawers with rollers are meant to have rotating rollers, the rotation reducing the friction.

[david small]

Rub an old candle on the sticking part. Or rub some graphite, an old pencil on the troublesome area’s.

[The Builder]

It's a mechanical problem, flobs.
While I understand people mentioning various methods of lubrication, it should never be necessary with modern runners.

I guess they are the "soft-close" type?
Wonderful things. I've fitted loads of them, but, if they are not located exactly right, all kinds of problems crop up.

First, double check the exact locations of the runners attached to the cabinet. It is actually critical to within a very few millimetres.
Same for the bits attached to the drawers.

Finally, ......... how the drawer drops in to the runners. You think it's in place, but often, it really isn't.

If all this is Ok, then look for adjustment screws. They alter vertical and horizontal positions.

We've all been driven mad by drawer runners at times ;o)

[flobadob]

Thanks for the responses. I sprayed some 3 in 1 oil on the brackets which helped a bit but I don't really want to have to keep doing that.

Builder the thing is as you know with IKEA all the holes are pre drilled so there's not much one can do in terms of moving things about really.

[The Builder]

Yes, I was afraid you were going to say that flob ;o)

In that case, it can only be that the drawer is not seated in the runners properly, or there is some adjustment needed for alignment.

Type "how to adjust IKEA drawers" into Youtube.
There are several vids there on this. :o)

[alavahalf]

Many of the Ikea flat packs I have assembled have runners that have to be screwed to the cabinet first .. then you pull the runners out and locate the drawer in them, before screwing the drawer onto the runners.
Perhaps the screws as cross threaded, or not screwed in tightly enough. This would cause the drawers to bind, if the runners not 'seated' properly.
Just a thought ?