How to Tips

St. Louis Handyman’s Tips on Un-sticking a Drawer

This is how to handle a solid wooden drawer that sticks: Slowly move it in and out to “feel” where it’s catching (on one side? along the bottom?). Or pull out the drawer and look for friction marks on the edge or bottom.
Set the drawer on a stable work surface. With 100-grit sandpaper wrapped around a wood block, smooth the sticking spot until some dust is created. Replace the drawer, slide to see if it’s no longer catching. If it is, repeat until the drawer glides freely.
To keep out the moisture that causes swelling and then sticking, seal the drawer, inside and out (though skipping the front), with a coat of polyurethane.
If the swelling is minor, you may be able to get away with just lubricating the drawer-no sanding required. To start, take the drawer completely out and set it on your work surface.
Run a bar of plain soap (like Ivory) or a candle, or a stick of paraffin-any of the three should work well-along the glide or glides on the bottom or sides of the drawer, and along any mating pieces inside the furniture. Also rub some on the edges of the drawer’s sides and bottom.
Replace drawer and move it in and out to work in the lubricant and be sure it’s fixed the problem.