Easy Installation of IKEA Inside Drawers

A Collection of various installations

Installing the inside pantry drawers at the right spot is not as easy as it looks, but there's help to be found right here.

As with most things in life, practice makes perfect, and that is certainly true when it comes to installing the inside drawers from Ikea. Making sure that they sit inside the cabinet so they don’t interfere with the hinges and, at the same time, look great can be a bit tricky.

However, it takes a fair amount of experience to know where the hardware must be installed. Not only do the drawers come in three different heights, but the cabinets also vary in height, plus some have two, three or even four hinges.  

As you can see in the example below, it makes a big difference whether you do it wrong or right. If you pull on the arrows in the picture, it is obvious to see which is the best. 

THE BASICS

When we are installing inside drawers, one thing is certain: we always use the first hole (from the left) at the front and the middle hole at the back, as indicated in these pictures.

Whether we use the upper or the lower holes depends on the specific setup.

In the examples shown below, I will describe the position of the hardware as outlined in this example:

A:    Base cabinet

B:    2 x hinges – 60″ high door

C:    Drawers: 3 x medium

D:   Hole number 4 – Lower

E:   Hole number 11 – Upper

F:   Hole number 17 – Lower

Where:

A:   Cabinet type/size

B:   Number of hinges and size of door(s)

C:   Drawers: number and size

D:   Position of screws in the cabinet (from the bottom) and in the rail for the first drawer from the bottom.

E:   Position of screws in the cabinet (from the bottom) and in the rail for the second drawer from the bottom.

F:   Position of screws in the cabinet (from the bottom) and in the rail for the third drawer from the bottom.

VARIOUS INSTALLATIONS:

Please note that the examples below are from my personal notes and are in no way to be seen as the finite truth. During my many installations, I took notes and pictures; what you see here is the result of that work.

Also, in some cases, you will see that the lower rail is installed in hole #4 and others in hole #5 from the bottom. Both can be correct; it depends on the situation.

In some situations, you must adjust the drawer front upwards if you use hole #4 to ensure that the front clears the hinge, but you will see that for yourself.

If you find any mistake, please let me know, and if you install a setup that isn’t found here, I will be happy to add it to the list. In any case, please reach out.

 

Base Cabinet

2  x hinges – 30″ high door

Drawers: 3 x medium

Hole number 4 – Lower

Hole number 11 – Upper

Hole number 17 – Lower

Pantry Cabinet

3  x hinges – 60″ high door

Drawers: 2 x medium, 1 low

Hole number 4 – Lower

Hole number 13 – Upper

Hole number 21 – Lower

Pantry Cabinet

3  x hinges – 60″ high door

Drawers: 2 x medium 

Hole number 5 – Upper

Hole number 16 – Upper

Pantry Cabinet

4  x hinges 60″ high door

Drawers: 1 x medium, 2 low

Hole number 4 – Lower

Hole number 12 – Upper

Hole number 17 – Lower

Pantry Cabinet

4  x hinges – 60″ high door

Drawers: 2 x medium

Hole number 5 – Upper

Hole number 17 – Upper

Pantry Cabinet

3  x hinges – 60″ high door

Drawers: 2 x high, 2 x medium, 1 x low 

Hole number 5 – Upper

Hole number 16 – Upper

Hole number 3 above middle hinge – Upper

Hole number 11 above middle hinge – Upper

Hole number 19 above middle hinge – Upper

Pantry Cabinet

4  x hinges – 60″ high door

Drawers: 4 x medium, 1 x low

Hole number 5 – Upper

Hole number 12 – Upper (LOW DRAWER)

Hole number 18 – Upper

Hole number 27 – Upper

Hole number 36 – Upper

Pantry Cabinet

4  x hinges – 60″ high door

Drawers: 2 x high, 2 x medium, 1 x low

Hole number 5 – Upper

Hole number 18 – Upper

Hole number 28 – Upper

Hole number 36 – Upper

Hole number 43 – Upper

Pantry Cabinet

3  x hinges – 60″ high door

Drawers: 2 x medium, 1 x low

Hole number 4 – lower

Hole number 13 – Upper

Hole number 21 – lower

Pantry Cabinet

3  x hinges – 60″ high door

Drawers: 4 x medium, 1 x low

Hole number 5 – Upper

Hole number 16 – Upper

Hole number 27 – lower

Hole number 35 – lower

Hole number 43 – lower

Base Cabinet

2  x hinges – 30″ high door

Drawers: 2 x medium, 1 x low

Hole number 4 – lower

Hole number 16 – Upper

Hole number 20 – Upper

Pantry Cabinet

3  x hinges – 60″ high door

2 x hinges – 30″ high door

Drawers: 2 sets of 2 x medium

Sets are similar.

Hole number 5 – Upper

Hole number 15 – Upper

Repeat.

PRODUCT RECOMMENDATIONS​​

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Still going strong

I bought one of these when I started my business more than five years ago, and it is still going strong after more than 250 kitchens.

Unbelievable quality. I use it to assemble all cabinets and drawers, and the Gyro feature is excellent. There’s only one button to press. The twist of your hand controls the rotational direction. 

Very clever.  I love it.

Link to item.

No, it is not a Philips bit

Contrary to what it looks like to the less experienced DIY’er, it is not a Philips bit.

For most, if not all, Ikea uses screws with a Pozidrive head.

PZ2 is the size and you will enjoy using it instead of the more famous PH2.

Link to item.

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