We have recently tried to rejuvenate our kitchen by painting the real wood doors and replacing the worktops. It now looks fairly reasonable but it is being let down by the drawer carcasses which are always coming lose and jamming etc. I am struggling to find anywhere that is decent quality but just sells generic but strong kitchen drawers that I can bolt the fronts to. So far all I can find is possibly using B and Q drawers that might fit. The worst area is a set of 4 vertically stacked drawers which ideally I would like to just bolt in a new unit and screw the fronts on. Anywhere I should be looking to find this sought of stuff? Ultimately it’s fairly old kitchen so I don’t really want to go down a bespoke/specialist kitchen fitter route.

Ikea sell carcasses with runners etc. If i recall correctly it is just a standard unit and you fit the runners at the level you need for the drawer height. Not sure how easy it would be to fit non-ikea fronts though but you may find that wherever you get a unit from.

I have done a couple of kitchens with Ikea units and they are good value and pretty sturdy.

If I understand you right, you’re keeping the unit carcass and just want new runners and draw box?

If so Ironmongary Direct sell everything you need. A Blum Tandembox will be your easiest solution, but they also sell runners and sides separately, if you can make your own draw bottoms.

Maybe a little pricey but the best runners you can get.

Hafele and Blum are the suppliers behind a lot of kitchen fittings, both do drawer systems that may suit. Don’t think either sell direct but you can buy their stuff through a lot of merchants eg. IronmongeryDirect

…as Phil said while I was composing this…

Yes just after the drawers and runners but would not say no to a unit carcass with the 4 drawers already installed if such a thing exists as getting the hights right on my previous bodge proved tricky!

For the whole unit/draw I’d be looking on ebay. You’ll come across something with hideous fronts that doesn’t attract bids.

Rip the door fronts off, put your’s on. Winner.

Right, I do this for a living.

You’re making your life difficult !

The drawers are the expensive bits in a 4 drawer unit. The carcass costs pennies.

The carcass will be a standard width (probably 400 / 500 / 600mm)and is pretty much nailed on the be 720mm tall and about 570 / 580 deep including the service gap behind – this bit is important if you do actually have pipework etc behind !

Get down to Howdens (you may need a friendly account holder to do this for you) / Wickes / B&Q whatever, and buy a whole replacment 4 drawer unit in the cheapest door front range – another area where the money racks up. This guarantees that everything will fit together.

Bin the drawer fronts you just bought but use the fittings which came with them to use on your existing drawers.

Presto Hey !! Done.

Note : The more you spend the better the slider / fittings etc will be. See previous comments re Blum.

Phil.w – fair point re ebay. – same points apply though.

Pym

Pym thanks for that, I think that’s ideally what I would like to do. Do most fronts now just screw in?

If I was going down the replacement drawer route I take it 45 cm width drawers fit a 50cm unit carcass?

Most drawer fronts these days clip in using a propietary fitting supplied with the unit – just screw these to your drawer fronts then clip into the drawer box.

No – typically 450 drawer fronts for a 450 carcass – measure both your existing carcass and drawer fronts to be sure – outside edge to outside edge.

PYm

Edit – re read your second part – think you mean the width of the drawer box v’s width of the drawer front – couldn’t say, they may vary you’d have to measure what you have v’s what you intend to buy. Very easy to get wrong – the tolerances are surprisingly small for such low tech things – especially if you want them to slide as they should.

Better off getting the whole unit and this issue becomes irrelevant.

Yes drawer fronts 50 cm wide and carcass 50 cm end to end. internally drawers themselves are about 44cm wide hence the question but I guess they are 50 cm units.

Just take as much guesswork out of the equation as possible and you’ll be fine.

Anywhere apart from Howdens that do complete units? My B and Q catalogue suggests it comes in bits and I don’t know anyone in the trade I can ask.

Try Trend (part of Mereway) in Birmingham. But unless you can pick up, delivery will cost. Very good units from them – similar cost to Howdens.

Anywhere apart from Howdens that do complete units? My B and Q catalogue suggests it comes in bits

Based on your previous comments when you say complete do you mean built up and ready to slide in? if so i doubt it. Thats why people employ fitters like the folks giving you free advice above 🙄

Try these..

Thanks for the suggestions. Will probably go for the Brum Tandembox stuff.