Wooden Runners or Blum Tandem?

[John Vietmeyer]

I have three small inset drawers that need to go in a bathroom vanity. Each is approximately 5x7x21.

I have blums ready to go, but am still wondering if they are not right for this application. I had to buy special locking mechanisms (non adjustable) just so they can fit.

Would you recommend wooden runners over the blums?

[Jamie Buxton]

You're just trying to stir up trouble, aren't you?

[Sean Nagle]

5x7x21. That's barely a drawer.

[Dan Friedrichs]

Do they have the soft-close? If so, I'd disable it - a drawer that small won't have enough mass, and it will be awkward to "tug" it open.

[Jim Becker]

For a cabinetry application like this, I'd personally prefer to use metal slides of some sort. Wood runners are great for traditional furniture, but are a lot touchier to setup and keep working smoothly, IMHO...just what you may not want for a humid bathroom application.

[Cary Falk]

Wood runners in a humid bathroom is not a good mix.




NO WOOD RUNNERS!!!!!!!
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[John Vietmeyer]

Haha. Not trying to cause trouble. Just new to this and am trying to find the best method.

I’m still on the learning curve and this is a wet environment in a humid area (Charleston SC) so I will go back to focusing on mechanical runners. I already have the blums so will see if I can’t get them to work. Had not thought about fighting the close action with such a small drawer. Tkx

[Dennis Yamamoto]

For a small bathroom I have a pair of 6" x 4.5" x 21" drawers using Blum tandems with soft close. They open and close just fine. The drawer sides are 1/2" soft Maple.

I use Blum Tandems throughout the house, and I think they work great! Some of the pantry drawers are 33" wide, 12" tall and 21" deep and have some heavy kitchen appliances in them. They open and close so nice I like to show them to visitors.

[Mark Hockenberg]

+1 for the Blum Tandems. Once you get used to the setup, they're so great. You get very predictable results. I just built a pair of end tables for a room and even though they are "furniture" pieces, I used Tandems. You don't see them and they run smoother than runners with no sag.

[Patrick Walsh]

I use them practicall daily and tbh they are me of the things I loath most about modern cabinetry. That euro hinges, pc,eat screws and butt joints.

In all seriousness if you want perfect you don’t want them. I find unless the stars all align 100% right you have a hard time gettting everything perfecctly flush with even revails. You have one shot to screw the drawer face on 100% perfect. Sure you can oversize your holes a bit and work out bad placement. But you know it’s been my experience that as soon as you start using the adjustment built into them for left right up down for and aft the drawer is never gonna seat perfectly.

Moral of my story is make sure all the adjustment on the clips are set to the middle settings. Then get the drawer face screwed on perfect. If you use those adjustments I guarantee one corner or side is gonna protrude a wee bit vrs it’s other side. For instance when the application is a bank of drawers with or I guess without rails dividing them and you start adjusting away for a drawer face that was not put on perfect you’ll never get a straight edge across them drawer to drawer to drawer as if you took your time and properly fit a drawer to a runner.

Also gotta mind that the slides are not toeing up or down the slightest and that bothe are complainer to each other or even if your drawer face is screwed on perfect you gonna be inclined to use the built in adjustment and all hell is gonna break loose if you expect or desire perfection regarding the drawer face seating flush on all four sides and with even revails.

See they are junk, but you know people seem to like junk these days ;)

I all seriousness each to his own I just really don’t like them.

[Malcolm McLeod]

I just used Blum Tandems on this, where drawers are a bit bigger then yours:
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I cringed when SWMBO wanted inset drawers, but these made for simple install and have 4-way adjustments (that hold).

Hettich versions will not be used again. Their height adjustment is always moving.

[John TenEyck]

I had drawers with wooden runners in my bathroom for 20 years; they never once stuck. I'm not advocating to use wooden runners, just pointing out that bathrooms in modern houses are no more humid than any other room.

John

[Brian Ross]

Speaking of Blum Tandems in general. I started using the Tandems years ago and switched to Blum Movento when they came out. Both are great slides but the Movento has more adjustment in the clips. They are a couple of dollars more a pair. Something I have done for narrow drawers is to use a pair of Accuride style drawer guides. Rather than installed verticle I mount them on the bottom of the drawer. They lose 1/2 of their carrying capacity when installed in this position but I can't imagine what you would put in a small drawer that would weigh 50 lbs