How do I stabilize the top drawer?
by
Lisa
+12
Hello!
I picked up this piece of furniture for free from a neighbor a while ago. We want to use it for our oldest daughter’s room (she’s three years old). She can open the drawer and get her PJ’s out however, I’m afraid this top drawer is going to fall on her. It has one thing in the bottom middle to help it slide in and out. Wobbles up and down when inside and there’s a little gap between the drawer too (See pics for reference)
What can I do to stabilize the drawer and fill in the gap ?
Thanks!
Hi Lisa
Here is info to help you fix that drawer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaGBQV6w6Vc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-qNq2Juz0c
How to Anchor Furniture to Help Prevent Tip-Overs
https://www.consumerreports.org/furniture/how-to-anchor-furniture-to-help-prevent-tip-overs/
Perhaps new drawer slides would work for you. Check out amazon just enter door slides in their search bar.
You can add drawer stops. They are available on Amazon.
This should help you:
https://homelyville.com/how-to-fix-drawers-that-fall-out/
Hi Lisa, here's a video of what can be done with the top drawer so it doesn't pull all the way out and hurt your daughter. Also,I agree with Mogie that it would be wise to anchor the dressere to the wall so it can't be pulled over. Safety first!
The center part in the dresser and on the bottom of the drawer is a drawer slide. The part of the slide on the drawer slips onto the part in the dresser. Your drawer is riding on top of the dresser slide. That is why you have a gap on the bottom and the drawer hitting the scallops on top and not fully closing. You need to look underneath as you put the drawer in so drawer part inserts into the dresser part. Also I suggest you get a tip over prevention setup to anchor the dresser to the wall behind it so it doesn't tip over if you three year old tries to climb the drawers. Drawer stops would prevent the drawers from being pulled out. Redcatcec has a link for a simple stop block with a small block of wood screwed to the back of the drawer on the inside. I have done this many times. Please be safe!
Here is an easy way to make a drawer stopper with a nail: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOOFuAGcrZE
Hello additionally to solutions above with three year olds its best to harness or screw dresser to the wall fir safety.
https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog/anchor-furniture-to-a-wall/
Harness to the wall
Thanks everyone! Just need information about how to fix the drawer. The piece of furniture itself will not fall on my 3 year old so no need to anchor it and mess up the walls for that. We have another shelf that IS anchored to the wall but this one doesn’t need to be.
I explained how to fix the drawer. The drawer slide part slips into the dresser slide part. One hole in the wall to prevent tipping won't mess it up for safety sake.
From Flipturn
Lisa,
There is always a risk that a small child will pull any drawer out too far, then not be able to get it slid back into place again, which creates a situation inviting the whole dresser to tip over forward, due to the over-hanging weight of the drawers pulled out too far.
I would urge you to take William's advice, and anchor the dresser to the wall and install drawer stops, as preventions to possible injuries.
Kids love to pull out the drawers to use them to climb up on stuff, and many a child has been crushed by dressers..... so better safe than sorry. Here is screwless type https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORkYYTxjYOg
You might want to replace with shallow baskets.