Vent: My fix for a sticky drawer lock ate up my whole Saturday

I spent like 4 hours trying to adjust the strike plate on my kitchen drawer because it kept sticking, but it turns out the wood had swollen from humidity. Has anyone else had a simple home repair turn into a half day project?

3 comments

3 Comments

patricia55813d ago

That part about the wood swelling from humidity hit home for me. I used to think all sticky drawer problems were just bad alignment or cheap hardware, but after fighting with a cabinet in my own kitchen for two hours, I finally realized the weather was the real issue. Now I always check the humidity first before touching any screws lol.

jasonf1713d ago

Ha, funny you say that @patricia558 because I actually disagree a bit. Ive had the opposite experience where humidity wasnt the problem at all it was just a warped slide or a screw that was overtightened. Ive got this old desk drawer in my garage that sticks like crazy in summer and I kept blaming the weather but after taking it apart it was just the runner was bent slightly from years of abuse. Not saying youre wrong though, just that sometimes we overcomplicate things when the fix is simpler than we think.

the_emery13d ago

You mentioned "the wood swelling from humidity" and I think that's a real thing for sure, but there's another angle I don't see anyone talking about. Sometimes the problem isn't the wood or the hardware at all, it's actually the paint or finish on the drawer sides. I had an old dresser where the varnish got sticky from heat and moisture mixing together, and that made the drawer grab onto the frame just as bad as if the wood had swelled. A light sanding and a coat of wax fixed it in about ten minutes with no screws touched. Worth checking next time before you assume it's the weather or the alignment.