How to Replace the Drawer Rollers on an Old Desk

Remove the drawer completely from the desk. It may be necessary to lift up on the handle or drawer knob while pulling forward when the drawer is fully extended so you can disengage the two rollers attached to the drawer from the two rollers attached inside the desk.

Turn the desk on its side and measure the length of the roller slides. These are the long, narrow metal bars attached to the drawer on both sides where it slides into the desk. Each part will have an attached wheel grooved on the edge like a pulley.

Crawl under the desk to measure the slides bolted to either side of the space where the drawer fits in place.

Remove the two or three screws holding each slide in place on the drawer sides and inside the desk where the drawer fits. You should now have a pair of slide assemblies (four metal pieces with wheels on each). Set the screws aside in a safe place.

Take a pair of slide assemblies to the hardware store or home improvement center to help you find the best match. Knowing the length of the slide and having the shape with you to compare to new parts will make finding a replacement slide much easier. You'll need to buy complete slide assemblies for both sides of the drawer to ensure smooth operation (there's no point in replacing one side, only to have the other side break a month later).

Check the wood on the inside of the desk and the sides of the drawer for cracks or screw holes that may have become enlarged through the years from the perpetual movement of the drawer in and out of the desk.

Fill in cracks and overly large screw holes with wood putty, smooth out with a putty knife and allow to dry for at least 24 hours.

Sand the sides with sandpaper to remove any excess dried wood putty.

Align the slides on the edges of the drawer where the old slides were removed and make a pencil mark through the screw holes in the metal on each slide. Do the same with the slides that install inside the desk to hold the drawer rollers in place. The pencil marks provide a guide for placing the slides when you have to crawl back under the desk and need to locate the correct spot.

Attach the new slides to the inside of the desk and both sides of the drawer using the old screws that you removed earlier.

Hold the drawer with the front end upward at an angle to guide the drawer rollers into the grooves of the metal slides inside the desk, then shut the drawer.