What Is an Easy Way to Slide Cabinets Around?

Number of People

• The biggest factor in how difficult it is to slide a cabinet is the number of people working on the task. Even if you can comfortably push the weight of the cabinet singlehandedly, it is still easier to slide a cabinet with two people. One person should push the cabinet from one direction while the other person pulls. The main difficulty with sliding a cabinet is turning and positioning it. Even if the cabinet is lightweight, this can be difficult for a single person to do. It is much easier with two people maneuvering the cabinet from each side.

Lighten the Weight

• Removing as much weight as possible from the cabinet makes it easier to slide. It also removes the risk of items inside the cabinet breaking or damaging the cabinet itself. You should always empty out the drawers and shelves of a cabinet before attempting to move it. If possible, you should remove any drawers, as well. Depending on the size and number of drawers, you can substantially reduce the weight of the cabinet. A lighter cabinet is significantly easier to push than a heavier one.

Furniture Slides

• You are working against friction when you slide a cabinet along the floor. The weight and type of material being pressed together determines the amount of friction force you need to work against. Furniture slides are plastic pads that are placed underneath a piece of furniture. The material used to make the slides generates less friction than the piece of furniture would normally create. This significantly decreases the amount of effort required to move a cabinet.

Determine the Path

• Figure out the path you are sliding the cabinet along before attempting to move it. Clear out any objects that are in the way of this path. Working out the path beforehand avoids confusion between the two people sliding the cabinet. You also are not going to need to stop to move objects in your way after you start sliding it if the path has already been cleared beforehand.