How to Make Old Wooden Drawers Slide Better

If you have an antique dresser, desk, table or credenza in your home, you really are in luck as antique furniture is superior to its modern counterpart in nearly every way. Antique furniture carries with it the history of yesteryear, often has superior craftsmanship and was crafted with strong, sturdy materials and detailed methods of building and carving. However, the drawers in antique furniture don't slide in and out as well as they do in modern pieces, which are usually built with rollers. Old-fashioned wooden drawers can expand in hot summer months or just get stuck when you're trying to open them. Luckily, you can fix them yourself without any carpentry skills.

Things You'll Need

• Drop cloth
• 2 Lint-free cloths
• Butcher's wax

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Instructions

1. • 1

     Place a drop cloth over your work area. Remove all items from the drawers. Remove the drawers from the base of furniture.

   • 2

     Place the drawers face down on the drop cloth. Dip a lint free cloth in Butcher's wax and rub it over the sides, bottom and corners of each desk drawer.

   • 3

     Dip the cloth in the wax again and cover the inner portions of the drawer cavities with a generous coat of Butcher's wax. Allow the wax to dry for an hour as or as indicated on the can.

   • 4

     Wipe the excess wax from the drawers and the inner cavities of the piece of furniture with a clean cloth. Place each drawer back in its proper place. The wax, often used to slick up the floors of bowling alleys, will allow the drawers to slide in and out with ease.