At the farmer’s market, I had a visitor ask me if I could do a repair of one of their kitchen drawers. Apparently it was falling apart, and they had tried gluing and screwing it together, but it kept falling apart. I asked him to bring it around and I could take a look.
He brought it, and it was a typical drawer made with low-quality pressboard, wrapped with white melanine. The glue and nails used to attach it had failed, and it was now out of square, with the pieces falling apart.
To repair it, I chose to use cabinet grade white oak plywood, while trying to keep the drawer front and the melanine bottom (since this will receive the most wear). The drawer pieces were milled to size, I put in a rabbet on the side pieces for joinery (I will glue and nail those in place) and a groove to hold the bottom of the drawer. Once it is glued and nailed into place, I’ll put the drawer front on and attach with screws.
For painting, I used a special Alkyloid water-based white paint, which is a high-quality paint used for kitchen cabinetry. I used two coats to provide excellent coverage.
It was a lower-cost solution to the issue, re-using some of the items and replacing the drawer pieces with a higher grade of material. The customer appeared pleased and hopefully it will last for years to come.
Kevin