Experts' Expert: How to make drawers open and close smoothly

Pretty much everyone's got a problem drawer.

Jeanne Huber's November 19 "How To" column in the Washington Post dealt with the subject in the following Q & A.

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Q. We have an art-deco dresser from the 1920s-1940s that we inherited from my husband's mother.... However, the dresser drawers need repair. I can't pull out any of them smoothly. I guess the runners and tracks need to be replaced. Can you suggest someone who would repair the drawers for a reasonable price?

A. Before you resort to having someone rework the dresser, try one of the simple solutions that often work. Rub paraffin wax or soap on the sliding parts — the drawer runners and the tracks inside the cabinet. Or opt for a newer quick fix, which has won dozens of rave reviews online: Buy a roll of thin, low-friction tape and apply that to the tracks.

Rockler Woodworking and Hardware (www.rockler.com) sells a low-friction tape made of nylon. Called Nylo-Tape, it comes in ½- and ¾-inch widths and is only 10 mils (0.01 inch) thick. A 10½-foot roll costs $14.50 or $16.50, depending on the width.

Woodcraft, which has a store at the Woodworkers Club of Rockville (www.woodcraft.com), sells a similar product, made of an unidentified type of plastic. Called Slick Strips, it’s thicker but still very thin (1/32 inch) and comes in a ¾-inch-wide roll, also 10½ feet long, for $8.

If you use tape, be sure to clean the surface first to remove any wax or soap that someone might have added in the past. Use mineral spirits, then lightly hand-sand and wipe or vacuum away the dust. Cut the tape to length and press it in place. Nylo-Tape is recommended for tracks only. Slick Strips can be used on the tracks, the runners or on both, but the manufacturer cautions that applying it to both surfaces will make the action super slick.

If the drawers still stick, a company that specializes in restoring antique furniture should be able to help you. The cost would depend on what is causing the drawers to stick and whether you also want the finish restored. At the top end, it might cost $850 to fix runners that are out of line, reglue drawers, repair veneer and apply a new finish, according to David Hawksford, who runs Colonial Restoration Studio in Gaithersburg (www.colonialrestorationstudio.com).