Replacement Drawer Fronts: How to Measure and Attach Them

To replace a drawer front, first check whether your drawer has a separate front screwed onto a drawer box (most modern cabinets) or a front that’s part of the box itself (common in older cabinets). Measure the opening, add your overlay just like a door, and attach the new front with screws from inside the drawer box, using double-sided tape or temporary screws to set the position first.

Step One: Identify Your Drawer Type

Pull the drawer out and look inside at the front.

• Applied (false) front: You see screws coming through the front wall of the drawer box into the back of the decorative front. The front is a separate piece. Unscrew it, and the drawer box stays intact. This is the easy case.
• Integral front: The front is the drawer box’s front wall, joined directly to the sides. There’s no separate box front behind it. Replacing the front means either rebuilding or replacing the drawer box, or cutting the old front flush and applying a new one over it.

For integral fronts, the simplest approach is often a new drawer box plus a new front. See Replacing a Broken Cabinet Drawer Box.

Step Two: Measure

Face-frame cabinets

Measure the drawer opening in the face frame, inside edge to inside edge. Then add overlay.

Front width = opening width + (2 x side overlay) Front height = opening height + top overlay + bottom overlay

Example: a 15" x 5" opening with a 1/2" overlay all around needs a 16" x 6" front.

Check the space between the drawer front and the door below. If the existing drawer front and door are separated by a small gap (about 1/8" is common), make sure your top and bottom overlays keep that gap.

Frameless cabinets

Frameless drawer fronts are sized to the box width minus a small reveal, and the heights are planned so all the fronts in a stack, plus gaps, add up to the cabinet height. The most reliable method is to measure the existing fronts if they fit well, and confirm the gaps between them are even.

Measuring a drawer stack

For a column of drawers, measure each front individually and note the gaps. Write them top to bottom, width x height:

Step Three: Prepare the Drawer Box

1. Remove the pulls from the old front.
2. Remove the screws holding the old front from inside the box.
3. Pull off the old front. If it’s glued, work a putty knife into the joint carefully.
4. Check the drawer box. Tighten loose joints, and replace worn slides now, while the front is off.
5. Fill or note the old pull holes in the drawer box front. You may need new holes in different spots for the new pulls.

Step Four: Position and Attach

Getting the front straight and the gaps even is the whole job. A reliable method:

1. Close the drawer box fully in the cabinet.
2. Apply strong double-sided tape (two or three small pieces) to the face of the drawer box.
3. Place shims under the new front to set the bottom gap, and use small spacers (playing cards or 1/8" shims) to set side and top gaps.
4. Press the front onto the tape, check the gaps, and adjust if needed.
5. Open the drawer carefully and drive screws from inside the box into the back of the front. Use screws long enough to bite into the front but short enough not to come through; for a 3/4" front through a 1/2" box, 1" screws are typical.
6. Drill the pull holes through both the front and the drawer box, or use the pull screws to help hold the front.

Some drawer front adjusters let you fine-tune position after installation. They’re a good option if you want easy adjustments later.

For more detail on lining up multiple fronts, see How to Install Drawer Fronts and Line Them Up.

Matching Drawer Fronts to New Doors

• Same style: Shaker drawer fronts can match shaker doors, but very short fronts (under about 6") often look better as slab fronts, since a full frame looks cramped at that height.
• Same material and finish: Order drawer fronts with your doors so the color and sheen match.
• Same overlay: Drawer fronts should follow the same overlay type as your doors.

FAQ

Can I replace only the drawer fronts and keep the boxes? Yes, if your drawers have applied fronts. Integral fronts usually need a new box.

What screws should I use? Use pan-head or washer-head screws long enough to engage the front without breaking through.

How do I hide old pull holes? They’re inside the drawer box, so they’re hidden by the new front. Just drill new holes where needed.

Do drawer fronts need hinge boring? No. They attach to the drawer box with screws.

Order Matching Drawer Fronts

We make drawer fronts to your exact sizes alongside our Cabinet Doors, in 9 wood species and 64 thermal foil (RTF) colors, so fronts and doors match. If your boxes are worn out, look at our Drawer Boxes too. No minimum order; request samples to check finish first, or email information@craftedcabinet.com.