Toe-Kick Drawer Details
A few more tips on toe-kick drawers. June 5, 2006
Question
I am working on a kitchen that is very compact. I have seen toe-kick drawers on a couple of the kitchen feature shows on HGTV. The client loves the idea, but after talking to my two main suppliers of hardware, neither is aware of what type or where to get the toe-kick drawer hardware. They are spring loaded. You push in with your foot, the drawer comes out to get the item you need, then you push it back in with your toe and it catches.
Forum Responses
(Cabinetmaking Forum)
From contributor B:
There is a thread about toe kick drawers in the Knowledge Base. Can't help you with the hardware you mentioned, but I've done the drawers in such a way you can pull them open with your toe and then push them shut with the toe. I think everything you need to know is there in that thread.
From contributor G:
I just use Accuride # 3832-C22 slides with the self close feature. I hold the drawer bottom up 1/4" to 3/8" off the floor.
From contributor G:
Here are slides below.
Click here for full size image
From contributor G:
Below is with the drawer face on.
Click here for full size image
From the original questioner:
My supplier in Versailles, KY started carrying Accuride recently. They have handled KV and Blum for some time. I had not thought about the idea of making the drawer with a handle your toe can catch to open the drawer.
From contributor L:
There is a plastic hardware item that mounts behind the drawer and works much like a touch latch (too much like). We've used them on some office jobs where the decorator just couldn’t stand to see any hardware. They are a pain to adjust and prone to being broken in the field. You can’t really use them with self closing guides, one side or the other will always be just slightly ahead of or behind the other guide and will hold only one side making for a sloppy look. You're going to have to bend down to get the stuff out of the drawer anyway so being able to open the drawer while standing isn't a great advantage.
From contributor F:
So what do you up charge for a Toe Kick drawer (like the one in the photo)? I'm not to keen on the idea of a drawer down where the mice and bugs live, but you have a nice solution in your design. I've used the touch latch for bread boards, and that would work great for a drawer without a pull, but then again every time someone’s toe kicks the drawer it would open up
From contributor R:
The average charge for the drawer is around $100.00.
From contributor F:
It depends on the style of cab that you are building. I put to kick drawers in cabinets that were inset with face frames. The bottom rail of the face frame was not actually attached to the frame. It was attached to the drawer, and acted as a handle (you could grab it with your toe really easily). Bevel the edges of the rail 1-2 degrees so the seam is not visible when the drawer is shut. The client loved them.
From contributor J:
You might also try the BlumMotion with a pull that curls over to open it with. The BlumMotion are self closing and you can mount them as close to the floor as you want.
