Retrofit soft-close to almost any drawer (Blumotion)

In this instructable I will teach you how to retrofit the Blumotion soft-close drawer system (from their TandemBox line) to almost any drawer! Most people prefer to retain a consistent appearance in their kitchen, so replacing the drawers entirely is out of the question (not to mention very expensive.) The Blumotion system is one of the best, however it only works with the corresponding drawer system from the same company... or so they thought :)

Tools you will need:
- drill
- bolt cutter
- small flat-head screwdriver
- small hacksaw (I used a coping saw)
- some bolts (small thread, M2.5 or 0.1" thread diameter)
- some screws
- ruler & pencil

The only requirements for the existing drawer:
- approx 12mm (0.5") clearance on either the left or the right of the drawer (almost any rail system will have this)
- approx 9mm (0.35") clearance behind the drawer
The drawer can be made of wood or metal - doesn't matter.

Note about the small piston-type door buffers / dampers:
Before this project I attempted to use these to damp my drawers, but they didn't work well (drawers wouldn't self-close, or still slammed shut.) The Blumotion system with its long throw and spring+latch mechanism overcomes these issues. Thanks to adamazing for bringing this up in the comments.

Step 1: Obtain the Blumotion mechanism

Purchasing the Blumotion drawer damper can be very expensive, if you can find it at all. However they mass-produce a custom version of their drawer damper mechanism for IKEA which is sold under the RATIONELL sub-brand. Thus the cheapest way of obtaining the mechanisms is to purchase the IKEA RATIONELL 40 x 35cm damped drawer kit, which at the time of writing costs AU$45. Each kit contains 2 damper mechanisms, which is enough for 2 drawers, so essentially you're damping each drawer for AU$22.50 and you still have a perfectly usable drawer left over! (Another way to look at it, given that the non-damped drawer kit sells for AU$40, is that each pair of dampers costs $5 and thus $2.50 per drawer.)

WARNING #1: IKEA also sell an AU$10 RATIONELL damper add-on kit. This will NOT work as it contains only the damper and not the spring-latch mechanism which is so crucial to the system.

WARNING #2: Don't buy the bigger drawers as they use a different damping mechanism which is much harder to modify.

Obtaining this kit from IKEA is relatively straightforward. If you need a salesperson's assistance when ordering the kit(s), you will probably be asked if you have the correct RATIONELL cupboard in which to install the drawer - a lot of people have obviously tried to screw their existing drawers onto the RATIONELL rails with little success.

Once you have purchased the kit, take out the 2 rails and set the rest aside.

Comments

[jambar]

Hi chylid great job in laying out the instructions. I'm looking to possibly do this in the new year and was looking at IKEA's online website for Canada and they offer a different size drawer see the following link:

http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/30108928

it is listed as being 41 cm in width by 30.5 in length. Do you think this type of drawer will work for me to use the soft close out of to retrofit my drawers. I would appreciate your opinion on this. There are other width sizes but all are 12 inches (30.5 cm) in depth.

Thanks again for the great information.

[chylld]

That drawer looks like it will work - the spring/latch and damper mechanisms seem identical to those I found in my drawer kit.

Have fun with your retrofit :)

[jambar]

Thank you so much for getting back to me so quickly. If I have any more questions I will be sure to ask.

[jambar]

Hi chylld,

I do have one more quick question. Did you happen to do any retrofits on your cabinet doors to create the same soft close affect. Reason I am asking is I was thinking of purchasing dampers for the cabinet doors. I'm not sure if the blumotion items would work.

http://www.blum.com/us/en/01/30/40/20/index.php

Just wondering if you had done something that works.

Thanks,

Jamal

[chylld]

I did do the cabinet doors, although it was a much cleaner retrofit. I simply purchased a pack of quality dampers from http://myworld.ebay.co.uk/directdampers/

You can install these closer to or further from the hinge to lower or raise the damping effect. Installation is as simple as drilling a hole and slipping the damper in.

I tried to use these as drawer dampers, but unfortunately they don't work since it lacks a spring+latch mechanism, which is required to pull the drawer shut. With doors, there is enough force in the hinge and the load is always the same (i.e. a door always weighs the same, but a drawer will vary in weight depending on its contents)

[adamazing]

Great Instructable! For anyone who doesn't want to buy and dismantle all that...at least in the UK, IKEA also sells (sold) packs of standalone soft close dampers like: http://www.google.com/search?q=soft%20close%20damper http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Cheap-Beads-and-Charms/Ikea-Soft-Close-Door-Buffer.html I bought a bunch and installed them in our bedroom cupboard doors and they did a good job of absorbing/quieting down the last half inch. They were _much_ cheaper, though for the "soft-close" effect on a drawer they may not be as impressive as your approach.

[chylld]

Thanks for the comment. I actually used those exact door buffers on my drawers before this project, however found that the built-in gravity closing force wasn't enough to overcome the damper. Or in the case of my big heavy bottom drawer, was too much resulting in a slam everytime! The little buffers are great for doors though as you can install them closer to the hinge for less effect and vice-versa (and the doors will always close with the same force, irrespective of the contents.)