Undermount vs. Side Mount Drawer Slides- Which One Best?

Who doesn’t love to renovate their kitchen with new drawer slides and the perfect cabinets? Well, if you have plans on this, don’t forget to have a look at the mount settings of drawer glides. For installing, you will see several mounting options and the most common are the undermount and the side-mount. We will show you the difference between under mount and side mount drawer slides to help you pick one effortlessly. 

Side-Mount and Under-Mount Drawer Slides

First, we will know what they both are and then will come out with comparisons between these two drawer slides.

· Side-Mount Drawer Slides

The work of the side-mount slides is to mount at the sides of the drawer box of your cabinet. You can get them in the kitchen cabinets to the utility cabinets- they all are the same. You can get them in Epoxy versions and ball-bearing versions.

With the ball-bearing one, you can get a smoother operation. Here, you will also get a full-extension facility with a higher load holding capacity. There is no chance that your drawer will creep open if you keep the cabinet a bit out of plumb. Check out the details on ball-bearing vs. roller drawer slides to know the difference.

You only get the self-closing option in the epoxy-coated ones. These are comparatively easy to open and close. When it comes to the clearance, these drawer slides will require 1/2 –inch between the cabinet opening’s side and the drawer slides.

· Under-Mount Drawer Slides

The names of these both drawer slides already tell us a lot about what they do. Such drawer slides are added beneath the drawers. As a result, they are concealed underneath and when you pull the drawer out, you cannot see them.

They do not need space at the sides because they are added underneath. So, sides for clearances are not much necessary here. This will help you get more storage than the side-mount facility. But don’t forget that the height of the drawer will be a bit short here as the slides are added underneath. And there, clearance will be required.

Almost all of these come with a soft-close facility. And this is why for the high-end cabinetry; people are seen using it the most. The side and the cabinet opening requirement for this one are about 3/16 inches to 14 inches per side. However, the underside of the drawer to the bottom of the drawer sides should be ½ inches. The requirements are pretty neat and specific.

Side-Mount vs. Under-mount Drawer Glides

Here are the differences between the side-mount and under-mount drawer glides settings. Both are incredible, but we always get to choose the best, right?

· Maneuvering

Get your eyes on the best undermount drawer slides here; these usually are designed square to your cabinet. No matter you push at the left part or the right part of the drawer, it will act as you have pushed in the middle. It will close right away.

However, in the case of the side-mount drawer, you have to face some extra troubles. If you push the right part or the left part instead of pushing the middle part, it won’t work. It will stop or wobble and you won’t be able to move it. To some people, pushing the center of the drawer, again and again, can be annoying.

· Outlook

No doubt people love the under-mount drawer glides for the neat and chic outlook they afford. The aesthetics are always on the side of the under-mount ones. Even if you open the drawer, you do not need to see the drawer slides and the metal all around.

Only the drawer and its smooth finish are there! Conversely, the side-mount drawer slides are added to the sides of the drawer. As a result, when you open the drawer, you can see them. They will surely interrupt the flow and smoothness. No doubt why people look at the under-mount drawer slides and love it- because they don’t see them!

But the outlook isn’t everything, right? The question is- how much weight can undermount drawer slides hold? It can hold 75-100 lbs. and in some cases, up to 500 lbs.

· Self-Closing Option

The self-closing option is added to the under-mount drawer slides. With the help of this feature, you can simply push the drawer a little and it will close smoothly. Yes, the whole process will be done in a slow and steady method.

And the best part is it will stay quiet! But you do not get the same option with the side mount models. If you are adding drawer slides in a place where quietness is necessary, you should pick up the under-mount ones.

· Adjustment

Adjustment is a vital factor when you are deciding on the mount settings of the drawer slides. The benefit you will get with the undermount facility here is these do not require tools for the adjustment.

But if you want to adjust the side mount drawer slide, you have to take it out of the cabinet and then go for a screwdriver to adjust it. Adjusting the side mount facility up and down is a common problem everyone faces. For adjusting these right or left, you will also need shims.

For this, reinstalling the drawer will be required too. In the worst-case scenario, you have to install it, test it and if it’s not perfect, repeat the entire process. But the under-mount ones can be adjusted in any direction and there’s no need for any tool!

· Hygiene

Whenever you are dealing with hygiene, most of us almost forget about this part, you will be amazed by using the undermount drawer slides. As the name says, they stay underneath the drawer of your cabinet.

As a result, when it comes to dust collection, they are completely free from the issue. But the case is different with the side mount drawer slides. These come added at the sides of the drawer. And so, when you pull it out, usually, the slides will get in touch with dust and pollution.

The worst part is cleaning them. As they are exposed to grime and dirt, you need to clean them more often. For the undermount slides, these stay more hygiene than the other ones. At times, there are spills inside your cabinet drawer.

Especially, the tight corners are tough to deal with. If you are using the undermount slides, it’s easy to pull them out and get them into the water for cleaning. But with the side mount slides, it’s tough to do that as you need to clean it right where it is!

Also Read: Can You Use Side Mount Drawer Slides as Undermount?

Wrap Up

We have told you the differences based on the ease of usage, outlook, maneuverability, comfort in the cleaning, and other major specs. However, there are a lot of other differences too. But while choosing one, if you only go through this, it will be enough to make the right decision between the undermount and side-mount slides!