Chest of Drawers Assembled Level, With Runners That Glide True in Sutton Coldfield

A drawer chest that is built right is invisible

Nobody thinks about a chest of drawers until it misbehaves: runners that catch, fronts that sit proud, a unit that rocks every time a drawer is pulled. Those symptoms almost always trace back to the assembly — a carcass out of square, runners fitted a millimetre off, a back panel nailed on crooked. Built carefully, a drawer chest simply works for years without a second thought, which is exactly what you want from furniture you open ten times a day.

What the job involves

A chest of drawers is a deceptively precise build. The carcass must be square because the runners and drawer fronts align to it, the back panel both squares and stiffens the whole structure, and the runners themselves must be set at exactly the right height and depth or the drawers will bind or sag. Soft-close runners need careful seating, and drawer fronts are then adjusted so the gaps around them are even — that final alignment is the difference between a piece that looks factory-made and one that looks self-assembled in a hurry.

How we work

Everything is unpacked, checked against the manufacturer's parts list and sorted before we begin, so missing hardware is known at the start rather than halfway through. We build the carcass on a protected, level surface, square it, fit the back panel true, then set the runners and hang the drawers, adjusting each front until the gaps are even. Feet are levelled to your floor — significant in older West Midlands houses — and the finished piece is tested drawer by drawer, loaded and pulled hard, because that is how it will actually be used.

Tall units and tipping

A tallboy loaded with clothes and bedding is heavy and can tip if pulled forward or climbed, particularly in a child's room. We recommend and fit anti-tip restraint where the piece is tall, the wall is suitable for a proper fixing and you agree — we assess the wall's construction on site and use anchors appropriate to what we find, and we will tell you plainly if your wall will not take one. We would rather you knew the limits than believed a fixing will hold when it will not.

Positioning and small choices

A drawer chest's placement is worth settling before the build: which wall it stands against, which way it faces, and whether anything above it — a mirror, a TV — will hang from it or near it. Keep it off direct heat sources such as radiators where you can, because repeated drying cycles swell chipboard and loosen joints over time. If the chest sits in a passage, we will check the drawers open fully without blocking the walkway, which is the kind of thing that only shows up once the piece is standing in place.

Positioning and small choices

A drawer chest's placement is worth settling before the build: which wall it stands against, which way it faces, and whether anything above it — a mirror, a TV — will hang from it or near it. Keep it off direct heat sources such as radiators where you can, because repeated drying cycles swell chipboard and loosen joints over time. If the chest sits in a passage, we will check the drawers open fully without blocking the walkway, which is the kind of thing that only shows up once the piece is standing in place.

Preparing and booking

Leave the cartons near the room and clear a building space, and tell us in advance about stairs or narrow access, since an assembled chest can be harder to move than a flat one. If parts are missing or damaged on arrival, let us know — we will assess what can reasonably be worked around and whether the manufacturer's replacement parts are needed, which you would order separately. Book by phone with Maintenance Men: same-day may be available, a booking fee is paid when you book, labour is hourly with the rate depending on how soon you need us, and the full cost is agreed with you before we start. We are fully insured across the West Midlands.