How to Replace Ikea Drawer Fronts

IKEA offers a line of affordable kitchen cabinets and drawers in its trademark modular format. The cabinet base remains the same, but the drawer fronts are interchangeable. This allows you to easily upgrade your kitchen by simply replacing the facade. The best news is that IKEA drawer front replacement requires nothing but a Phillips screwdriver.

To remove an IKEA drawer front, locate the plastic cover panel along the side of the drawer. This conceals several screws that allow you to adjust the alignment of the drawer front to ensure it's flush and level. However, there's also a hidden "screw" that holds the drawer front to the drawer frame. To remove the access panel, simply slip your fingernails under one side and pop it off.

Now you'll see four holes. To remove the drawer front, focus your attention on the top hole. There's a metal flap within this top hole that you can push up with your screwdriver to reveal another screw. Turn this counterclockwise to separate the drawer front from the drawer frame.

Note that the screw won't fall out of the drawer. Turning it simply releases the locking mechanism holding the drawer front in place, but the screw remains part of the drawer assembly. Finally, repeat on the other side of the drawer to completely disconnect the drawer front.

Tall drawer fronts need a little extra support, so they tend to have an extra set of screws located on the underside of the drawer. You'll need to remove the entire drawer from the cabinet and turn it over to access these screws unless the drawer isn't too close to the ground or you have a small Phillips screwdriver. If you need to remove the entire drawer, wait to disconnect the side screws. Don't forget to remove all items from inside the drawer as well.

Pull the drawer forward as far as it will go. Locate the plastic clips on the bottom of the side of the drawer slides. Push these in and lift the drawer to pull it all the way out.

Then, turn the drawer over onto a towel and use a Phillips screwdriver to remove the three screws stabilizing the center of the drawer front. Two are drilled into the bottom of the drawer and one is drilled into the drawer front.

Now that the old drawer front has been removed, you can put a new DIY IKEA drawer front on in its place. The bottom of the drawer front will have two metal clips. Line these up with the channels on either side of the drawer and push until they audibly lock into place. The drawer front should also be completely flush with the bottom of the drawer.

Because of this locking mechanism, there are no side screws to tighten. You only need to loosen the side screw if you need to remove the drawer front. If the old drawer front you're replacing had a bottom bracket, go ahead and screw this into the new drawer front. You can reuse the same bracket and screws unless the old ones were damaged.