ᐅ Easily and Quickly Upgrade Ikea Metod Drawers with Soft-Close Mechanism

Hello everyone,

I have started a small project and want to retrofit the existing drawers of my Ikea Metod kitchen cabinets with a soft-close function. Currently, the drawers do not have any damping, and I feel that the daily slamming could gradually damage them over time.

My question to you is: Is there a simple and quick way to add a soft-close function to Ikea Metod drawers without having to replace the entire drawer slide?

Has anyone had experience with specific retrofit kits or can offer tips on how to install them without professional tools? What about the cost and durability of these retrofit systems?

I look forward to your detailed advice and instructions!

Hello,

Ikea offers special soft-close retrofit kits for the Metod drawers. You only need to replace the drawer slides because the soft-close function is integrated into the slide mechanism.

Simply remove the old slide, install the new soft-close slide – loosen the screws, insert the new slide, and you're done. No modifications to the drawer itself are necessary.

The cost is usually between 15 and 25 euros per slide. The durability is very good; I have been using it for months without any issues.

The simplest option is to buy complete Metod soft-close slides and replace the old ones. You don’t need to attach additional dampers. Just remove the current rails and install the new ones—they are compatible.

Tools: A Phillips screwdriver is enough. Possibly a cordless drill for faster work. No professional skills needed.

Jorgela schrieb:
Simply remove the old track, install the new soft-close one – loosen the screws, put in the new rail, and done.

That’s exactly how I did it – it was really quick, and the kitchen instantly feels much more upscale with the soft-close feature. Nothing slams shut anymore!

A small tip: I cleaned the rails once before installing them and sprayed a little silicone lubricant on them. It makes the closing action even smoother 😊

Hello everyone,

I would like to highlight a few details about retrofitting soft-close slides on Ikea Metod drawers that are often overlooked:

- Before purchasing, check the exact model number of your existing drawer slides. Some older versions are not directly compatible with the new soft-close slides.
- Make sure the new slides are designed for the specific drawer width.
- When installing, tighten all screws evenly to ensure the damping mechanism works properly.
- If you have no experience with furniture assembly, it is highly recommended to carefully review Ikea’s instructions, which are very helpful.

Sometimes there are retrofit kits available from third-party suppliers, but these are usually more complicated to install and do not always fit perfectly.

If anyone is interested in a step-by-step guide, I can gladly put together a summary.

I completely understand your interest in a smooth yet reliable solution. When I switched my Metod drawers to soft-close myself, I was also unsure about tinkering too much or spending too much time on it.

What helped me back then was simply gathering thorough information and seeing small setbacks as part of the learning process. If something doesn’t work right away during your retrofit, don’t give up – most of the time, there is a solution.

For example, I had trouble aligning the runner correctly on one drawer, but with some patience and following the detailed instructions, it was easy to fix in the end.

I hope your kitchen will soon have the smooth closing it deserves!