How long did your kitchen cabinets actually take?

I hear you on the sticky drawers - those things can be brutal. I’ve had to sand down more than a few just to get them to budge, and sometimes it’s just not worth the hassle. Did you ever try using a wax or silicone spray on the runners? Sometimes that helps, but honestly, if the wood’s warped or swollen, it’s a losing battle. I swapped mine out for soft-close hardware last year. Took about a weekend, but it was totally worth it for the sanity. Curious - did you try to repair or just replace in the end?

I’ve run into the same issue with sticky drawers, especially in older kitchens. Tried wax and silicone spray a few times - sometimes it helped, but like you said, if the wood’s already warped, it’s just delaying the inevitable. I usually recommend replacing the runners with modern hardware if possible. Did that on a client’s project last year and it made a huge difference, both for function and sanity. Repairing only worked short-term for me, honestly.

Honestly, I hear you on the sticky drawer struggle. I tried every trick in the book - wax, bar soap, even a little sanding - but nothing lasted more than a few months. Ended up biting the bullet and swapping out the old runners for soft-close ones. Night and day difference. It’s a pain upfront, but worth it if you’re tired of fighting with your cabinets every morning. Sometimes those old fixes just don’t cut it long-term.

I totally get what you mean about the “sticky drawer struggle.” I tried the wax trick too, and for a hot minute I thought I’d cracked the code. But then summer rolled around, humidity kicked in, and it was back to wrestling with the silverware drawer every morning.

“Ended up biting the bullet and swapping out the old runners for soft-close ones. Night and day difference.”

That’s exactly what I ended up doing after months of patch jobs. I was hesitant at first - figured I could just keep babying the old hardware - but honestly, once those soft-close runners were in, I wondered why I waited so long. The install took me a weekend (with a few “creative” words thrown in), but now it’s smooth sailing.

Funny thing is, the cabinets themselves took way longer than I expected. I thought I’d knock it out in a week, but between waiting for paint to dry and fixing little surprises behind the old boxes, it stretched into almost a month. Worth it, though. No more slamming drawers or stuck utensils. Sometimes you just gotta go all in.

“The install took me a weekend (with a few “creative” words thrown in), but now it’s smooth sailing.”

You nailed it - installing new runners is always more work than folks expect. I’ve seen so many people try to “make do” with wax or soap, but that’s just kicking the can down the road. Honestly, soft-close hardware is one of those upgrades that pays off every single day.

As for cabinet timelines, I hear you on the surprises. Last year, I helped a client who figured we’d be done in two weeks. Cue the hidden water damage behind the sink and a couple of warped cabinet frames... That project stretched into five weeks before we could even think about paint. It’s never just a straight swap, especially in older homes.

But yeah, the payoff is huge. No more slamming, no more sticking, and honestly, the kitchen just feels more put together. If you’re already putting in the effort, it’s worth doing it right - even if it means living out of boxes for a bit longer than planned.