DIY Help Needed

November 3, 2021 9:15 AM

I keep my spice bottles in cutlery trays so they stay organized. But the shelf where they reside is at about my eye level so I have to remove a tray to access any bottles behind the first row. It would be a lot easier if the trays slid easily on the shelf instead of needing to be lifted for removal and replacement. What can I devise to make them slide?

I have two different trays in use. One is metal mesh and the other is wire grid, sort of like this but with an epoxy coating for slip-resistance. I've thought about attaching strips of Velcro loops to the bottoms, but I can't help but think there must be a sturdier and/or more elegant solution. The shelf can't be moved lower and the spice trays can't be moved to a lower shelf. There is clearance, though, if the solution makes the trays taller. Ideas?

posted by DrGail to Home & Garden (5 answers total)

The search term you're after is "UHMW plastic drawer slides." (that's "ultra high molecular weight" -- basically just hard and smooth). You should be able to find some thin strips that you can glue to the underside of your trays. They should make it much easier to slide -- think a similar material to the glides on the bottom of your computer mouse.
posted by Alterscape at 9:18 AM on November 3, 2021 [1 favorite]

If you have a small cutting board lying around unused... That should work quite well.

Or you can just get some vinyl lining at the dollar store, cut a sheet to size (do NOT apply the sticky!) and use it as a liner. The "wax-paper like" backing ought to be slippery enough, or maybe even the vinyl front.

If you want a more permanent solution, There are slide racks that are NOT too expensive...
posted by kschang at 10:37 AM on November 3, 2021 [1 favorite]

We had a cheaper, plastic-box version of something like this that worked well. We actually have two of them so they may only have two tiers rather than three. In any case, the point is the slide-out-and-tilt-down mechanics of it make it efficient for storage and then easy to find things. One can also use a labeler to put labels on the ends of the 'shelves' to identify what spices are where
posted by TimHare at 12:18 PM on November 3, 2021

To piggyback on Alterscape's comment, if you have a woodworking store like Rockler or Woodcraft near you, they sell UHMW strips and tape for making jigs that would work. plastics retaileras like Tap Plastics or your local equivalent often have offcuts of similar material in the scrap bin for cheap
posted by Dr. Twist at 12:27 PM on November 3, 2021 [1 favorite]

On the off chance this is what you really want and didn't know it existed, I had these pull-down spice racks in an old house and loved them. They can stay down while you cook and then pop them back in and close the cabinet when done.
posted by Lyn Never at 3:31 PM on November 3, 2021