File cabinets come in many sizes, styles, and levels of quality. In addition to offering a way to organize and access your documents, filing cabinets can also become flexible and useful pieces of furniture that can be used in almost any room in your home or office.

You can buy both metal and wooden filing cabinets. Wood, specifically solid oak, is the most attractive and durable material to look for. It will last a long time and will be an attractive addition to your home or office.

The many styles of solid wood file cabinets include Mission, Contemporary, and Traditional and come in several standard sizes, including:

1. letter Medium size binders, which typically hold only 8.5″ x 11″ paper, but can also be used for 8.5″ x 11″ legal size files.
2. Legal binders, which typically hold 8.5″ x 14″ and 8.5″ x 11″ paper.
3. Side File cabinets, which come with 2-3 drawers and usually hold 8.5 x 11″ and 8.5″ x 14″ paper.
4. Staff file cabinets which are usually smaller and only hold 8.5 x 11″ lyric files

The letter or legal size file cabinet can be used alternatively by moving the metal brackets.

Wooden filing cabinets are available with 2, 3, 4 or even 5 drawers. When deciding which one will work best for you, consider not only the amount of file storage needed, but also the other uses you have for the filing cabinet as a piece of furniture. It can be used as a side table, storage chest, sideboard, DVD or VCR cabinet, nightstand, or place to store your printer, fax machine, copier, or coffee maker.

If you want to fit some of the above items at desk height, a 2-drawer cabinet allows you a 30″ high shelf. Line several up in a row and you can have quite a large surface area. A lateral file also gives you this advantage without seam in the middle.

A 3-drawer filing cabinet, which is approximately 43″ tall, offers more storage per square foot of floor space, and you can still place plants or other light items on top. A 4-drawer filing cabinet, which is approximately 55″ tall, it offers an enormous amount of storage, as does an even taller, but rare, 5-drawer filing cabinet. We do not recommend putting anything more than a very light item on top.

SECURITY FIRST!

Any piece of furniture that supports a lot of weight can be dangerous. A major safety issue with filing cabinets is the danger of tipping and crushing. Large, heavy file drawers can cause the file to lean forward. Therefore, several things can be done to minimize this danger.

1. Do not fill the file in the top drawer while leaving the bottom drawers empty.
2. As mentioned above, do not open more than one drawer at a time.
3. Secure filing cabinets to the wall to prevent them from tipping over.
4. Whenever possible, place your heaviest items in the bottom drawer (to act as an anchor).
5. Do not place nuisance items such as televisions and games on top of furniture that is prone to tipping unless it is securely secured. Children may climb up to retrieve the remote control or turn on the TV with dire consequences.

CHOOSE A HIGH-QUALITY WOODEN FILE CABINET

The lowest quality wooden file cabinets are usually made to be assembled by the customer. This is usually more difficult than you might expect and uses “cam” assembly hardware. You’ll also want to stay away from filing cabinets that are made of particle board. Even if the label says it’s made of wood, don’t be fooled because that description could still be referring to particle board, so be careful. According to the Furniture Manufacturers Association, solid wood includes particle board. What you really want to look for is SOLID wood, whether it’s solid oak, pine, or cherry.

Another thing to keep in mind is that to support a lot of weight, a file cabinet should have adhesive screws and clamps, not cam locks on particle board.

Below, learn the difference between printed grain, genuine wood veneer, and solid wood without chipboard. The easiest way to tell if a piece of furniture is made of solid wood is to look at how the grain develops. If the final grain runs in the wrong direction (perpendicular to the other grain), it will most likely cause plating. I’m not saying veneer doesn’t have its place if done correctly, however you shouldn’t be fooled into buying what you’re looking for/know what you’re looking at.

Wooden drawers are best made with English dovetail joints. If a drawer is assembled with cams, it will not stay together. A glued and stapled drawer may be an acceptable assembly method if the staples only hold the assembly together until the glue dries.

Another important element of a filing cabinet is the hardware used to open the drawers. Check the broker system. Make sure it pulls out smoothly and evenly? How does the tracking system work? If the drawer opens less than 90%, you will lose storage space and it will be difficult to retrieve your documents from the back of the file. Euro type roller sliders are unacceptable for any filing cabinet. This type of roller system runs on two interlocking wheels on an axle and cannot support the heavy weight of a file drawer and probably won’t last long. The best slide system for file cabinets is a full extension ball bearing slide system with a weight rating of at least 100 pounds.

Also, consider whether or not you want to lock your drawers. You can put a lock on each individual drawer. This is the easiest way to lock any particular drawer that you want to keep prying eyes out of. You can also lock all the doors using a key in the top drawer and the mechanism will lock all the doors below. Interlocking systems on quality wood files can be expensive and can sometimes get blocked and create access problems.

The savvy consumer will keep all of these tips in mind when selecting a wooden filing cabinet. If you stick to solid wood and it slides well and stays away from self-assembly, you’ll have good access to your files and your cabinet will last a long time.