Strong Attraction

The most appealing feature of the product was its ability to stick matching catch plates to the door and wood closet structure with two-face tape that came with each kit. It’s a good idea, but unless the surface is perfectly flat, smooth and cleaned, the tape will eventually let go. Therefore, screws were also used to secure the latches. Unfortunately, the provided screws are pretty soft and can break easily when driven into the wood or metal; it’s critical to drill perfectly sized pilot holes and refrain from using a screw gun for final tightening.

These same catches can be used on any cabinet door or drawer; coincidentally, the factory latch on one of the galley-hutch drawers broke, which set up a perfect test bed for installing additional magnetic catches. It was a very easy task. The magnetized catch was placed on the drawer and the other on the opposing cabinet structure using the two-face tape. No measurements were needed; the two plates were lined up and attracted to each other and the tape backing removed. Then, both pieces were stuck to the edge of the cabinet structure and the drawer was closed, seating the plates. After allowing the tape to set up for 30 minutes, the drawer was opened to separate the plates and determine if there was enough strength to hold it shut — and it held nicely, although two would likely be required for larger drawers. Later, the screws were driven through the plates, which required precision centering in the hole to keep the plates perfectly flat against each other. If not, the amount of magnetic strength will be reduced, which could lead to unwanted opening of the drawer.

Because the provided two-face tape is not the most robust on the market, it can be replaced with 3M VHB tape for anyone opting to not use the screws, or the plates can be glued in place.

These magnetic catches are a good alternative to locating and installing various latches for closet doors, cabinets and drawers, and are inexpensive enough to keep in your spare parts bin while on the road — you know, just in case an original latch fails.