Wardrobes

Soldato
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14 Jul 2005
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Birmingham
I don't have megabucks to spend, but my girlfriend has a lot of clothes.

I am considering freestanding from the likes of Argos or IKEA, or buying carcasses and doors and fitting it myself, or even building everything myself from MDF panels.

Does anyone have any good quality non-mainstream sources I could look at please, or ideas I haven't considered?
 
Our bedroom is all by Rauch, which is well built and can be had at a good price in the sales.
 
IKEA Pax is brilliant. It is still pricey but the fact you can easily get replacement bits helps.

Edit: even with just a "standalone" PAX it looks decent:

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IKEA Pax is brilliant. It is still pricey but the fact you can easily get replacement bits helps.

Edit: even with just a "standalone" PAX it looks decent:

2038rvT.png
I was really liking the Pax range - it seemed really good value on the Ikea wardrobe builder tool...that is until you add doors which doubles the price from about £600 to over £1200 for a 3m wide wardrobe.
 
I was really liking the Pax range - it seemed really good value on the Ikea wardrobe builder tool...that is until you add doors which doubles the price from about £600 to over £1200 for a 3m wide wardrobe.
Yeah it wasn't cheap for sure. I think I got 1 that you can see there, plus a corner unit + 1 smaller; plus a separate one. Total was under a grand though IIRC.

Edit: so your 1200 quid comment isn't far off what I paid I don't think. In all fairness Sharps would ask like 7k for 3m lol.
 
In all fairness Sharps would ask like 7k for 3m lol.
Yeah I know, I cant afford to go bespoke fitted. But I would like a painted shaker style look.

Something like this is around £900 including the doors (full width obviously, Ive shown it without some to show the interior Im aiming for).

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I was more hoping for circa £500 a set tbh.

What happens if the floor is not quite level over such a large distance with these wardrobes?
 
I don't think that is too bad to be honest!

For the ones pictured, I removed the skirting board and put them snug against the wall. The rear "bolts" to the wall (to avoid tipping) and then the front has two feet which adjust. So essentially the floor is irrelevant - it'll be as "vertically plumb" as your wall is (subject to messing around with the rear anchors).

They really are very good; very well made, and the interior fittings are great...
 
I reckon I'd need about 9 sheets of 18mm mdf to build a similar carcass, which would cost about £6-700 just in mdf. Then have to add on the doors and fittings.
 
I reckon I'd need about 9 sheets of 18mm mdf to build a similar carcass, which would cost about £6-700 just in mdf. Then have to add on the doors and fittings.
This is what my carpentry-literate brother explained to me, and why I decided PAX wasn't a bad deal lol.
 
I’ve made numerous fitted wardrobes - and honestly - unless you’ve got the space to work it’s very frustrating.

Have a look at Charlie diyte on YouTube or Peter Millard.

I use dominos for all my carcasses now - doors are either faker (2x12mm) mdf or loose tenon.

If you don’t mind cutting everything somewhere else - then I’d say go for it!! MDF dust is a flipping nightmare!! But paints beautifully and if you buy in bulk there’s always savings to be had.

I used a track and plunge saw for the cuts - did most of them in a few days. It was getting the blooming things square that took some doing!!

I had a gazebo in our garden for about 5 weeks!!
 
Been looking for a new wardrobe ourselves, we have been considering the ikea PAX system. Seems good value for money, I have been looking on the website once a week for about 2 months and they never have all the parts in stock.
 
Ikea pax every time if you're on a budget. It will cost you less than what you even spend in buying MDF, paint, ironmongery, screws, filler etc.
 
I went and saw the Pax wardrobes at Ikea at the weekend. It is a good system, modularity is amazing really, I can see why its popular. However because of the flexibility the carcasses have hundreds of tiny holes literally everywhere in every position to take all the possible combinations of items. It would mean little plastic caps everywhere. It is also just white melamine faced chipboard, with flimsy backing boards, so that is disappointing.

I did like the design of the sliding door system but wasn't too keen on the styling of the sliding door options themselves, as they have more of a modern look and I want a traditional look. I therefore prefer the hinged door options, where they have some more traditional looking styles. These doors seem to be made of MDF with some kind of melamine veneer on them. The doors looked solidly decent but I don't think can ever be repainted once they start to look tatty.

Ive been watching Peter Millard videos on youtube and some others. I wish I could have a go myself but can't underestimate the work involved nor the cost of buying the raw materials (I fancy some sapele veneered mdf). Also they make it look so easy on these videos but they are pros and they have all the tools. At the end of the day a wardrobe is a big empty box and I only need a straight run, so Im really tempted to try. I think the doors would be the problem really rather than the carcasses. Needs more thought.

Here's a question for you all though - these fitted wardrobe videos seem always to be fitted on top of existing floor coverings including carpet. Why would they do this, given that you would not want to remove fitted wardrobes if you want to change carpet in a few years time? It seems to me better to fit fitted wardrobes directly onto the solid floor and put the floor covering up to it later.
 
I did it over carpet to avoid having to refit the carpet - but planned, if I ever had the carpet replaced, to cut around/regripper rail it.
 

Store above has 2440x1220x18mm walnut veneered MDF at £91 per sheet, and the same size in 6mm at £73 a sheet.

One sheet cut in half lengthways could do the two sides. Another sheet cut into four to do the top, bottom and two shelves. The 6mm back panel for the rear. That would be a full 2400x1200x600 carcass for about £250 in walnut veneered mdf and I'd only need to make a few cuts (which they might do for me at the store for a small fee).

Two of those side by side = 2.4m of wardrobes for £500.

Then got to somehow do the doors.
 
I have Pax; Did a little bit of chopping here and there, took out the carpet and underlay and made them looking like fitted wardrobes - e.g. up to ceiling height; Sliding doors.
If you go down this route, beware as the sliding doors hook over the frame, so pretrude above the height of the frames slightly.
 
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