TRANSFORM AN EXISTING WARDROBE CARCASS WITH NEW SLIDING WARDROBE DOORS

‘The doors on my built-in IKEA wardrobe are looking a bit tired and dated now.’

‘We’re changing the décor scheme but having to work with an existing fitted wardrobe we don’t like’.

‘I don’t want the cost or mess of ripping out an old wardrobe just to fit a modern, new one’.

‘Our existing sliding wardrobe doors are sticking and clunky’.

These are just some of the reasons our customers have had when looking for a smart, simple and cost-effective way to update their existing wardrobe frame.

In our handy ‘How to’ guide below, we show you how you can save time, hassle and money by updating your existing wardrobe instead of needing to fit a whole new one.

How to fit sliding wardrobe doors to an existing wardrobe carcass

So, you already have a built-in wardrobe in your room or perhaps a range of integral units (eg. IKEA®) which you’d like to retain the framework of but update with modern, new doors. Following a few simple checks and guidelines it is a relatively easy process to use the existing carcass or framework of your wardrobe and update it with some smart sliding wardrobe doors.

1. Check the depth of your existing wardrobe

In many cases, existing carcass wardrobes that have had either sliding doors or traditional open-out hinged doors fitted to them will have had the doors attached so that the front face of the door covers the edges of the carcass i.e. the doors are not rebated into the carcass frame.

Because our sliding doors are designed to run smoothly within top and bottom tracks that themselves are fitted within the wardrobe frame a small amount of the depth (i.e. the measurement from the front of the wardrobe to the back) will be lost due to the installation of the doors themselves. This will be approximately 90mm in the case of our sliding wardrobe doors being fitted into an existing framework.

Alternatively, you can retain the full depth in your existing wardrobe (e.g. to maximise hanging space or because integral fittings such as shelves or drawers preclude any depth reduction from the front). If you have adequate space in front of the wardrobe carcass itself it is easy to install our sliding doors from the floor to the ceiling so that the existing carcass simply sits behind the doors. This offers a smart, contemporary look to your new wardrobe, whatever the configuration of hanging space, shelves or drawers it has inside.

For the more advanced DIY-er a further solution would be to overclad the existing carcass with end panels, a top panel and a floor liner that all extend beyond the front face of the existing carcass by 100mm, thus allowing the tracks and doors to be installed within this additional depth.

2. Check the stability of your wardrobe framework

We offer a great choice of made-to-measure mirrored or coloured glass sliding doors. Although all our doors are bottom load-bearing (i.e. all the weight of the doors is transferred into the floor) these are heavier than our wood and plain colour panelled doors so please check that your existing carcass construction is substantial enough to carry the additional weight of the doors.

But don’t worry, it is relatively simple to increase rigidity with additional timber or MFC panels if necessary.

3. Measure your aperture accurately

Our sliding wardrobe doors are completely bespoke and made-to-measure so if you plan to install them within an existing carcass all we need to know is the overall width and height of the aperture that the doors will be fitting within, and of course, the number of doors you require!

If you are creating a floor-to-ceiling installation (to integrate an existing wardrobe) then we’ll need to know the full height and the full width you intend to install the doors within.

4. Choose your design and order your doors here.

5. We’re here to help!

As always, we’re happy to offer advice and discuss your particular project. If you have any queries regarding measurements, materials or the installation process of your sliding wardrobe doors please call our Design Team on freephone 0800 035 1730.