Building a wardrobe from scratch means constructing a rigid box, dividing it internally for hanging and folded storage, fixing it securely to the wall and finally adding doors. In practice the order is: measure the space, draw the internal layout, cut and assemble the carcass, fit the back panel, fix the unit to the wall, install rails and shelves, then hang the doors. A straightforward single or double unit can be completed over a weekend with basic tools, provided the measuring is done properly at the start.<\/p>\n
Almost every problem in a self built wardrobe traces back to that first stage. A carcass cut 5mm oversize will not slide into an alcove, and a layout planned without checking what needs to go inside leads to a wardrobe that looks right and works badly.<\/p>\n
Start with the recess or wall where the wardrobe will sit. Measure the width at floor level, at mid height and near the ceiling. Do the same for the height at both ends and in the middle. In older UK houses these figures will differ, sometimes by more than a centimetre, and you must build to the smallest of them.<\/p>\n
Check the floor with a level. A sloping floor is common and easily handled with adjustable feet or packers, but only if you know about it before assembly. Check the walls for plumb as well, since a leaning wall determines how far the carcass can sit back.<\/p>\n
Finally, look for obstructions: skirting boards, coving, radiator pipes, light switches and any boxing around a soil pipe. Skirting is usually cut away behind the wardrobe or scribed around. Note everything on a rough sketch with dimensions written on it.<\/p>\n
Decide what the wardrobe holds before deciding its shape. Sort your clothing into long hanging items such as coats and dresses, short hanging items such as shirts and jackets, folded stacks, and anything else including shoes, bags and bedding.<\/p>\n
Long hanging needs around 1500mm to 1800mm of clear height beneath the rail. Short hanging needs roughly 1000mm to 1100mm, which means two short hanging sections can stack in the height of one long one. Folded shelves want 300mm to 350mm gaps. Shoes sit happily in 180mm to 200mm.<\/p>\n
Add up the linear metres of hanging you actually need. Most people overestimate long hanging and underestimate folded space. Once you have the totals, sketch the internal layout to scale on paper. This drawing decides where the vertical dividers go, and the dividers decide the whole construction.<\/p>\n
For the carcass, 18mm melamine faced chipboard is the practical option: pre finished, dimensionally stable and available in oak, white and grey. Plywood at 18mm is stronger and holds screws better, worth the extra for tall units or wide spans. Solid timber suits framed and panelled designs but demands more skill and allowance for movement.<\/p>\n
The back panel matters more than people expect. A 6mm plywood or hardboard back, fixed all round, is what stops the box racking out of square. Do not leave it off, and do not rely on a few pins.<\/p>\n
For rails, use a proper wardrobe tube of at least 25mm diameter with end sockets and a centre support on any span over 1000mm. Thin rails bow under a full load of coats.<\/p>\n
Cut the two side panels, the top, the base and any vertical dividers. Accuracy here is everything: panels that differ by 2mm produce a box that will not sit square, and no amount of adjustment afterwards hides it. If you do not have a track saw, most timber merchants will cut sheets to your list far more accurately than a hand held saw.<\/p>\n
Assemble with either cam and dowel fittings, confirmat screws or pocket hole screws. Build the box on its back on the floor rather than upright, which keeps everything flat and makes clamping easier. Fit the base and top between the sides, then add dividers.<\/p>\n
Check the diagonals before fixing the back. Measure corner to corner both ways: when the two measurements match, the box is square. Then fix the back panel all the way round at roughly 150mm intervals, which locks that squareness in permanently.<\/p>\n
A tall wardrobe must be secured to the wall. This is not optional, and it matters most in homes with children. Fix through the back panel or through a batten inside the top of the carcass into the wall behind.<\/p>\n
On masonry, use appropriate wall plugs and screws long enough to reach past the plaster into solid material. On plasterboard, locate the timber studs with a detector and fix into those. Where no stud lines up, use heavy duty plasterboard fixings rated for the load, and use more of them than you think necessary.<\/p>\n
Level the unit before fixing. Pack under the base at the low points, check both the top edge and the front face with a level, and only then drive the wall fixings. A wardrobe fixed out of level will never have doors that hang evenly.<\/p>\n
Work from your interior drawing. Fit the shelves first, using battens or shelf pins, then the rails. Set hanging rails around 50mm forward of the back panel and roughly 40mm to 60mm down from the shelf above so hangers clear it comfortably.<\/p>\n
If you want drawers inside, allow for the runner projection and remember drawers need the door to open fully clear before they can be pulled out. In tight rooms this is a good reason to keep drawers outside the wardrobe. A separate modern chest of drawers UK sale<\/a> often gives easier access than internal drawers, and it frees the wardrobe for hanging.<\/p>\n Leave a little capacity spare. A wardrobe filled to its limit on day one becomes unusable within a year.<\/p>\n Doors are the most visible element and the least forgiving. Measure the finished opening after the carcass is fixed, not from your original plan.<\/p>\n For hinged doors, allow 3mm clearance per door and use concealed hinges, which can be adjusted in three directions once hung. Two hinges suit doors up to around 1500mm tall, three above that. Fit one door completely and get it sitting square before starting the next.<\/p>\n For sliding doors, buy a matched track and panel kit rather than assembling parts from different sources. Sliding systems depend on the head track being dead level, so shim it carefully before fixing.<\/p>\n If door making feels like a step too far, it is entirely reasonable to build the carcass and buy the fronts. It is also worth being honest about whether a full build is the right use of a weekend at all: a ready made unit from our modern wardrobes UK sale<\/a> range arrives with doors already hung and adjusted, which removes the hardest part of the job entirely.<\/p>\n Tidy every cut edge with iron on edging strip in a matching finish. Scribe filler pieces to the wall where the carcass meets an uneven surface, and add a slim pelmet at the top to close the gap to the ceiling. These small details are what separate a built in look from an obvious DIY box.<\/p>\n Once complete, consider how the wardrobe sits with the rest of the room. Matching the finish and handles to your modern bedside cabinets UK<\/a> makes a self built wardrobe read as part of a scheme, and browsing the wider modern bedroom furniture UK sale<\/a> collection is a useful way to settle on a consistent finish before you buy materials. At Furniture in Fashion we stock pieces intended for real UK bedrooms, with free delivery to most UK mainland postcodes.<\/p>\n Around 600mm externally, which leaves roughly 550mm to 560mm inside once panels and a back are accounted for. That allows a hanger to sit square across the rail rather than at an angle.<\/p>\n A tape measure, long spirit level, cordless drill and driver, a saw suited to sheet material, clamps and a hinge jig if fitting concealed hinges. Having sheets cut to size by a merchant reduces the tool list considerably.<\/p>\n Check the diagonals are equal before fixing the back panel, then fix the back all the way round. The back panel is what holds the box square over time.<\/p>\n Yes. Any tall storage unit should be anchored, particularly on carpet or an uneven floor, and especially in a home with children.<\/p>\n Materials for a simple carcass can work out economical, but once you add doors, hinges, handles and rails the gap narrows. The real advantage of building is a fit that suits an awkward space exactly.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Building a wardrobe from scratch is a realistic project if you approach it in the right order: survey the space, plan the interior, then build the box. This guide walks through measuring a recess at three heights, checking for sloping floors and obstructions, and working…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":57256,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3334],"tags":[361,3144,335,5254],"class_list":["post-57254","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-how-to-guide-for-your-home","tag-bedroom-storage","tag-diy-wardrobe","tag-fitted-wardrobes","tag-home-projects"],"acf":[],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furnitureinfashion.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57254","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furnitureinfashion.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furnitureinfashion.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furnitureinfashion.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furnitureinfashion.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57254"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.furnitureinfashion.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57254\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furnitureinfashion.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/57256"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furnitureinfashion.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57254"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furnitureinfashion.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57254"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furnitureinfashion.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57254"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Doors: the Part That Defines the Finish<\/h3>\n
Finishing and Bringing the Room Together<\/h3>\n
Frequently Asked Questions<\/h3>\n
How deep should a wardrobe I build myself be?<\/h3>\n
What tools do I need?<\/h3>\n
How do I stop the carcass twisting?<\/h3>\n
Do I need to fix a freestanding wardrobe to the wall?<\/h3>\n
Is building a wardrobe cheaper than buying one?<\/h3>\n