Making a sliding wardrobe yourself: material, device, design, installation. A simple way to make a cabinet from chipboard with your own hands that will last a long time and look decent How to quickly make a cabinet

Today, the problem of lack of furniture in the house is not as acute as, for example, in the middle of the last century. And yet, in some cases, you need “your own” cabinet, that is, made by yourself. Sometimes this is required by the features of the interior, sometimes you want to realize a creative impulse, and sometimes this is the only furnishing option with limited financial possibilities. But in any case, the cabinet must be made with high quality, so that the thing turns out to be solid, practical, functional, visually attractive and durable.

Make your own or assemble different kinds cabinets will help detailed instructions and professional advice.

Preparatory stage

The first step in any more or less creative business (and not only) is, of course, design. So you need to create a project for the future cabinet. And for this, take into account:

• the location of the invention;
• full dimensions (that is, not only the width, depth and height, but also the number of shelves, as well as the distance between them);
• visual characteristics of the product (color, material, decorative elements etc.).

After the future cabinet is schematically depicted on paper (or in a computer program, if an advanced user is going to create it) and all dimensions are recorded to it, the design stage can be considered completed. And proceed directly to the manufacture of the item.

And for example, take the instructions for creating a closed wooden cabinet. And not necessarily from expensive "pedigreed" wood. You can just use chipboard.

Do-it-yourself wardrobe step by step

You should start with a drawing, which is created on the basis of a drawing diagram and the desired dimensions. The future wardrobe needs to be “broken down” into its component parts and draw each separately, on a scale. Special software can help in this rather complicated matter. There are many such programs today, and some of the most popular are Autocad and Basis furniture maker.

After creating the drawing, you should start cutting the material. This is if you have experience, certain knowledge and skills, and also quite expensive special equipment- machine for sawing chipboard. If there is no one or all of the conditions from the list, it is better to seek help from professionals, in a specialized workshop. The cost of this kind of service will be very inexpensive, and the result will be much better than at home when sawing the material with a jigsaw with the likely formation of chips.

The finished parts of the future cabinet must be decomposed into groups, in the order of assembly. Take care of the selection of the necessary accessories yourself. And for this, finally decide on the door opening system. These doors may be

• swing (to the sides, down, up);
• or compartments sliding along the rails.

On the diagram and in the drawings, the number of shelves for furniture should be indicated. According to this information, the quantity is calculated:

• comforts (for assembling walls, partitions);
• rivets for comforts;
• shelf holders;
• drawer guides;
• and other elements.

You should also determine the dimensions of the edge for chipboard.

Cabinet assembly

At this stage, the amateur master will need a specific tool kit, which includes:

• a drill and several drills for it of various diameters;
• screwdriver;
• and iron.

You need to assemble the cabinet, adhering to a certain algorithm in actions:

1. Once again carefully examine the drawings.
2. Check whether the details are laid out correctly: which one from what and to which adjoins.
3. Choose a drill of the required diameter for making holes for comfortable formats.
4. Mark the holes and drill them using a drill. Holes must be made neat, symmetrical, so as not to spoil appearance future piece of furniture.

1. Using a screwdriver, it will be necessary to assemble the cabinet frame into comfortable formats.

In the future, with a conventional (that is, hinged) system, the cabinet doors will need to be strengthened with canopies. And if we are talking about sliding doors, fasten the guides.

The next step is to apply markings for shelf supports and guides in those places where shelves and drawers will be located. When applying, maximum accuracy will be required so that in the future both the shelves stand and the boxes move strictly parallel, and not at random.

When the markings are applied, it remains to drill the necessary holes and screw the shelf supports and guides.

At the final stage of assembly, the cabinet is brought to visual perfection as part of the project. At the seams of chipboard, it will be necessary to make an edge. And for this, “arm yourself” with an iron and a thin towel without lint and terrycloths, made of natural fabric. The edge will need to be carefully attached to the chipboard and glued through the towel with an iron. Then, with a sharp knife, just take and cut off the excess from the edge.

At the very end, plugs must be put on the comforts. And a beautiful do-it-yourself closed cabinet is ready. It can be supplemented with interior lighting or even built-in lights, as well as a mirror on the door / doors and other visually attractive and at the same time functional details.

Built-in wardrobe

The currently popular wardrobe can also be created independently. Moreover, almost any configuration (except radius, requiring experience and professionalism) and any content. This is not difficult.

For example, a wardrobe can be arranged in a niche. There you will only need to put doors moving along the guides, and the lower, upper and side surfaces of such a cabinet already exist.

Also, with your own hands, a sliding wardrobe can be arranged along a blank wall (it will become the back wall of the furniture) - from one side wall to the other. Such cabinets are made in small odnushki, since such a design (for all its capacity) visually “eats up” very little space, and with proper decoration it also adds free space to the room, if you use, for example, mirrors all over the facade of the product.

You can also create a wardrobe yourself in the opening of the interior partition. This is the optimal solution for open-plan apartments in modern monolithic houses.

Also, a sliding wardrobe can be cabinet, only the material for it must be chosen more expensive than chipboard. Qualitatively executed, it perfectly zones both budget premises and luxurious penthouses without interior doors.

Such designs can be divided into straight and angular. And also on those leaning against the wall and exposed across it. With the help of the latter, they just zone the space, and they have both sides of the front, without a rear.

For independent execution, the simplest is a wardrobe built into a niche. And the one who decided to create it must act according to the instructions below:

1. Select material.
2. Determine the degree, nature and methods of placement of internal content.
3. Decide on the method of summing up the doors and design them.
4. Select the technology of hanging shelves.
5. Prepare the existing niche accordingly (repair / put in order).
6. Make the necessary measurements and calculations.
7. Make a diagram, make a drawing.
8. Purchase materials and, having decided on the fittings, buy it too.
9. Order or carry out sawing of blanks on your own (if we are talking about wooden material).
10. Assemble the wardrobe according to the project.
11. Install interior lighting.
12. Perform interior and exterior finishing.

Materials for wardrobe

The design of any cabinet begins with the choice of material. If we talk about wardrobes, they are the most "to face":

Internal filling

The internal content of the closet will determine the internal layout of this very content. And here they act following rules accommodation:

• raw must be kept separately;
• necessary, as well as small, located right in front of the eyes;

The built-in closet is not in vain very popular. A sliding wardrobe not only has a large capacity, taking away a minimum of usable living space. It is able to perform other useful functions in the interior, and making it with your own hands is not so difficult.

What does coupe mean?

In the common parts of ancient European cities, the streets were very cramped, and the sidewalks were so narrow that it was sometimes impossible to open the carriage door. Because of this, somewhere in the XVII century. carriages appeared with sliding doors. The legend ascribes the invention of the coupe to the court coachmaker of France Janto. But, most likely, this is only a legend - Janto is famous for inventing the steering linkage, which made it possible to make sharp turns without the risk of tipping over.

A carriage-coupe is a rather playful concept: parts of the city remote from comfortable quarters were visited mainly for secret dates. The very word "coupe" some linguists deduce from "couple" - a couple, an extramarital affair; marriage - "marriage", hence - known to gamblers mariage, a lady with a king of the same suit.

Then the sliding doors fit the railroad workers for 1st class and sleeping cars. And in the furniture business, any wardrobe with sliding doors is considered. So the wardrobe is not necessarily built-in. A built-in wardrobe may not be a compartment.

What is the use of a closet?

The main types of direct wardrobes are shown in the figure. It should be noted right away that radius wardrobes, in which the front surface is curved, require high furniture professionalism, and it’s better not to take it on your own. Therefore, we will leave the radius cabinets aside for now.

First of all, a wardrobe can be arranged in a niche, first pos. left. Making a cabinet of this type on your own is not much more difficult than a stool. Expenses are at a minimum; after all, there are already three walls, a bottom and a tire. An inconvenient place turns into a useful one.

Second from left- in fact, the same closet in a niche, but a niche in the entire width of a blank wall. Thus it is possible in small apartment practically without reducing living space. The visible volume of the room can even be expanded by trimming or decorating the doors accordingly.

next in order- in the opening of the interior partition. A common technique in the arrangement of open-plan apartments in modern monolithic houses. It gives convenience and allows you to save a lot on expensive construction and plastering and finishing works. By the way, the ones described above are also economical - the inside of the cabinet can be made of chipboard, and the doors too; After all, they most often go for decoration and decoration.

Cabinet on the far right- already hull, so the material for it is needed more expensive. These are mainly used for zoning budget odnushki or, conversely, expensive penthouses without interior doors.

And, finally, a closet, like a regular one, can be straight and angular, leaning against a wall or placed across it. The latter, as said, are used for zoning. They have two faces, but no rear at all. Often made double-sided, with doors back and forth, for easy access to content. The closet can also be turned into a closet by replacing the swing door with a sliding one.

We will take a closer look at the cabinet built into the niche; the rest will be touched upon in passing. It is easiest to make it yourself, and the money savings are the greatest. In addition, most likely you will not need a special tool and sawing work that requires a solid skill. Why? Let's get to that.

AT general procedure the manufacture of the wardrobe is as follows:

1. Choice of material;
2. Determination of the degree, nature and method of placement of filling;
3. Door design, with a choice of suspension method;
4. The choice of the method of hanging the shelves;
5. Niche preparation;
6. Measurements and drawing;
7. Purchase of accessories, materials and sawing of blanks;
8. Assembly of the cabinet and installation of internal lighting;
9. External finishing.

materials

Cabinet design must begin with the choice of material. The entire manufacturing process depends on it, and depending on the choice, it can fundamentally change.

Wood and lining

Wood is a traditional, and in our time, prestigious furniture material. But for a built-in wardrobe, wood is far from the most suitable. The humidity in the niche will certainly be higher than in the room, and the tree will warp; its decorative role in this case is minimal. If you still need a wooden cabinet, the wood for it should be straight-layered, without streaks, knots, cracks, seasoned and thoroughly impregnated with hot drying oil or a water-polymer emulsion.

Note: it is not at all necessary that the niche be damp. For warping of wood, the difference in humidity from a blank wall to the doors and its sharp jumps when opened are important. Because of this, it is not recommended to put cabinet wooden cabinets in niches.

Lining for a cabinet in a niche, plastic or MDF, you can use it without it pre-training, but another limitation appears - the frames of the door leaves. They have to be made of wood, with the same conditions and requirements as indicated above, plus - the care of manufacturing. You also need to glue the lining boards together, but this is not a problem: there is a tongue, there is a groove for it, and it holds perfectly on PVA. In general, a lining cabinet can be recommended only for those cases when a wardrobe in a niche should organically fit into the interior, as in fig.

Drywall

Drywall is an excellent, easy-to-work finishing material with ample opportunities. Designers and home-made amateurs create real masterpieces from it. But as a basis for a cabinet of any design, the GKL is completely unsuitable. You can make a drywall cabinet, see pic, but it's difficult. Let's see why.

Drywall is a rather heavy, fragile and at the same time not very durable material. It is intended exclusively for decoration and part load-bearing structure, even lightly loaded, cannot be. Simply put, drywall cannot hold anything on itself; on the contrary, it must be attached to something and something must hold it. A piece of drywall 400x400 mm, laid flat on the frame, sags noticeably by itself within six months. GKL sheets according to TU are not allowed to be placed vertically or leaned against the wall during storage.

That is, it is impossible to simply cut the GKL and fasten it together, like, say, a laminate (see next). Each shelf must be a box-shaped space structure, which requires a complex frame (see the figure on the right). But the structure obtained as a result of assembly (see the next figure on the left), with the correct geometry and proper strength, will be far from aesthetic; need more putty and decorative trim.

Note: wood is doubly unsuitable for a cabinet frame made of plasterboard - the cavities of the finished structure will pull moisture into themselves. Only standard C- and U profiles with standard fasteners are suitable for the frame.

Then the doors. You can’t make them from GKL in any way - the fasteners will break off simply under the weight of the sash. And in the doors is just the essence of the closet. To make cabinet shelves with doors out of drywall is a monkey's work and a decrease in usable volume. There are no sliding wardrobes from GKL, and a wardrobe with shelves from GKL does not make sense.

In fact, a plasterboard cabinet is not furniture, but a building structure, and is carried out according to construction, not furniture technology. But at the same time, it can have outstanding aesthetic merits and be the most significant object of interior design.

Laminate, MDF, fiberboard

These are the most suitable materials . Making a cabinet from them can be elementary simple when minimal cost, see sawing. These materials are all beneficial features wood and at the same time insensitive to the gradient and moisture jumps. in the process of their manufacture, the microstructure of the tree is transformed into another. Just one note: fiberboard should be taken in medium or high density. The back wall of inexpensive cabinet cabinets is often made of low-density fiberboard, similar to thick cardboard corrugated on one side, but it will soon lead in a niche.

Filling

The internal filling of the cabinet determines its internal layout. There are four rules here:

• Raw - aside separately.
• Necessary and small - before your eyes.
• Dry - higher.
• Valuable - in boxes.

For example, a section for outerwear it is wrong to place it in the middle - dampness will go to the sides from it. If you place it on the side, the moisture from the clothes will go where it is easier - out. In the bedroom, drawers or shelves for bed linen do not need to be arranged immediately above the floor - dust and moisture are concentrated about 40 cm above its flooring. Well, and that a wallet or a smartphone in plain sight near the entrance should not be lying around, and so it is clear.

The ultimate goal of content layout is to get a minimum shelf width; this will be needed to calculate the doors. The placement procedure is quite responsible, the convenience and durability of the cabinet largely depends on the successful layout.

Video: wardrobe interior layout

doors

Doors are the salt of the closet, its most complex and critical element. Three significant points:

1. Number and width of doors.
2. Suspension structure.
3. Sash stoppers.

sashes

At this stage, the task is to find the number of doors for a given width of the opening under the cabinet. The smaller the doors, the more convenient the cabinet, but the likelihood of skew and jamming is higher. The maximum allowable width is 600-700 mm; with a larger sash, they can walk tight simply because they turn out to be very heavy.

The overlap of wardrobe doors should be within 50-70 mm. If the overlap is too small, you will either have to open and close the doors carefully, or put up with gaps. If the overlap is too large, the internal layout of the cabinet is difficult, especially if it is intended for a hallway or other cramped room.

At the same time, the width of the door should not exceed the width of the narrowest of the shelves, otherwise it may not be accessible. We also take into account the allowable overlap and subtract 40-50 mm to the side profiles; without them, the doors will beat the wall. In general, the procedure is as follows: based on the maximum for the width of the door, we first determine the number of overlaps (one less than the doors) and check the resulting door width. It does not fit into the maximum - you need to make one more door, and so on, until everything converges.

Calculation example:

Opening width - 1.75 m; the narrowest shelf is 0.45 m. A double-leaf cabinet will no longer work, it does not come out both in terms of convenience and the maximum allowable width of the door. Then we put two overlaps, this will give 100-140 mm minus to the opening, and put another 50 mm on the sidewalls. Total - 150-190 mm, 0.15-0.19 m. 1.75 remains on the doors - (0.15-0.19) \u003d 1.6-1.56 m. Divide by 3, the door width comes out 0 ,53-0.52 m. A lot, what to do? Let's figure it out with 3 overlaps (4 doors). It comes out 37-39 cm per door. But making 4 doors is more difficult and expensive (an extra set of fittings), so it makes sense to go back to the placement sketch and re-arrange the inside so that the narrowest shelf comes out at 55 cm.

suspension

There are three well-known door suspension systems for wardrobes: two-rail with a lower support, two-rail with an upper support and a monorail. Each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages. The choice is ultimately determined by the size, purpose of the cabinet and the financial capabilities of the customer/master.

bottom rail

The most common system; schematically its device is shown in fig. on the right, and the design of the upper and lower rails is shown in Fig. left. Support - lower rollers, upper - prevent the sash from falling out. This system is also the most reliable: the doors almost never jam or touch each other.

The lower rollers are heavily loaded, so when self assembly certain rules must be observed, as illustrated in Fig. below. The rollers are made of plastic, and when buying, you need to look to take polypropylene ones; there are a lot of cheap plastic ones on sale in a low-quality metal carriage. If the rollers are propylene, then you don’t have to look too closely at the metal; both steel and aluminum are equally reliable.

The installation of the sashes is simple: insert the top into the groove of the rail, lift it up to the stop, insert the bottom into the groove - you're done. However, the bottom support system has disadvantages:

• Sensitivity to subsidence of the floor, and the weight of the cabinet itself enhances it. On the old wooden floor after a while, the doors can start to ride on the logs themselves, or even fall out.
• Sensitivity to dust and dirt. The loaded surface of the rail is in the most dusty layer of air, the rollers roll and compact the dust, tubercles form in the groove of the lower rail, after a while the doors begin to rumble unpleasantly, and the rail with the rollers needs to be cleaned.

top rail

Here the support has been moved to the upper rail, see fig. on right. The concrete ceiling does not sag, and properly finished and does not generate dust, so the doors move quietly and smoothly. Fittings of this type are not complicated and not expensive, and the installation differs from the previous one only in that the sash must be tilted during installation. There are three disadvantages, but two of them are significant, so the suspension with the top rail is not widely used:

1. You definitely need a lower guide, without it the sashes will inevitably beat and rub each other.
2. With an accidental push or pressure on the sash, its rollers come out of the groove and the sash falls into the cabinet.
3. The top rail is not very rigid, so in some cases it is necessary to level the ceiling at the place where the suspension is installed.

Monorail

The peculiarity of the system is that in each carriage there are 2 pairs of rollers (see the following figure), and the suspension of each sash runs in a separate guide. Paired rollers, together with the profile of the guide, to some extent fend off the reeling of the doors. Thanks to this, with careful handling, you can do without the bottom rail and not touch the floor. But it is still impossible to push the sashes inward, while they will touch each other. Therefore, lower guide rollers with a rail under them are also sold for the monorail.

A wardrobe with such a suspension is suitable, first of all, in the bedroom, where adults use it, and neatly. A strong and precisely adjustable suspension allows you to make wide doors, and this, in turn, can be placed against a blank wall and a closet and dressing room. Rigid box rails allow in most cases to do without leveling the ceiling. There are four main disadvantages of a monorail:

• Complicated and expensive hardware.
• The need for a decorative overlay at the top, because. a wide gap remains between the sash and the rail.
• Difficult installation: you must first insert carriages with rollers into the rail, then attach the rail to the ceiling, and only then hang the door. An assistant is needed to hang the sashes into the monorail.
• After hanging the sashes, adjustment is required.

Stoppers

It is desirable that the cabinet doors do not roll back and forth on their own, and that they do not need to be carefully pushed into place. In a double-wing cabinet, the problem is solved by magnetic latches on the sides. But there is nowhere to put the latches on the middle doors: the magnet does not hold casually. Therefore, the main type of sliding wardrobe latches is mechanical.

Two varieties are mainly used: a recess in the support rail and a flat curly spring. If you make a cabinet yourself, then the recess is not suitable: such rails are factory-made in a standard size for standard cabinets.

The spring retainer shown in the figure is easy to make yourself and install in place in the cut-to-size guide. The principle of its operation is simple: the antennae protrude slightly and the roller sinks between them. And when the roller rolls on the edge of the spring, the edges of the antenna rest against the sides of the groove, which prevents the latch from moving. To push the latch into place, you need to press both antennae at once.

But all latches for wardrobes have a common drawback. When opening / closing the door, the force already acts skewed, and the resistance of the latch further strengthens it. Most of the breakdowns of wardrobes occur just because of the latches.

Therefore, the best stopper for sliding wardrobe doors is a carefully aligned support rail, high-quality fittings and careful use.

Shelf fixing

For a cabinet built into a niche, the methods of hanging shelves in cabinet furniture are poorly suited or not suitable at all - you can’t get to the sidewalls from the outside. In a niche, either a rigid frame is built, which is difficult and expensive, or special adjustable suspension systems are used, like the one shown in the figure. It's easier, but also expensive.

Meanwhile, the simplest and cheapest way to mount the shelves is on segments of an ordinary plinth, floor or ceiling, see fig. on right. MDF skirting, as you know, comes in a huge range of sizes, textures and profiles. So that the fasteners of the shelf are not conspicuous, a segment of the plinth can be taken shorter than the depth of the shelf by a third, and its end can also be cut obliquely. In this case, the self-tapping screw farthest from the edge of the shelf must be screwed in from above through the shelf board.

Note: the upper and lower partitions in the closet can be fixed to the floor and ceiling in the same way, without shortening the plinth pieces for reliability. Their ends, if you take ceiling plinth small in size, completely cover the top and bottom rails, and together with the shelves fixed in the same way, a very strong and rigid structure is formed. Which, in addition, will support the plank floor from sagging under the weight of the doors.

Niche

Professional furniture makers rarely and reluctantly undertake to make built-in furniture on site - the work is tedious, unprofitable. Custom-made built-in furniture is most often the same cabinet furniture that is brought and assembled in a niche. And here the do-it-yourselfer has a great opportunity to simplify and reduce the cost of his closet, making it stronger and more spacious at the same time.

Diagonals

A necessary condition for the success of such an undertaking is that the niche opening must be rectangular, and the floor and ceiling at the place where the doors are installed must be horizontal. Here, you may have to spend a little time construction work, but their volume is small, and the complexity is low.

Note: under a monorail suspension, the usual building horizontality of the ceiling is sufficient. The rail is aligned with gaskets. But not by adjusting the sashes after! In an inclined guide and vertically hanging sashes will move out to the side.

The floor and ceiling are checked by level, but what about squareness? The usual method in construction - diagonal cord - does not fit well. The fact is that furniture accuracy is higher than construction accuracy. In finishing work, 3 mm / 1 m is permissible. In furniture, if a seam 2 m long diverges in length from a millimeter to two, this is already noticeable to the eye. And any cord is stretchable, and it is inconvenient to use it in a vertical opening; here without a lot of experience and construction accuracy will not work.

There is a way to measure the diagonals of the opening, not only with furniture - with machine-building accuracy, see fig. Everything is very simple: two slats with pointed ends. The angle at the top is less than 45 degrees, and preferably 20-30, if only the material of the rails is strong enough. The slats are fastened with rings of "money" rubber bands, which are sold in any stationery store.

The measurement procedure is elementary simple:

1. We insert the device into the diagonal until the ends of the rails stop at the corners.
2. We make a risk with a pencil or a nail, as in pos. one.
3. We insert it into another diagonal, push it apart / move it all the way.

By the divergence of the halves of the risk, the magnitude of the inequality of the diagonals is immediately visible. Limiting accuracy - half the thickness of the risks, i.e. 0.15-0.2 mm can be achieved. And in order to assemble the cabinet without problems, you need up to 3 mm in an opening of 2x2.5 m.

Note: if a place is being prepared for a closet - a zoning partition, standing perpendicular to the wall, you will have to measure and fit 8 diagonals - under a pair in the front and rear, and two pairs inside between the upper and lower opposite corners. Two perpendiculars are beaten off the wall along the width of the cabinet, and instead of the missing sidewall, two slats or a piece of plywood are placed.

And now, what prevents you from using the walls of a niche, its floor and ceiling as the same for a closet? It just needs to be dust free. And to achieve this is not at all difficult and not expensive:

• We remove old wallpaper or paint with a gel surface-active (surfactant) remover. It is non-toxic, odorless, and the old coating can be removed with a spatula after 10-40 minutes.
• We impregnate the walls 2-3 times, with an interval of a day, using a foam roller with a PVA water-polymer emulsion.
• We paint with acrylic enamel.

A niche prepared in this way does not dust for 10 years for sure, and there is no need to remove the old plinth from the floor. Damage to durable acrylic enamel is not easy. And the costs are less than for a sheet of simple, non-laminated fiberboard for the back wall.

Note: small irregularities of the walls visible to the eye can be removed with an abrasive mesh on wooden bar. It is better to do this after the first impregnation of PVA - there will be less dust.

Dimensions and drawing

Shelves and partitions with this method of manufacture, of course, will have to be cut in place. To do this, you will have to draw a view of the cabinet from the facade, approximately as shown in the figure. Then on the ceiling, for any method of suspension, beat off the line at the installation site of the guide. Then, from its ends along the plumb lines, beat off the verticals on the walls, and from this imaginary plane, measure out the configuration of each shelf and partition in place. From the resulting depth of the shelves / partitions, you need to subtract the width of the support profile + 20 mm FROM THE FRONT.

What's the point? The peculiarity of the finishing work is that the layer of plaster / primer to the inner corners is thicker. This happens because in the middle of the wall or at the outer corner there is more freedom of movement with the tool. The difference in the width of the room in the middle and between the corners rarely exceeds 10 mm and is not noticeable to the eye, but even 2 mm is too much for furniture.

The niche configuration is, in general, a low truncated rectangular pyramid, overturned on its side. Accordingly, the shape of the shelves with partitions in the plan will be close to a trapezoid. But is it possible to cut them with the required precision? In our time, it is quite possible, and you don’t have to arrange carpentry at home. And a jigsaw with a circular saw is not needed. Templates and patterns - too.

Sawing and fittings

The fact is that now sawing blanks is easier and cheaper just to order. In almost every town there is a furniture workshop with a computer and an ACAD specialist, if the drawings were accurate. Many furniture makers also acquire computer-controlled sawing robots - the cost of sawing by such a hard worker almost does not depend on the size and complexity of the part, and it pays off well on non-standard small things that are always in demand.

Furniture makers buy material at wholesale prices, therefore, considering total area, the cost of blanks is 20% or more less than with independent purchase of material at retail. Many also give a discount on scraps (almost all robotic ones); after all, they will not wallow in the trash, but will go to work.

Note: the thickness of the laminate or MDF for the cabinet is at least 16 mm. For doors on a monorail - at least 25 mm.

Also, a standard sawing service is edging, i.e. sealing the ends of PVC boards to match. For a built-in cabinet, edging, of course, you only need the front ends - it will come out cheaper. The thickness of the PVC edge can be from 0.2 to 2 mm. If you want a thick edge, in the drawing, its thickness must be subtracted from the width of the board.

Assembly, lighting, finishing

Techniques for assembling the cabinet, in fact, have already been described. It is necessary to add only about the suspension of the doors. The suspension systems described are not the only ones on the market. Technique is developing, existing ones are being improved, new ones are appearing. But for each more or less decent quality, a specification is necessarily given indicating installation dimensions and tolerances, technical specifications for rails, etc.

Therefore, before ordering sawing doors, take a closer look - what is sold around, what suits you best. The final size of the sashes depends on the suspension method, and the necessary clearances are specified in the specification for the suspension.

About interior lighting. Cabinets are made of combustible materials, so indoor lighting is best done on low-power 12V halogens. The cabinet lights are powered by a plug-in AC/DC adapter with double-insulated wires. Running 220 V wiring into the cabinet, and even permanent wiring, is completely unacceptable!

As for the decoration - mirrors, decorations, paintings and drawings - this is a matter of taste. One remark: it is undesirable to hang glass mirrors on doors made of wood materials, they are painfully fragile and heavy. Acrylic mirror is better. Or one-piece mirrored doors, but this is a separate conversation, and very expensive.

How much can you win?

And now let's figure out whether a home-made closet in a niche is really inexpensive. Will the savings be worth the time and effort?

If you make a closet in the niche of the hallway as described above, the materials will cost 5-8 thousand rubles, including the payment for sawing. Well, 10,000, if, as they say, from the belly. Time - 2-3 pairs of days off for home master middle class. And ordering a wardrobe in the same niche - less than 12,000 is hardly possible. Most likely, from 20,000. Deadline - 2 weeks.

Savings on a wardrobe-wardrobe in the entire bedroom wall is even more. Here, the ratio of home-made / custom-made cost, typical for the regions, is 13,000/32,000. But for the manufacture of this, more serious skills are required.

But making a partition wall yourself is no longer so profitable: the advantages of well-established technology also affect the pros. And the work is difficult - a skilled craftsman will have to tinker with it for a month, if he doesn’t have to redo it. It will turn out to win no more than 2000 on a closet in a medium-sized odnushka.

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A wardrobe is a bulky and fundamental thing that is necessary in every home. Often purchased furniture is not suitable for the price, as intermediaries greatly inflate prices, sometimes they do not match in size or design. In this case, you usually have to look for a small company that is ready to fulfill a personal order. However, as practice shows, workshops ask for a lot of money. The most profitable solution in this situation is the independent manufacture of the cabinet at home.

Kinds

Before you get started, you need to decide what kind of cabinet you need. Depending on the location, there are two main types:

• Embedded Models, the main advantage of which is the presence of a floor, ceiling and some walls. This condition significantly reduces the cost of the project. Such options are convenient, since they can be adjusted to any existing niche: recesses in the walls, space under the stairs. Oddly enough, this is also a disadvantage of built-in models, since they are built for a specific place and changes are no longer implied. Among other things, the curvature of the load-bearing surfaces greatly affects the quality of the cabinets, so they must be leveled before starting the project.
• Cased freestanding cabinets are a classic option. Models can be used in any type of premises. Dismantling and transfer from place to place is possible. Also, curved walls, floor or ceiling will not affect the installation. Among the disadvantages, one can note the high consumption of materials, compared with built-in modifications, and the associated increased cost. However, with proper selection of components, the cost can be reduced.
• Partially embedded models are a cross between the first two options.

Depending on the type of doors, cabinets are classified as follows:

• Wardrobe with sliding doors and rigid frame. Two subspecies can be distinguished: with a roller door movement mechanism and with a monorail. After appearing on the market, such options have gained popularity with a variety of models, designs, and internal content. In addition, the advantages are multifunctionality, saving space in the room.
• Models with hinged doors planted on loops. Long service life is the main plus of such options. As well as practicality and durability.
• Lift door options.
• Open, doorless cabinets.

Designers also divide cabinets according to the way they are assembled and style. The style is diverse: folklore, hi-tech, baroque, empire, modern, rococo.

In terms of equipment, the following models can be distinguished:

• Typical options are typical for large industries, are manufactured according to standard sizes, no frills. Practical and functional furniture. Most often used for offices.

• Serial production is a mass option. Represents the release of products in one line, with certain characteristics within the same concept.
• Modular wardrobes have always been popular. Their advantages are mobility and functionality. Such structures can be divided into separate sections, easily dismantled, rearranged, combined with each other.

If we consider cabinets in shape, then the most common options are:

• Linear, in other words, straight.
• Angular (depending on the shape of the angle L or U shaped).
• Round. Rounded side or front panels.
• Rectangular.

Depending on the number of doors, there are double-leaf, single-leaf, three-leaf or open without doors. Of course, combined options are also popular.

The most important characteristic of cabinets is functional. Only after making a decision on the purpose of the structure, all of the above classifications are taken into account. According to the purpose of use, cabinets are:

• For clothes. This includes wardrobes, wardrobes, which are characterized by hangers for dresses, suits, ties, trouser holders.
• For storing things. Here you can note the cabinets for bed linen, chests of drawers.
• Book. Use various modifications from open to combined.
• In the hallway These models are characterized by shelves for shoes and hats, hangers, hooks, holders for umbrellas, a mirror, built-in sections for outerwear.
• For kitchen. Often, these cabinets are equipped with specific mesh or pull-out shelves for kitchen utensils and utensils, hooks for towels and other small items.

materials

The most common materials for the manufacture of cabinet bodies are as follows:

• Drywall. If a complex configuration is expected, then it is better to choose this option. Any shape can be bent from the GKL, since it is not afraid of deformation.
• MDF. From furniture panels that do not require cladding, rigid frames are made that do not require bending. The plate is characterized by a high density, unlike chipboard, which makes it more durable. The fittings sit better inside, the probability of chips when cutting the plates is low. A conditional disadvantage is a large mass. At a cost, the material is affordable, but more expensive than chipboard.
• Chipboard or chipboard. For cutting sheets, it is better to use the services of a workshop. At home, the quality of saw cuts can be disappointing due to the lack of necessary woodworking tools. From chipboard, you can perform various complex elements if you have the skills and the necessary machines. Chipboard is distinguished by a laminated layer that protects the sheet from external influences, and the user from formaldehyde. In addition, the laminate is good for decorative purposes, as it imitates various coatings.

• Plywood. The material has a low cost. The service life of plywood products depends on the thickness of the sheet, the quality of gluing, and the climate in the room. In any case, it is unsuitable for large structures of large mass, since it will bend under its own weight.
• Whole boards. When choosing, it is better to use wood that is easy to process. Cabinets made of wood species such as maple, ash, acacia, mountain ash, walnut, oak will outlive their creators many times over. It should be borne in mind that the cost of the project in this case increases significantly.
• Old boards. AT recent times vintage style is gaining popularity. It allows you to give a second life to old things.

For example, parsing old wardrobe, a table, a door made of boards, you can create such an interior element as a wardrobe, cabinet, chest of drawers with your own hands.

• Boxes. The fashionable craze for making furniture out of packaging cardboard is spread all over the world today. Typically one to three layers are used. Single-layer cardboard is usually used for internal walls and curved surfaces. To fill the volume - a material with a greater thickness. Box cabinets are the cheapest but most short-lived option.

Materials for the execution of facades are of no small importance:

• The tape is convenient in every sense. For the facade, you can use the same materials as for the body, glued with a decorative coating. A wide range of films makes it possible to create vivid images, arrange a wardrobe in the style of an existing interior. In addition, it is easy to care for.

• Wallpaper. An excellent and inexpensive solution for decorating the facade.

• The mirror is the most popular option, but rarely carried out with self-made cabinets.

It must be remembered that the mirror surfaces are fragile, require certain tools for cutting and fitting to the required dimensions.

• Clapboard. There are two types of material: wood and plastic. The facade, made of lining of various widths, is suitable for an eco-style interior, for country houses, balconies. Most often, wooden slats of 4 classes are produced. Type "C" panels are the least processed, and therefore may have knots and cracks. A, B and "Extra" are more attractive, in addition, they have a low level of resin.

How to get started?

Initial stage self-manufacturing closet is designing.

It needs to be taken seriously, for this you need:

• Determine the location of the future location of the structure. This depends on the size and quantity of materials needed.
• You should decide what shape the cabinet is planned to be built: straight, corner, built-in, and so on.

• Sketch out sketches of the exterior and interior content. Determine in advance how many sections, boxes, shelves will be. Fix the desired number of doors, sliding and hinged elements. Determine the order of the location of hooks, hangers, holders. Even the need to install a decorative facade should be decided at this stage.
• Choose a material, determine the color of the product, comparing all the parameters with the style of the interior. If necessary, decide what texture the façade should have. Identify a company that produces furniture fittings, based on expert reviews.

After that, various measurements are performed and calculations are made. It must be understood that calculating the dimensions does not mean measuring the width and length of the cabinet. At the same time, it is necessary to measure the distance between the shelves, the width of the sections. All dimensions are transferred to the drawing for clarity.

When taking measurements, it must be taken into account that the standard sash width should not exceed one meter. In addition, you should also remember about the thickness of the sheet from which the body is made, so 1-2 centimeters are added to the width of the sash. In the same way, the allowance for the height of the door panels is calculated.

The scheme should be clear and take into account all the desired parameters. If it is difficult to perform such a drawing yourself, then you will have to turn to specialists.

Fastening features

An important stage in the construction of a cabinet with your own hands is the selection of accessories. To date furniture industry offers a huge number of fasteners and connecting elements. Their characteristics depend on functional features cabinet and operating conditions.

Often for wooden cabinets with hinged doors, four-hinged doors are used. door hinges, which are divided into several types:

• Overhead. The most common option for sashes.
• Semi-overlapping hinges are useful when one section is closed by two doors.

• Internal or hidden are installed on inside doors.
• Corner models are necessary for furniture located in corners, requiring the installation of doors at an angle of 45 degrees.

• Inverted canopies allow you to open the door 180 degrees.
• Piano mechanisms have a low degree of reliability, and therefore are rarely installed on cabinets.
• Mezzanine hinges have a spring in their mechanism.

Glass sashes can be fixed using the following elements:

• mounting strips;
• fastening loops;
• seal rings;
• plugs.

For low canvases, two fasteners are enough; when extended to 1.5 meters or more, the number of loops is increased. Optionally, you can install a closer to protect your fingers from injury, and increase the durability of the mechanism.

There are several types of shock absorbers, different in technical parameters and installation method:

• The damper is the simplest and cheapest. There are many options on the market, the simplest of which is a self-adhesive model. It is a disc of soft material with a thickness of 1.5 to 5 mm, a diameter of 7 to 10 mm, which is glued to the end of the case. For one sash you need at least two pieces.
• Loop carrier. It should be noted that such designs must be purchased immediately with a loop from one manufacturer. The model has the effect of smooth closing of the sash.

• Overhead and mortise shock absorbers, unlike those described above, do not depend on the type of hinges. The advantage of overheads is the ease of replacement, which happens infrequently. However, when mounting a door closer of this type, additional space is required for a hole in the box from the end wall. The advantage of the mortise option is that installation space is not required, on the other hand it is more difficult to replace it.

For folding doors, mechanisms are often installed that are designed to open up, down, or in the form of an accordion.

The models are easy to install, their cost is low, they are convenient to use:

• Gas lifts and lifting mechanisms combine the functions of opening and closing up and down. The fundamental selection criterion is the weight of the sash, since the device has varying degrees efforts.
• Mechanisms for opening in parallel, at an angle and accordion. Advantage - great access to contents, improved ergonomics of cabinets. The disadvantage is the cost.

Shelf mounts also have their own classification:

• Stationary are attached using several types of holders.
• Overhead, which are mounted to the wall, to the cabinet body or to the facade. The shelf in this case is superimposed on top. They are different types of corners.

• Mortise built into the cabinet.
• Brackets are used for heavy loads.

• Retractable options consist of rollers and guide rails along which they move. In addition, the mechanisms are usually equipped with limiters and seals.
• Rotating models. The main part is the axis of rotation, usually in the form of a pipe of the required height. Additional elements - fasteners for the upper and lower parts of the axis, flanges for mounting the shelf.

How to do it yourself: step by step instructions

Before you start working on a project, you need to prepare everything necessary materials, accessories and tools.

The following may be required:

• drill or perforator;
• level;
• ruler or measuring tape;
• pencil;
• a hammer;

• glue;
• self-tapping screws, fastening accessories;
• screwdriver;

• hacksaw or circular saw (if self-cutting of parts is implied);
• iron;
• construction knife.

The cabinet assembly scheme at home consists of several stages.

Part preparation:

• From the sheets of the selected material, cabinet elements are cut: body walls, doors, shelves, drawer elements. Maximum accuracy is achieved with circular saw. Sawing can also be done with a hacksaw, but in this case, without skill and experience, chips are possible.

• Edge processing. For edging, PVC tapes are used, matching in color. Their cost is low, and it is very convenient to process the edges with it. Typically, the thickness of the tape varies from 0.4 to 2 mm. Usually, a thicker one is used to process the apron of visible ribs, and thinner - for those hidden from the eyes. The scheme of actions in this case is as follows.
• The iron is turned on at three-fourths of its maximum power.

• The tape is applied to the end with an adhesive surface, ironed several times.
• The edge is carried out with a soft, dry cloth, pressing firmly.
• The rest of the tape is cut with a knife.
• Hardware preparation. It is necessary to collect the right amount of fasteners, hinges, handles, hangers and other important little things.

Frame assembly:

• If the cabinet is built-in or will be located under the stairs, then most likely it will lack any frame elements: the lower or upper bar, sidewalls. In this case, the walls should be prepared for the installation of the structure, leveled, puttied, painted or glued.
• If other options for cabinets are planned, then holes are drilled in the places of future fasteners.
• Attach body parts together. First of all, the sidewalls are attached to the bottom, after which it is necessary to attach the upper part to them. For work, it is better to use the simplest fasteners - confirmations.
• Checking verticality with a level.
• If necessary, fix the back wall.

Installation of shelves and cabinets:

• To begin with, they make a markup for dividing the internal space into sections. Next, note the location of the shelves and built-in cabinets.
• Install partition walls. Depending on the plan, they can be either from floor to ceiling of the cabinet, or lower. In the latter case, the presence of a horizontal partition is implied.
• Fasteners for internal filling are mounted on the side and sectional panels of the frame. If stationary shelves are planned, then these can be ordinary corners. In the case of retractable shelves or drawers, guide chutes are mounted.
• Installation of other elements: hooks, holders, hanger rods.

Then the doors are fixed. In order to assemble the cabinet doors, it is necessary to adhere to certain algorithms for different options doors.

Closet:

• Installation of the upper and lower guides, tracking their parallelism with the help of a plumb line.
• Stopper installation.
• Installation of roller elements on the door, if this type of mechanism is planned.
• The doors are inserted into the grooves, starting from the top, until they click.
• Check if the sash moves freely.
• Installation additional fittings if necessary.

Swing doors:

• Hinges of the selected type are installed on the doors.
• Shock absorbers are installed if necessary.
• Handles are screwed in.
• The verticality and the closing mechanism are checked.

Hinged and lifting doors:

• For hinged doors, gas lifts are most often installed. Purchased mechanisms are always equipped with instructions. Please read it carefully before installation. First of all, fasteners for gas lifts are installed on the side parts of the cabinet body.
• Such fasteners are installed on the doors that will rise.
• Next, the doors are mounted using canopies or hinges from the side that is the future axis of rotation.
• After attaching the elevators. To do this, their head must be put on the fasteners until it clicks on both sides.
• With the door closed, make adjustments.
• Professionals focus on the fact that at least 2 mechanisms must be installed on one facade in order to prevent warping.

Then the final processing of the cabinet is carried out. At the end of the assembly, a complete polishing of the appearance is performed. All screws are covered with decorative caps. Polishing with a soft cloth is necessary to clean the product from dust and drilling residues. Facades are designed depending on the designer's idea using mirrors and other decorative elements.

You can also see how to make a wardrobe with your own hands in the video below.

Organization of the internal space

The functional structure of the internal filling of cabinets consists of many elements that meet the requirements of the owner. A competent design should provide free access to any things in the closet, prevent the formation of odors.

Sliding and sliding drawers, rotating shelves are not only convenient to use, but also ergonomic in nature. They allow rational use of internal space. For large wardrobes, lifting rods for hangers and trouser holders are often used, which can either rise or, if necessary, go deep into the closet. If the design is intended for the hallway, then it provides a box for storing shoes and shelves for hats.

kitchen cabinets filled with a variety of elements from spinning bar counters to retractable cutting board. Due to the fact that it is necessary to store many different accessories in the kitchen, the functionality of the interior decoration of the cabinets is many-sided and is determined only by the wishes of the owners.

How to place?

The closet is the most bulky element of the interior in the room. There are such options for their location, which will allow you to "hide" and not clutter up the space.

in a niche

If the apartment has natural niches, then this will greatly facilitate the task. The cabinet is simply built into them. Niches can be created artificially, which will allow not only to install storage structures in them, but also other interior elements: a fireplace, a TV.

Part of the room

If the area allows, then you can fence off a piece of the room and organize a wardrobe in it. At the same time, it is better to choose the darkest corner of the room so that the room remains bright.

Pantry

In private houses, there are always different pantries. Sometimes they are found in city apartments. If the owner wishes, the wardrobe can be perfectly hidden in the pantry. At the same time, the efforts for its design are minimal, since the functions of the body are performed by the walls of the room. It is enough to organize the internal content.

In the room

The standard options for installing cabinets in a room are as follows:

• Wall to wall, floor to ceiling. The effect is created solid wall. The design of facades with mirror surfaces will visually expand the space. When choosing doors of wall color, you can achieve the effect of "disappearing".

• Alcove. Cabinets are installed on both sides, forming a niche between them. The alcove formed in this way is filled with any interior elements: a bed, dressing table, work zone, television.

• openings. Distances between doors and windows can be used rationally with the help of modular cabinets. Structures are mounted on both sides of the opening, it is possible to organize mezzanines above the opening. The element connecting the cabinets under the window is often designed as a bench or sofa.

What can be done from an old closet?

If the old cabinet has lost its appearance, but the fasteners are intact and not loosened, the body also does not have significant flaws, in this case, you should pay attention to various techniques that allow you to remake or decorate outdated furniture.

To update cabinets, there are many budget options:

• Repaint yourself, for example, using stencils.
• You can glue the doors with photo wallpapers or vinyl film.

• If the panels are glass or mirror, then you can use the services of private workshops for matting or sandblasting.
• Decoupage using vintage paper or wallpaper.
• In the kitchen, you can use tiles to decorate the facades.

If the fasteners are nevertheless loosened and fell out, it is impossible to keep the cabinet in its original form. In this case, elements for a different design can be cut out of its parts. Craftsmen create benches, shelves, pouffes and other interior details.

Ideas for location in the interior

Large built-in wardrobes are popular. They are installed both in the hallways and in the living rooms. Usually they occupy all the space provided from floor to ceiling. Internal filling is organized depending on the wishes of the owner. Advantages - functionality, the ability to embed various elements for storing things, including vacuum cleaners, ironing boards, washing and dishwashers. Such structures can be installed in any places inaccessible to cabinet furniture, in attics, niches, corners.

Often, a ready-made wardrobe purchased in a store does not fit into the dimensions and interior of the apartment. In this case, you need to solve the question: how to make a cabinet with your own hands? It may seem that making such a product is difficult. However, it is not. The main thing is to correctly determine its dimensions and make product drawings, and assembly can be done by hand. Thus, you can solve the problem of how to make a cabinet yourself.

Diagram of the dimensions of the assembled structure.

Preparatory work

The cabinet manufacturing process consists of the following steps:

1. Based on the place of its installation, its dimensions are determined. A sketch of the general view is drawn.
2. The dimensions of the base, cover and plinth are calculated.
3. The interior space of the cabinet is divided into vertical and horizontal sections.
4. Sections for installation are outlined drawers.
5. The dimensions of the doors are calculated.
6. The number of ends that need to be closed with an end tape is determined.
7. The necessary accessories are selected.
8. All obtained dimensions are put down on the drawing.

Assembly diagram of the cabinet frame.

The process of measuring and creating sketches can be greatly accelerated by using free program for furniture design ("Bazis-furniture maker" or Autocad).

The most common and cheapest material for making furniture is laminated chipboard. The back wall can be sewn up with laminated fiberboard. There are many colors of this material on the market.

Preparation of elements and accessories

The parts from which the cabinet is assembled are cut from chipboard sheets. When marking the sheet, it is necessary to take into account the width of the saw cut (approximately 3 mm) so that the parts do not turn out smaller than required. It is quite difficult to independently cut a sheet with a hacksaw or an electric jigsaw, so it is better to order work on cutting a sheet in a workshop or store when buying chipboard.

For prepared components, it is necessary to close the open ribs with a film in the color of chipboard. To do this, the tape is superimposed on an open rib and pressed against it with a hot iron. The protruding parts of the tape are cut off with a sharp knife. The cut points are cleaned with fine sandpaper.

Holes for canopies are drilled with a drill at a distance of 7-12 cm from the edges of the door.

The shape of the fittings and their number depend on the number of drawers, compartments and doors. You will need the following accessories:

• handles for doors and drawers;
• drawer guides;
• special screws (confirmations) and plugs for them;
• hanger tube.

After purchasing the components, proceed to the assembly of the cabinet.

Cabinet assembly procedure

To assemble the cabinet, you will need the following tool:

• electric drill with a drill for screws;
• screwdriver;
• level;
• square;
• hacksaw for metal;
• roulette;
• sharp knife;
• iron;
• awl;
• hex key.

The edge is carefully applied to the seam, covered with a towel on top and ironed with a heated iron.

Assembly of the cabinet begins with the development of a mounting scheme and marking the installation locations of fasteners. Then the elements are assembled in the following sequence:

1. Places for installation of fixing screws are marked. The screws are screwed into the end of the part, so the hole must be placed exactly in the middle of the end.
2. The base of the cabinet is installed on the floor, holes are drilled in it for installing the base.
3. The socle strips are attached to the bottom with screws: one in the middle, the rest on the sides.
4. Side walls and an internal partition are installed on the base and fastened to it with screws.
5. The cabinet cover is installed. If the cabinet is high (the gap between the ceiling and its top must be at least 10 cm, otherwise it is impossible to tighten the screws), with a hex wrench we wrap the fixing screws of the cover.
6. The top shelves are installed.
7. We fix the back wall of the cabinet, this will give it rigidity and facilitate the assembly process.
8. We install the assembled frame in place and set it according to the level (horizontal).
9. We attach hinges to the door leafs. On the middle door, on the seal, we fix the mirror.
10. We mark and drill holes on the details of drawers.
11. Using screws, we assemble the drawers, check the corners with a square (they must be straight). We attach the bottom to the side walls.
12. In the places of installation of drawers, on the side walls, support strips are attached, and on the walls of the drawers - skids with rollers.
13. Drawers are installed in place, ease of movement is checked.
14. The doors are hung on the cabinet frame, the smoothness of their opening is checked.
15. The doors are adjusted, the gaps between the canvases should be the same.
16. Fittings are installed on the marked places.
17. A final check and fine-tuning of the ease of movement of drawers and doors is carried out.

The question of how to make a wardrobe yourself is solved quite simply. To do this, you must follow the above instructions step by step.

A hand-made wardrobe will perfectly fit into the interior of the apartment and will save a decent amount of money.

The problem of lack of free space is familiar to everyone. A lot of things, all of which are important and necessary, from the point of view of the owners, are usually located in closets that take up a lot of space in small apartments.
Where to find a way out of this situation? The solution is simple - install a sliding wardrobe, and the look of your home will change completely. How to make, build and assemble a built-in wardrobe with your own hands? Do you want a built-in dressing room, hallway or bedroom? This article will help you make it yourself.

The problem of lack of free space is familiar to everyone. Where to find a way out of this situation? The solution is simple - install a sliding wardrobe, and the look of your home will change completely.

What are the good built-in wardrobes (in the hallway or bedroom)?

• most often installed in the niche of the room, thus saving precious centimeters of living space (this is very important, especially if the apartment is small);
• due to its design, accommodates a large number of of things. It is much more spacious than the usual bulky cabinets;
• The main component of such a cabinet is sliding doors. Thanks to them, the wardrobe can stand very close to the sofa and at the same time there will never be discomfort when opening and closing the doors;
• has a great look. Depending on personal preferences, this type of furniture can be made truly unique: it is decorated with mirrors, drawings, etc.;
• often performs by zoning the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe room;
• between it and the wall there is no empty space, usually an additional dust collector;
• safes, sockets and switches are often placed inside it, without spoiling the appearance of the walls of the apartment.

When deciding to have such a miracle at home, it is better to make a closet yourself, because not everyone will be able to afford its cost in the store (from 13,000 to 300,000 rubles).

What type of closet is better to choose?

Depending on the presence or absence of cabinet walls, this type of furniture has several types. Complete absence sidewalls, top and bottom. They are completely replaced by the walls, floor and ceiling of the room (read how to properly plaster the ceiling). Shelves in such a cabinet are attached directly to the walls.

Consider features of this model:

• the cost of manufacturing such furniture is minimal, because you only need to purchase chipboard for shelves;
• have a large internal volume.

Among the shortcomings, it should be noted only that such a built-in wardrobe model is considered absolutely non-transportable. It will not be possible to transport her to any other apartment.

• Partial or complete presence of walls. The total cost of such a cabinet will be slightly higher than that of the previously reviewed models. However, they have one significant advantage - the possibility of transportation and installation in another place (sometimes used as ordinary cabinets).

All types of built-in wardrobes can have doors or be without them. It depends on the personal preferences of each individual person.

Secrets of Choosing the Right Height and Width

Built-in wardrobe width depends on the size of the niche in which it will be located. When determining how many doors are required (their maximum width is 90 cm), special attention should be paid to the guides along which the wheels will move. Their size does not exceed 4 m or 5 m (depending on the manufacturer).

If the width of the recess in the wall is greater, then a chipboard partition will have to be installed between the guides. This should be done because the metal joints will quickly render the state of the door wheels unusable.

Visually, it will never be noticeable that the cabinet consists of several parts. Everyone will close the sliding doors.

The smallest width of such furniture should not be less than 100 cm. This is explained by the fact that too narrow doors do not have good stability. However, if you can't do without small size closet, you need to think about replacing the wheels in the guides with swing mechanisms.

The height of the built-in wardrobe depends on whether there is a stretch ceiling in the room or not. Depending on this condition, this type of furniture has some varieties.

Height depends on the height of the niche:

• if it is small (up to 200 cm), then the furniture cannot be made differently;
• in the case when the height of the room is within 280 cm, then the cabinet is made up to the ceiling, because the traditional size of chipboard sheets is 278 cm;
• if you need to make the cabinet high, then a mezzanine is placed on its upper part or the side walls of the entire structure are lengthened. The mezzanine has its own doors with individual guides.
• The maximum height must not exceed 4 m.

In addition, the height of the built-in wardrobe depends on whether or not there is a stretch ceiling in the room (read how to wash a stretch ceiling without streaks). Depending on this condition, this type of furniture has some varieties:

• if the cabinet has a top wooden lid, not screwed to the ceiling, and the distance between them is within a few centimeters, the product is made to the ceiling;
• in some cases, the furniture top rail can be mounted directly to the ceiling. It will work if before installation stretch ceiling on the concrete base screw wooden beam. The cabinet guide is already screwed directly to it with self-tapping screws. In this case, there will not be the slightest gap between the furniture and the ceiling;
• the furniture does not reach the ceiling, but the intermediate distance is closed with a decorative wooden or plastic plank;
• built-in wardrobe below the ceiling by 50 cm or more. In this case, the gap is not closed by a mezzanine.

Step-by-step guide: making a built-in wardrobe

Preparatory stage

First of all, you need to take care of the state of the niche in which the future structure will be located. To do this, it is cleaned of old finishing materials and level the surface well (find out about it).

If the wardrobe does not have walls at all, then the surface of the recess in the wall can be painted in any color or pasted over with new wallpaper.

In the event that the furniture is mounted with side, top, bottom and rear walls, the niche must be absolutely flat. You can check this with plumb lines and levels. It is also necessary to measure the diagonals of the recess: from the upper right corner to the lower left and vice versa.

They must be exactly the same. Correct all errors will help cement mortar or plaster. This is done in order to avoid distortions of the closet.

After completing all preparatory work, it is necessary to perform drawing of the future cabinet. In this case, be sure to take into account the number, size and location of the shelves. Only in this case it will be possible to make it really convenient for all family members.

Having determined the width of the built-in wardrobe, it is necessary to mark the places for fixing the guides along which the sliding doors will move.

Then materials are selected. It is necessary to consider what the doors will be made of. If they are of poor quality, there is a possibility that it will be difficult to open them. Preference should be given to laminated chipboard with a thickness of 0.8 cm or more.

Its average cost is 190 rubles. for 1 m2. When calculating the width of the required web, remember that one part must overlap the other by at least 50 mm.

Can also be used glass doors, but their cost starts from 20,000 rubles. They are really strong because they are made of very strong, thick glass.

It is possible to prevent cracking of such a material by coating it with a special reinforcing film. Set videos like this sliding doors without the help of a professional will not succeed.

The assembly process can only be started when all visible parts of the chipboard have a beautiful edge.

Required Tools for assembly:

• drill;
• roulette;
• screwdriver;
• a hammer;
• building corner;
• hex key;
• pencil.

Preparing the walls

Assemble the entire structure. If there are shelves, make sure that they do not extend beyond the cabinet.

• using a tape measure and a pencil, make a markup on which the cabinet will be assembled;
• put marks for shelves;
• on all planes, make holes through with a drill of 8 mm, at the ends - with a drill of 5 mm (depth should not exceed 0.6 cm);
• collect the whole structure. If there are shelves, make sure that they do not extend beyond the cabinet (this will interfere with the doors);
• insert stoppers for canvases into the lower guide;
• screw the upper and lower guides to the niche with self-tapping screws (parallel to each other);
• for the stability of the canvases, screw at least two rollers on top and bottom;
• insert the doors into the guides.

If there is no wardrobe in addition, it is inserted into the recess in the wall and leveled using a level. You can fasten the furniture to the walls using dowels and screws.

Installation of built-in wardrobe

For reliability, the structure is attached to the niche with dowels and screws.

• make markings on the wall (position of shelves);
• fasten the metal corners with screws to the walls (this is the base for the shelves);
• fix the shelves on the corners;
• connect the lower, upper and side parts to each other;
• for reliability, the structure is attached to the niche with dowels and screws;
• install guides to the lid and bottom of the cabinet;
• fasten the rollers on the doors and insert them into the guides.

Sometimes after door installation, a small gap is formed between her and the wall. A hexagon will help fix this. They need to tighten the bolt that fixes the lower rollers.

How to understand if the wardrobe is assembled correctly?

The following indicators will help determine this:

• Complete absence of gaps between the doors and the wall.
• Door leaves move freely along the guides.
• All drawers (if any) open freely.
• The fabrics have an overlap.
• The gap between the bar for hanging things on it (if any) and the back wall of the cabinet (or niche) must be at least 23 cm.

Having made a drawing and diagram of the cabinet, ordering materials, you can, of course, entrust the assembly work to a professional. However, keep in mind that the cost of his services will cost about 3500-9000 rubles.

That is why, having invited an assistant home, the entire structure, the frame for the built-in wardrobe, you can mount it yourself. The main thing at the same time, already at the initial stages, is to withstand all the verticals and horizontals, which will ensure the correct position of the entire built-in wardrobe and the excellent operation of its doors.

Video instruction