Fitting a made-to-measure built-in wardrobe

Fitting a made-to-measure built-in wardrobe is priced per hour of work. That makes sense, because a simple alcove wardrobe is up in a few hours, while a full wall with a sloping ceiling, lighting and sliding doors can keep two people busy for a whole day. Fitting typically includes:

• carrying the panels into the flat, unpacking and checking them,
• checking the dimensions of the space against the survey,
• assembling the carcasses, side panels, shelves and dividers,
• levelling and plumbing the wardrobe, packing and adjusting the feet or plinth,
• fixing it to the wall, and to the ceiling if needed, and closing gaps with scribing strips or filler panels,
• fitting the interior, such as hanging rails, drawers, baskets and pull-outs,
• hanging and adjusting the doors, sliding or hinged, including soft-close,
• sealing joints, fitting handles and cleaning up afterwards.

Fitting does not include making the wardrobe or the panel material, the hardware, the sliding door system, LED lighting or its electrical connection. Nor does it include work on the walls, for example straightening a badly out-of-true reveal, or removing an old wardrobe. Connecting lighting to the fixed 230 V installation is a job for an electrician.

A built-in wardrobe is one of the last jobs in a renovation. The walls should be plastered, painted and dry, the floor laid and the skirting boards either fitted or deliberately left out where the wardrobe stands. If the wardrobe goes onto fresh plaster or a screed that is still damp, the chipboard absorbs moisture and the doors can warp later.

Before the survey it is worth settling the following:

• The floor under the wardrobe. Agree whether the wardrobe stands on the finished floor or whether the flooring stops in front of it. A floating floor under a heavy wardrobe with a fixed plinth cannot move freely and may open up at the joints.
• Power. If you want lighting inside, a cable has to be run to the right place in advance. Otherwise plan for battery lights or a socket outside the wardrobe.
• Switches and sockets. Any that would end up behind the wardrobe need to be moved before it goes in.
• Heating and ventilation. The wardrobe should not stand in front of a radiator or cover a ventilation grille. On an external wall it is sensible to leave a small gap behind it so that mould does not form.
• Flatness of walls and ceiling. The surveyor should check how much the room height differs from one side to the other. In older buildings it can be several centimetres.
• Clear access. The panels, and especially tall doors, must fit through the stairwell, the lift and the door into the room.
• Rented homes. If you rent, agree drilling into walls and ceiling with the landlord beforehand, including whether the wardrobe may stay when you move out.

Checking the space and the panels

The fitters first measure the space and compare it with the survey. They check that all panels are there, that nothing was damaged in transport and that the dimensions match. If the wall has changed since the survey, for instance through extra plaster or tiling, this is when it shows.

Levelling the base

The wardrobe stands on a plinth or on adjustable feet. On an uneven floor the base is packed or adjusted until it is perfectly level. Everything else depends on this step. If the base is not level, the carcass twists and the sliding doors drift to one side on their own.

Assembling the carcasses

Sides, bases, shelves and dividers are joined one after another. Wide wardrobes are made of several carcasses side by side that are screwed together. Each carcass is checked for plumb and across the diagonals to make sure it is square.

Fixing and closing the gaps

A tall wardrobe must be fixed to the wall, into a load-bearing substrate, meaning masonry, concrete or the studs of a plasterboard partition, using plugs suited to the material. Gaps between the wardrobe and an uneven wall or ceiling are closed with scribing strips that are marked and cut on site to follow the wall. Under a sloping ceiling the side or top of the wardrobe is cut to the angle.

Interior fittings

Hanging rails, pull-out baskets, drawers, shoe racks and other accessories go into the carcasses. The height of the rail is set according to what will hang there. Long coats and dresses need a taller section, while shirts and jackets need less.

Fitting sliding doors

The top track is fixed to the top of the wardrobe or to the ceiling, and the bottom track to the base. The tracks must be parallel and level. The doors are hung in the tracks and adjusted with the screws on the runners. Even gaps are set between the doors and the sides of the wardrobe. Hardware manufacturers specify a gap of a few millimetres between neighbouring doors, typically around 3 to 5 mm. Finally the soft-close is adjusted so that the doors slow down before the end and do not bang.

Hinged doors and finishing

For hinged doors, concealed hinges are fitted and the doors are adjusted in three directions so that the gaps are even and the doors do not touch. Then the handles go on, or a push-to-open mechanism for handleless fronts. Finally the wardrobe is cleaned, the protective film is removed and every door and drawer is tested.

Some suppliers deliver a built-in wardrobe cut to size with instructions, and the customer fits it. Modular systems from large furniture retailers work in a similar way, with filler panels to adapt them to the alcove. Steps:

1. Unpack the panels, sort them according to the drawing and check the number and dimensions.
2. Measure the room height at several points and find the lowest one.
3. Use a detector to find cables and pipes in the wall.
4. Level the plinth or feet along the whole length of the wardrobe with a spirit level.
5. Assemble the carcasses and check that the diagonals are equal.
6. Stand the carcasses in place, screw them together and fix them to the wall.
7. Fit the top and bottom tracks exactly as the instructions say.
8. Hang the doors, set the height and gaps and tighten the screws.
9. Fit the interior and try every drawer and basket.
10. Close the gaps to the wall and ceiling with scribing strips.

Heavy doors with mirror or glass are best handled by two people. Floor-to-ceiling mirror doors weigh more than they look and can be dangerous if they fall.

Carcass

The most common material is melamine-faced chipboard around 18 mm thick. It is affordable and comes in many finishes. Fronts and doors are also made from MDF, lacquered or foil-wrapped. Solid wood is used less for built-in wardrobes because it moves with humidity and costs more.

Sliding doors

Sliding doors need no space to swing open, so they suit narrow hallways and small bedrooms. The frame is usually aluminium or steel, the infill chipboard, mirror, painted glass or a combination. With sliding doors only part of the wardrobe is ever open at once.

Hinged doors

They let you see the whole wardrobe at once and seal better, but they need clear space in front. In a room where a bed or desk stands in front of the wardrobe they are often impractical.

Walk-in wardrobe without doors

A separate dressing room often gets an open system without doors, just shelves and rails. It is simpler to fit, but everything is on show and more dust settles.

Lighting

LED strips in profiles or lights with motion sensors switch on when the doors open. The driver should be accessible for replacement and must not overheat in an enclosed space.

The fitter assembles what was designed. Whether the wardrobe works well day to day is therefore decided at the design stage. During the survey it is worth considering a few practical points.

• Depth. For a wardrobe with hangers, an internal depth of about 55 to 60 cm is usual, so that hangers do not hit the doors. Sliding doors take a few more centimetres for the tracks.
• Hanging height. Long coats and dresses need considerably more height than shirts and jackets. One section is therefore often planned with a single rail and another with two rails one above the other.
• Drawers behind sliding doors. A drawer must be placed so that it can be pulled out without hitting the door or the door frame where the doors overlap.
• Top shelves. Shelves just below the ceiling suit suitcases and seasonal items. Keep everyday things at eye and hand height.
• A space for the vacuum cleaner or ironing board. In a hallway, one section without shelves for tall items is often useful.

If you are unsure, measure your own clothes and the things you want to store. That is easier than rebuilding the interior later.

• Surveying before the walls are finished. It happens that the wardrobe is measured to rough plaster and no longer fits after skimming or tiling.
• A base that is not level. The sliding doors open or close on their own, and the gaps between the doors differ at the top and bottom.
• A wardrobe not fixed to the wall. It can tip over when heavy doors are opened or when children climb on it.
• Fixing into an unsuitable substrate. A plug in plasterboard without a stud, or in crumbling plaster, will not hold.
• A wardrobe on an external wall without ventilation. Moisture condenses behind it and mould grows unseen until there is a musty smell.
• A wardrobe in front of a socket or switch. Moving the electrics was forgotten and the wardrobe has to be cut out afterwards.
• A poor interior layout. Long dresses do not fit, drawers hit door handles, or a drawer cannot be opened behind a sliding door.
• Fitting onto fresh plaster. Moisture gets into the panels and the doors warp.

Fitting a built-in wardrobe does not normally require a permit, but check with your local authority whether anything applies to your project. The work is usually done by a joiner or by the manufacturer's fitting team. Connecting lighting to the fixed 230 V installation should be done by a qualified electrician in line with national rules. LED lighting with a plug-in driver is something you can connect yourself. If sockets or switches have to be moved for the wardrobe, that is separate electrical work with its own line item.

• the wardrobe is level, which you can check with a spirit level on a shelf and on top,
• sliding doors left half open do not move on their own,
• the doors run easily along their full length and the soft-close stops them without a bang,
• the gaps between and around the doors are even at the top and bottom,
• the wardrobe does not wobble when pushed and is firmly fixed to the wall,
• the scribing strips sit tight against the wall and ceiling with no visible gaps behind them,
• drawers and baskets run their full length without hitting doors or handles,
• panel edges are not chipped and the fronts are free of scratches,
• the lighting comes on when the doors open and the driver is accessible,
• you have the adjustment instructions for the hardware and a service contact at the manufacturer.

A few weeks after fitting, the doors may go slightly out of adjustment as the wardrobe settles and the material adapts to the humidity in the home. It is common to agree one follow-up adjustment with the manufacturer after the first weeks of use.

In the NUMIQ price list, fitting a made-to-measure built-in wardrobe is charged per hour of work including small consumables, excluding the wardrobe itself, hardware and lighting. You will find the current hourly rate in the price list under carpentry work. Prices vary by region and city.

The final cost of fitting depends mainly on the number of hours, which is affected by:

• the width and height of the wardrobe and the number of carcasses,
• the number and type of doors, with heavy mirror or glass doors taking longer,
• a sloping ceiling, alcove or uneven walls that need scribing on site,
• the amount of interior fittings, pull-outs and drawers,
• access to the flat, a floor without a lift and the distance from the van,
• fitting lighting and other accessories.

The wardrobe itself is quoted by the manufacturer from the drawing. The main price differences come from the door material and the interior, for example pull-out baskets and soft-close drawers.

If an old wardrobe has to come out first, see demolition of a built-in wardrobe. When planning a whole flat, kitchen unit installation is also useful, and for plasterboard work shelves and niches in drywall.