How to make a cabinet in a niche with your own hands in 5 steps and without helpers

Looking at the built-in furniture, most owners think that self-assembly of such beauty is impossible. However, when the home master receives sensible instructions, he changes his mind. Let us step by step figure out how to make a cabinet in a niche with your own hands, and in order to quickly understand the technology, we will break the whole process into 5 steps.

Planning is the key to success

The beauty of built-in furniture is that it doesn’t matter what kind of structure you are going to install. Whether the cabinet will occupy the niche completely, partially, or a corner layout is planned, in any case, the sequence of actions is similar.

Material selection– this is the first thing you need to decide. If the floor is concrete, then there is not much difference, you can take what you like, but for wooden floors you need to choose lightweight panels. Plus, recently such a characteristic as environmental cleanliness has come to the fore;
Preparing the niche itself– this point is not relevant for every owner, but you still need to know some subtleties;
Cabinet Layout– there are enough beautiful diagrams with dimensions on the network, but you need to rely on the practical benefits and feasibility of arranging a particular section;

Doors– as practice shows, in sliding wardrobes sliding doors are the most important component, moreover, they take up at least half of the budget;
Material cutting and installation– if all the previous points were completed efficiently, then assembling the cabinet will take a maximum of 2–3 days.

From a practical point of view, it is easiest to build furniture into a niche, because you already have a ready-made box, all that remains is to fill it and mount the facade.

Step No. 1: subtleties of material selection

Illustrations	Recommendations
	Tree. Natural wood is not suitable for a built-in wardrobe. Different humidity inside and outside will cause the board to begin to crack; in addition, the structure becomes massive and heavy. Assembly of such furniture is available only to professionals and the price is fantastic. But it is better to assemble the supporting frame from wooden blocks. They are easier to work with than metal profiles.
	Drywall. It is possible to assemble plasterboard shelves in a niche. But gypsum boards themselves are fragile, plus they still need to be puttied and painted. I'm not even talking about how much time and effort it will take to assemble and cover the frame. Drywall is good for partitions and small shelves; this material is not suitable for a serious cabinet.
	laminated chipboard. Laminated chipboard has been used for the manufacture of budget furniture for a long time. But about 10 - 15 years ago, information appeared that formaldehyde was used in the production of chipboard, and therefore the furniture was harmful. True, manufacturers claim that the laminated finish blocks formaldehyde fumes and judging by the fact that furniture continues to be produced, this is true.
	Fibreboard, MDF and HDF. All these are wood-fiber boards, only fiberboard comes with low solid density, MDF with medium density and HDF with high density. The prices for these slabs follow the same sequence. Since the cabinet is built-in, the density does not play a big role for us, the main thing is that the thickness of the slab is at least 16 mm. In general, this direction is considered the best for a sliding wardrobe.
	Plywood. It is excellent for making furniture; it is strong, reliable and durable, but thick laminated plywood is an order of magnitude more expensive than MDF or chipboard, so it is rarely used.
	Furniture board. This is natural wood. The panels are glued together from planks of inexpensive wood, after which they are lined with veneer or thin plywood. The material suits us, the boards are cheaper than solid wood, but more expensive than MDF
	Tempered glass. At the moment, the most popular material for arranging facades. The only disadvantage of tempered glass is its high price. Keep in mind that it is not advisable to take ordinary glass from the nearest glass cutting machine; firstly, it can crack due to vibration, and secondly, if such glass breaks, it can seriously injure you.

Step #2: preparing a niche

If the niche is covered with wallpaper and it holds tightly, then you can leave everything as is and continue working. It is advisable to remove old wallpaper, spray the wall with water and scrape off the wallpaper with a spatula; there are removers for wallpaper that sticks too tightly.

Cover the niche with new wallpaper. It is best to take non-woven or fiberglass wallpaper for painting; they are durable and will last in the closet for as long as you like. This method is good if you have scraps of such wallpaper left from the last renovation; it is not profitable to buy a large, solid roll;
If you don’t want to mess with wallpaper, then cover a clean wall with PVA glue diluted with water, and when the soil is dry, paint it with acrylic enamel. Instead of acrylic, you can take something cheaper, for example, oil paint, but it will stink and take a long time to dry.

Step No. 3: layout, diagrams and dimensions

A competent layout has simple laws, based on which you can easily distribute sections and zones in your closet:

Small and frequently used items are placed at eye level, that is, underwear, shirts, blouses, socks, stockings, etc.;
Valuable small items and things that require careful storage are distributed in drawers;
Bed linen is sent to the upper shelves or to a separate section, but in no case to the lower one;
Sections of outerwear and shirts with suits are located separately;
The bottom is reserved for shoes and household items, such as a vacuum cleaner, ironing board, etc.

There are also laws to determine the dimensions of sections:

The height of open shelves for things starts from 300 mm, it is advisable to make the width at least 500 mm;
According to furniture standards, the height of the outerwear section is 1600 mm, but this is not a dogma, it can be made smaller;
The minimum height of drawers is 100 mm, the width is the same as that of the shelves.

Step No. 4: facade door block

Here we need to decide on the width of the door leaves and the type of sliding mechanism.

Sash calculation

The recommended maximum for the width of the door leaf is 700 mm, it is not advisable to do more, less is possible. The thing is that the larger the area of the sash, the heavier it is, and accordingly, the higher the load on the supporting rail. Plus, the wide doors cover a large area and the cabinet is inconvenient to use.

We have at least 2 sashes, each one runs on its own guides, but it is impossible to make them exactly end-to-end according to the size of the opening; the normal overlap is 30–50 mm. Here you also need to take into account that the leaf consists of a door leaf and metal profiles framing this leaf; the thickness of different profile models is 20–50 mm.

The calculation scheme is approximately as follows:

Measure the frontal distance between the extreme points;
Divide this distance by the number of sashes;
Now add 2–2.5 cm to the resulting width of each sash for the overlap;
Next, if you subtract the thickness of the framing door profiles and sealing tape from the total width of the leaf, you will get the net width of the leaf;
When calculating the height of the sash, we focus on the passport data of the mechanism. There, in order to get the net height of the leaf, you need to subtract from the total height of the niche, the dimensions of the roller mechanism at the top and bottom, plus subtract the thickness of the guides and the door profile.

Types of rail mechanisms

The most popular mechanisms now are those with a lower support roller. In other words, a pair of rollers are installed at the bottom of the door leaf, which ride along grooves in the guide profile. There are also grooves and rollers on top, located on the upper edge of the leaf, moving along them, holding the doors in a vertical position.

This model works well on a concrete base; it is not advisable to install this mechanism on wooden floors. Sooner or later, under the weight of the cabinet, the floor will sag and problems with the doors will begin, plus debris is constantly collecting in the lower grooves.

Designs with top suspension of the sashes have 2 varieties. A top rail with two hooks under the doors is considered cheaper, but less reliable. This rail is rigidly attached to the ceiling and shutters with rollers are hung on it.

Installation of fittings is not difficult and the sashes can be hung quickly. The problem is that if you press this door a little, it will fly off the guides. In general, these arrangements are not suitable for families with small children.

The monorail is recognized as the most reliable system in this niche. Here, each block has 2 paired rollers and this entire system moves inside a metal profile pipe. The monorail can even withstand the weight of heavy wooden doors, but it also has its disadvantages.

Complex installation - first the rollers are inserted into the profile, then the profile is attached to the ceiling and after that the doors are hung from the roller blocks. It is very problematic to do this alone and without experience;
Monorail prices are 2–3 times higher than competitors;
The guide profile needs to be covered with something;
The roller blocks must be adjusted after installation.

Step No. 5: cutting material and assembly

From experience, it is better to make homemade sliding wardrobes either from laminated chipboard, or from laminated or veneered MDF, they have the best price-quality ratio.

A few words about cutting

I don’t recommend cutting slabs at home, even if you have a good tool. The fact is that you will not be able to laminate the ends of the house efficiently (tested). In furniture companies, the cutting and finishing service is not expensive.

By the way, transporting large laminated boards is a troublesome task, so it is better to order both the material and cutting from a furniture workshop. They buy goods in bulk, so the price difference will be acceptable.

Assembling the structure

It is better to start assembly from the inside of the cabinet. You have a diagram, the slabs are cut to size, then you buy furniture corners and use self-tapping screws or confirmants to screw the entire structure together.

A “cage” of shelves is attached to the back and side walls of the niche at several points with dowel-nails; there is nowhere for it to go in the niche, so you shouldn’t mount it too rigidly. First, vertical racks are installed, then shelves, drawers, etc. are gradually hung on them from bottom to top. Can be assembled in blocks.

After assembling the cabinet filling, you can move on to the most important procedure - installing the lower and upper guides. They are set strictly horizontally, according to the level, even the slightest distortion is not allowed here, otherwise the doors will move on their own. Don't rely on adjusting the rollers, it won't work.

If the floors are very crooked and you do not want to level them with a screed, then you can install a wooden beam with a thickness of 50 mm and attach a support guide rail to it. Set the level with pads. You can also adjust from above using wedges. Then all this “beauty” will have to be covered with decorative overlays.

Now all that remains is to assemble the door leaves, insert them into the guides and adjust the rollers to perfection. Some systems use door stops. There is no point in listing all the types of stoppers, so when purchasing accessories, simply clarify this issue with the seller.

Conclusion

The technology described above is universal, in this case we were talking about furniture built into a niche, but you can also install a free-standing or corner wardrobe in the same way. There are several more editing options in the video in this article. If you have any questions, write in the comments, I will try to help.

Spacious wardrobes with a convenient sliding door system are not only a decoration for any interior, but also a necessary element in the arrangement of modern housing. There is a large selection of ready-made models with different sizes and configurations. If for some reason a person could not choose a suitable option for himself, you can make a built-in wardrobe with your own hands.

To build a structure yourself, you need to collect a small set of tools, prepare a supply of materials and additional accessories for finishing the structure. Before starting work, you will need to determine the purpose and number of main sections and make the necessary measurements. In addition, you need to choose the design direction, type of lighting, style of decoration and fittings. Assembling a built-in storage system yourself is not as difficult as it seems. You can use step-by-step instructions that describe each stage in detail.

Example of a built-in design drawing

What are sliding wardrobes

A built-in wardrobe involves a special design for storing personal belongings, equipped in a niche. Often there is no back wall, and the main parts are attached to the floor, ceiling, and side walls of the room. The main difference from analogues is the sliding door mechanism. The doors move along guides in both directions. When open, they do not take up any useful living space.

Work order

The wardrobe manufacturing process consists of the following stages:

selection of materials;
determination of the location and dimensions of the structure;
design of door panels;
developing a plan and selecting a method for attaching shelves;
preparatory finishing work in the niche;
drawing up a drawing based on the measurements taken;
acquisition of necessary panels, auxiliary equipment, accessories;
sawing sheets, forming blank parts;
frame assembly, adjustment and installation of all elements;
installation of lighting (if necessary);
finishing the front side of the cabinet and installing doors.

Assembly master at work

Materials and tools

The development of a drawing of the future cabinet, a list of necessary tools, and an installation diagram depend on the choice of materials.

Wood and lining

The traditional raw material for furniture is wood. Cabinet furniture made from natural wood lasts for many years, looks expensive, and emphasizes the status of the owner of the house.

Expert opinion

Alexander Didenko

Using untreated wooden parts to furnish a niche is not the best choice. Due to the humidity that forms against the background of the temperature difference inside and outside the structure, they can become deformed. To avoid this, it is better to use straight-layer planks made of solid wood and coated with special protective agents.

Unlike wood, lining does not require pre-treatment. Plastic or MDF panels are suitable for compartment construction. The boards are easily joined into grooves and secured with glue. Wood is used to frame the door frames.

Drywall

Finishing with plasterboard makes it possible to experiment. It is difficult to find a better facing material, but it is not recommended to use it as a base for a frame. The fragile structure of the sheets does not meet the requirements for load-bearing structures. The panels must be attached to a complex system of metal profiles. The finished wardrobe is covered with putty and a layer of decorative cladding. These cabinets are not designed to store heavy items.

Laminate sheets, MDF and fiberboard panels

Planks made of wood chips visually imitate solid wood. There are surfaces with different relief and structure. The protective coating prevents swelling or delamination of the ends of the parts. The fabrics are resistant to mechanical damage. Building a closet is inexpensive. The process itself does not require outside help.

Please note: fiberboard sheets must be of medium or high density.

Necessary equipment

To make a homemade built-in structure, you need special devices and a supply of consumables.

List of tools:

roulette;
screwdriver;
level for geometry control;
jigsaw for fitting parts;
screwdriver;
drill;
self-tapping screws;
hammer.

You will also need components such as rods for hangers, guides for the movement of doors, and a door mechanism.

Filling the wardrobe

Design and drawing development

Work on the design of the future cabinet begins with planning the contents. After determining the location where the sections will be located, you can begin to calculate and display the measurements on the drawing.

Internal layout plan

When designing, it is customary to adhere to the following rules:

it is better to place the section with outerwear on the side so that moisture does not spread around the perimeter;
for small accessories you need to allocate a prominent place so that they are always at hand;
It is recommended to store clothes, bed linen, and towels on top, since moisture collects and dust rises within half a meter from the floor;
To store valuable items, it is necessary to provide several drawers.

Example of interior space

Based on the planning results, it is necessary to determine the minimum width of the shelves. This parameter will be useful at the stage of calculating the valves.

Measurements and drawing

To take measurements correctly, you need to take into account several recommendations. The walls in a niche are rarely even. Errors in uneven finishing of corners are usually invisible, but a difference of even 2 mm is striking.

It is recommended to measure the width at a minimum of three points. The back wall is measured from the top, middle, bottom. Then, using a similar principle, the dimensions of the facade are determined. Height measurements are also taken in three places, separately for the front and rear walls.

Advice. To ensure that the finished structure fits into the niche without gaps, before installation all errors are carefully calculated and allowances for installation are added.

When displaying measurements on a drawing, you need to sum up the thickness of the material with the edge tape, add 10 cm for the sliding door mechanism.

Blanks and accessories

It is better to order sawing into individual parts according to finished sizes from sellers of furniture materials. As a rule, such a service is provided in construction stores and retail suppliers. The advantages of this solution are:

availability of equipment that allows sawing large sheets of blanks with millimeter precision;
professionals calculate the optimal arrangement of parts in the sheet, which saves material, the remainder is transferred to the buyer;
delivery of finished parts is easier than large-sized sheets, the risk of damage during transportation is reduced;
sellers can arrange promotions when the service can be much cheaper or even free for large orders of materials, which is a nice bonus.

The ends of the parts are also additionally framed. Edge finishing provides protection of elements from moisture and temperature fluctuations. The edges of the blanks will take on a finished look.

Edging slabs with different thicknesses of trimming tape

D For laminated planks and MDF panels, the minimum thickness of the cabinet elements should be from 1.6 cm, sashes - from 2.5 cm.

All necessary fittings, accessories, and decorative elements are sold in special stores.

Preparatory work in the niche

In order for the walls and ceiling to serve as a body for the future cabinet, you will need to prepare them first. The main purpose of finishing is that the surface should not spread dust onto storage items. Processing is easy. You will need to remove the old cladding and apply acrylic emulsion to the cleaned surface.

Expert opinion

Alexander Didenko

Furniture assembler at Mabaks

Wallpaper or paint can be easily removed with a surfactant remover. The composition of the substance is harmless and has no pungent odor. After just half an hour, the old finish can be easily removed with a spatula. Before painting, it is recommended to apply with a foam roller water based primer(For example,OLYMP, TEX) overlapping several times, with a break of one day.

Housing Installation

In order to secure the frame the first time, it is recommended that it clearly demonstrates the nuances of installation. For built-in wardrobes, the frame functions are performed by the floor, ceiling, walls and frame for attaching the compartment guide parts.

Important: it is unacceptable to mount the frame panel on an uneven surface. If there is a sloping ceiling, curved walls or different levels of the floor surface, the door leaves will not move correctly. Before installation, you will need to prepare a level base.

Laminate or wood board inserts are used to level the surface. The correct geometry is checked with a level. The frame with auxiliary strips is built into the wall using self-tapping screws.

The gaps are masked with pre-prepared decorative strips - friezes. Additional elements are cut out to match all the details and fixed with special glue.

Assembly nuances

The ceiling-height frame must be assembled in a vertical position. If you combine elements on the floor, when the body is raised, the length of the side diagonal will exceed the distance from floor to ceiling. The finished structure cannot be lifted and built into a niche.

The order of work with a suspended ceiling

The choice of a specific technology depends on the condition of the repair and the skills of the performer.

Door preparation

The key element of a compartment storage system is the door. Installation work takes place in three stages:

determining the width and number of doors;
choice of suspension design;
installation of stoppers.

Calculation of the number of canvases in accordance with the width of the sashes

Comfort during operation depends on the number of wardrobe doors. More convenient are those models with 2-3 doors. It is not recommended to install doors that are too wide. Over time, panels may become stuck at the top of the fasteners. Distortions are also likely to occur due to the large weight of the elements. The maximum canvas size is 60-70 cm.

For correct calculation, it is necessary to take into account the amount of overlap. If there is insufficient overlap between the door panels, gaps will be visually noticeable. If there is excessive overlap, it is more problematic to plan the internal placement for a compartment in a hallway or closet with limited space. The optimal overlap width is within 5-7 cm.

The influence of the number of valves on calculations

Another important point- The width of the panel should not exceed the dimensions of the narrowest storage compartment. Incorrect calculation will lead to partial or complete blocking of access to the section.

From the final figure you need to subtract about 4-5 cm for the side posts that limit the movement of the sashes from the wall.

The calculation procedure is as follows:

Calculations are made based on the total width of the future cabinet.
The number of overlaps is determined as the sum of the sashes minus one.
If the resulting value is greater than the maximum allowable panel width, the number of sashes is increased by one.
You will need to repeat the calculations until you reach the permissible width of the web.

Example calculation

Initial data: opening - 175 cm, minimum shelf width - 45 cm. With these parameters it is impossible to make a double-leaf door system. The parameters of one panel will exceed the permissible value. With three sashes, the following result is obtained: 175–10 (or 14 cm for two overlaps) – 5 cm for the side slats = 160 (or 156) cm. When divided into three slats, the size of one panel is 53 or 52 cm, which is larger than necessary. In this case, you will need to change to 3 overlaps and 4 sashes. The result will be canvases 39/37 cm wide. Each additional sash significantly affects the rise in cost of the project. It is advisable to redo the original filling so that the shelf size is 55 cm. For convenience, you can use ours.

Suspension systems

There are single-rail systems for moving canvases and double-rail mechanisms of lower and upper types. depends on the design parameters, the intended use of the niche, and the allocated budget.

Hanging system for cabinet doors

Lower suspension

The most reliable mechanism. The movement of the shutters is ensured by rollers at the bottom, and at the top they prevent the leaf from falling out.

Advice. When purchasing accessories, you need to pay attention to the quality of the rollers. Parts must withstand increased load at the bottom of the device.

To install, you will need to fix the sash in the upper groove, then insert it into the lower one.

The operation of such a mechanism can be affected by a floor that has sagged over time. You also need to regularly clean the rollers so that the accumulated layer of dust does not interfere with the movement of the doors.

Bottom roller arrangement

Upper support

When moving, the upper rail ensures smooth operation of the mechanism without unnecessary noise. The device is inexpensive and easy to install. In order for the panel to fit into the groove, it must be tilted. It is imperative to supplement the system with lower guides so that the doors do not rub against each other.

The main disadvantage is the unreliable fastening of the sash. Accidental pressing releases the rollers from the recess. Because of this, the door leaf falls inward.

Upper support system

Single rail mechanism

The monorail system operates by two pairs of rollers moving along a separate guide bar. This type of fastening allows you to do without rails on the floor. The device is also not resistant to force. Therefore, it is recommended to strengthen the mechanism with a lower set of rollers with slats for movement. The robust suspension allows the installation of wide panels.

In addition to numerous advantages, the monosystem has several disadvantages:

The cost of the mechanism is above average.
The gap between the sash and the rails must be decorated with a special insert.
Difficult installation technology. It is necessary to place the carriages on the rails in advance and fix the box to the ceiling surface. The final stage is attaching the door. Outside help is required to hang the sashes.
The complete suspension needs to be adjusted.

Locking elements

Most often, mechanical latches are used for coupes.

There are two types of stoppers:

recess in the guide bar;
latch in the form of a flat spring.

Spring-action clamps are a pair of antennae, between which the wheel falls. In the case of rollers, the sides of the grooves are fixed by abutting tendrils.

Suspension systems use a rubber stopper

Regular opening and closing often leads to misalignment and inevitable damage to the latch. The best prevention of breakdowns is the use of high quality fittings and careful use.

Fastening the shelves

Another simple fastening method is to use a regular MDF plinth of a suitable texture and color. It is screwed to the wall with self-tapping screws. The plinth pieces are taken one third less than the length of the shelf, the ends are cut at an oblique angle so that the fasteners are less noticeable.

Painting and installation of doors

If you plan to paint the door panels, it is better to apply the paint before installing the shelves. This will give you the time needed for the surface to dry completely.

Acrylic-based enamel coating is excellent for decorating cabinets. There is a large selection of colors for this finish. The dried surface acquires a glossy shine and is easy to clean.

Furniture is often coated with drying oil. Before painting, it is recommended to apply a layer of primer to ensure uniform distribution of the coloring matter. Thorough surface preparation helps preserve the original appearance for many years.

You can begin installation after all parts have dried. The doors should be installed according to the specifications included in the packaging with the suspension mechanism.

Correct installation of doors

Backlight

For lighting, it is recommended to install LED backlighting, which consumes little electricity, is safe and does not heat up. The resulting light is quite enough to illuminate a large dressing room. The light bulbs are powered from a power supply connected to a common network.

For your information. Wardrobes are made from fire-resistant materials. It is unacceptable to provide lighting in the closet at 220 V.

Facing

In most cases, the façade is decorated with mirror inserts, drawings, and a combination of overlays of different textures.

Advice. Mirrors mounted on a wood base greatly weigh down the canvas. It is better to buy acrylic surfaces.

An interesting option for doors is . A non-standard façade is made to individual measurements. For production, inexpensive solid pine with a beautiful texture and high strength is used. Surface treatment is simple and suitable for painting.

The finished wardrobe must be inspected for defects, protruding chips, and open screws. It is necessary to eliminate all defects that could damage the items stored inside.

Comparison of costs for a ready-made and homemade cabinet

Making a wardrobe built into the wall with your own hands will cost approximately 5-10 thousand rubles, taking into account the cost of sawing work (information for 2018). If you have minimal skills, you will have to spend 4-6 days. If you have at least some experience in making furniture, then it will take 2-5 days to build a wardrobe.

It’s hard to find a ready-made wardrobe for less than 20 thousand rubles. The standard lead time for an individual order from the manufacturer is two weeks.

Homemade cabinets and partitions are cheaper than factory ones. But such work will require higher level skills. Furniture craftsmen with an established workflow will cope with such an order much faster. Converting a niche into a wardrobe is a great way to turn empty space into a useful functional area.

The layout of old apartments usually could not do without niches. Looking at this, one useful and interesting thought comes to mind - a closet. You can make such a built-in wardrobe with your own hands.

Such a space is most often located in the corridor, less often in the bedroom. No furniture can be placed there - neither a sofa, nor an armchair. But the shelves just beg to be seen, but they could also be closed with a door, or maybe even a sliding one. This is how the wardrobe appears on its own. What is needed for this, and where is the best place to start? Let's talk about this.

Materials

The set of tools that you will need in the future will depend on your current choice. Drawings for making a built-in wardrobe will also depend on the material chosen.

When it comes to materials, the first thing that comes to mind is wood. This is an excellent material for furniture, but not the best solution for a built-in wardrobe. This is because such a cabinet is mounted to a blank wall, most often. This increases the humidity levels inside the cabinet, and when the door is opened, the moisture levels outside and inside mix. All this negatively affects wood.

This can be solved by choosing it. You need to pay attention to high-quality wood, with straight layers in which there will be no cracks or knots.

Such wood must also be thoroughly impregnated with emulsion or drying oil. Otherwise, the walls and shelves may swell, which will negatively affect the overall integrity of the structure.

Speaking about materials for a built-in wardrobe, it’s worth remembering simple fiberboard. The material is familiar, fits perfectly, there are a huge number of options for making structures from it. You should not take thin sheets, they quickly degrade.

I also haven’t talked about the lining and plasterboard construction. In the case of the first option, there will still be a need for wood, which again will need to be further processed, otherwise moisture will not allow you to enjoy the cabinet for a long time.

In the second case, forget it. The material is quite heavy, but does not differ in strength. Structures made from it turn out to be unreliable, and vertically installed parts soon begin to lose their shape. It can work when decorating the interior or exterior of a cabinet, in particular if there is a fireplace or stove nearby.

I didn't mention consumables such as screws, dowels, guides and the like. Here everything will depend more on your preferences when planning your closet.

Separately, I would like to say that you should not save much, especially on the back wall. If you are making a closet-pantry in place of a niche, then you can get by with the wall as the back of the cabinet.

If you plan to store things in it, it is better to take a few more sheets of the base material and cover the back with them. At a minimum, aesthetically this will be a huge plus. In addition, after assembling the cabinet, you are unlikely to redo anything in it in the coming years. Save wisely.

Blueprints

To more clearly and clearly understand how to make a built-in wardrobe with your own hands, you need to take care of the drawings. You can make them yourself, or you can search the Internet for ready-made options. The second method is more interesting because you can find a very similar version of how you want your closet to look, and then simply adjust it to suit your needs and capabilities.

In this regard, you can make the internal structure simpler by removing some fittings, or you can change it. In general, everything will depend on the overall dimensions of the connector that is available to you for the cabinet.

During calculations, take into account the small error that may occur during the installation stage. Leave room for guides under the doors if you decide to use the option with a sliding wardrobe.

If you have problems with drawings and calculations, it is better to use ready-made ones, or find a master who can make them for you. Having them at your disposal will make the preparation and assembly processes much easier and more enjoyable. Instructions with descriptions for built-in cabinets can be ordered from any workshop that works with furniture.

If you have not previously worked with furniture assembly, it is better not to rush with the facade, and in particular with complex structures for it. There are many features in this process that can easily be missed in the calculations. If you already have a drawing, then it is better to call a specialist who will help you install the front part.

Installation

By this moment, you should have all the components of the future cabinet ready. Depending on the size of the cabinet and the complexity of its internal structure, there can be a lot of parts. Check that everything is in place and check the sizes of identical parts again.

Installing built-in wardrobes is not a very quick task, and therefore there is no need to rush. The peculiarity is that, in fact, such a cabinet will not have its own frame. The main parts will be built into a niche, for example, after which the remaining parts will be installed on their basis.

The first step is to install the false panel, after which attach the door guides. After this, you can begin installing the cabinet interior. Since the walls, floor and top of the cabinet are already there, installing the structure should not cause any problems.

The final stage of installation will be the doors. By installing them on the guides, you can disinfect the cabinet and clean it of debris. This completes the installation. Next you need to add fittings, if provided, and you can start using the cabinet.

Photos of built-in wardrobes with your own hands

A sliding wardrobe is a very popular type of wardrobe, because it is not only spacious, but also takes up quite a bit of space. This piece of furniture is quite functional.

In this article we will tell you how to make a wardrobe with your own hands.

What is a coupe?

The concept of a coupe first appeared in France during the age of horse-drawn carriages. At that time, the city streets where the common people lived were so narrow that it was not always possible to open the cart door. This led to the appearance of carriages with sliding doors in the 17th century.

It is believed that the first carriage-coupe was invented by the French carriage master Jeanto. Whether this is actually true is unknown.

The crew of the coupe was considered to be flirtatious and frivolous, because this type of transport was usually used for secret meetings with ladies. Some linguistic experts believe that coupe comes from the word “couple,” which in French means extramarital affair.

Over time, compartment doors began to be used for train cars. As for the furniture industry, a wardrobe is any wardrobe with sliding doors.

Types of wardrobes

Sliding wardrobes can be:
Radial;
Built-in;
Hull;
Straight;
Corner.

Do-it-yourself built-in wardrobe technology

Instructions on how to make a wardrobe with your own hands:

Selecting the material;
We determine the degree, nature and technology of how the filling of the cabinet will be placed;
We design the doors, choose the suspension option;
Choosing a technology for fastening shelves;
Preparing a niche;
We make the necessary measurements and drawings;
We purchase the necessary materials and accessories;
We cut out the required blanks;
We assemble the wardrobe and install interior lights if necessary.

What is a wardrobe made of?

Before you start designing a cabinet, you need to decide on the material, because it directly determines the technology by which this piece of furniture will be manufactured.

Made of wood and lining

Wood is a classic material for making furniture. Today it is very prestigious to have furniture made from natural wood. But for a wardrobe, this is not the best choice, since due to higher humidity the wood may begin to deform.

If you still want to make a wooden cabinet, then choose straight-grained wood that does not have strands, knots or cracks. It must be treated with special compounds.

The lining can be made of plastic or MDF. There is no need to prepare it in advance. But the frame of the cabinet doors will still have to be made of wood.

From plasterboard

It is possible to make a cabinet from gypsum plasterboard, but it is quite difficult. In fact, it will be a building structure, not a piece of furniture.

Made from laminate, MDF, fiberboard

These are the optimal materials for the manufacture of this type of furniture. You can make a wardrobe out of these at home easily and simply. They have all the advantages of wood and none of its disadvantages.

There is just one caveat: it is advisable to choose fibreboard with a density higher than average.

What is the filling made of?

The filling determines how the cabinet space will be distributed, where the shelves and drawers will be located. Experts advise following the following recommendations:

Wet place on the side;
The necessary small things are at eye level;
Dry – on top;
The most expensive thing is to distribute it into boxes.

The purpose of planning the filling is to achieve the smallest width of the shelves, which will be required when calculating the doors. The distribution of the interior space of the cabinet must be approached responsibly.

The contents of the closet significantly influences how comfortable, convenient it will be and how many years it will last.

Wardrobe doors

Doors are the most complex part of the cabinet and require the most responsible approach. It is necessary to decide how many sashes will be needed and what width, the design of the suspension and stoppers.

Note!

The fewer doors there are in a closet, the more convenient it is to use. But this increases the risk of warping and stalling. The maximum width allowed for sashes is 60-70 cm.

In addition, the doors should not be wider than the narrowest shelf, otherwise it will be impossible to get to it. It is also desirable that the sashes overlap by at least 5-7 cm.

You don’t have to buy such a necessary thing as a wardrobe; you can make it yourself. It’s easy to find drawings of a wide variety of wardrobe models on the Internet. A hand-made cabinet will be a source of pride for you.

Photo of a do-it-yourself wardrobe

Note!

If you have a small-sized apartment, where there is not enough free space to place things and wardrobe items, you should make a built-in wardrobe with your own hands, you can remake niches or openings in the walls in a Khrushchev-era building, or equip an attic for a dressing room. This will save space, which is not enough, and money. Of course, this task is quite labor-intensive, but with proper preparation, you can create or remodel a truly convenient built-in structure.

When making a built-in wardrobe with your own hands, the first thing you need to think about is drawing up a diagram and calculating the required materials. All the nuances should be taken into account in the calculation so that the use of finished furniture is as efficient as possible. It is worth considering where cabinets, shelves, hangers and other elements will be located for convenient use of the closet. An important advantage of a built-in wardrobe for owners of Khrushchev is the ability to build it “for yourself” in order to make maximum use of all the free space with cabinets, select the optimal sizes of shelves, and choose the location of all elements.

It would be better if rods for trampolines are built closer to the ceiling, this will allow you to make good use of the cabinet space at the top. Sufficient distance between shelves for clothes is up to 40 cm. If you plan to build in a TV, stereo system or other equipment in the future, you should allocate space. If you are making built-in kitchen furniture, think about the oven in advance. It will require a special place.

It is imperative to make drawings that clearly show how the built-in furniture will look. If you do not have the proper experience in drawing them up, you can find ready-made projects for calculations and manufacturing of built-in structures with the drawings below. It shows in detail how to make a built-in wardrobe with your own hands in a Khrushchev-era apartment, and also experts who understand cabinets or home craftsmen who have already made calculations before when they built a kitchen for a new oven in the country with their own hands or made a corner cabinet with their own hands give useful advice. There will also be photos of finished converted projects. You can take the help of computer programs to design a built-in cabinet with all the smallest details and diagrams.

Important design features:

Depending on whether the walls and ceiling are smooth in the place where the cabinet is planned to be built, the scope of further work is determined. It is necessary to eliminate all surface irregularities so that the structure is stable and does not collapse;
all fittings must be the same style and color, located at the same distance from each other;
Avoid using panels that are too long. They are quite difficult to install and may sag over time;
Much attention should be paid to the floor. Its surface must be smooth and hard. Parquet or linoleum will not be able to support furniture that is too heavy, and the laminate will move in waves;
When installing all the elements, it is necessary to take into account that large wooden parts will expand by a couple of millimeters due to exposure to moisture, so you should leave small gaps between them.

If you plan to add glass or mirror elements to the attic closet, it is better to use a special protective coating. It will help protect parts from scratches during use.

Material selection

The material plays an important role when we are planning the manufacture of a wardrobe or remodeling kitchen furniture for a new oven. Indicators such as the strength and durability of the built-in structure are taken into account. The most popular are wood, plasterboard, and wood-containing boards. The pros and cons of each material are shown in the table.

Material	Advantages	Flaws
Solid wood	has an attractive appearance, high strength; with proper care it will withstand a long service life; suitable for any interior.	not suitable if you want to build a cabinet into a niche, since the humidity in the niche is too high. This will cause the built-in furniture to lose its shape very quickly; wood processing requires a certain tool and the skills to work with it from a home craftsman.
Drywall	the most budget option; easy to work with; you can easily and without any special skills make curved elements and corner structures; fits into any interior.	A do-it-yourself plasterboard cabinet is highly fragile and has low strength; requires additional strong support.
Wood-based boards	a wide variety of materials, colors and textures; affordable price; high strength; they are not afraid of exposure to moisture, they are easy to work with.	It will not be possible to make various figured elements from them.

To avoid the negative consequences of moisture on natural wood, you can treat it with drying oil or a special emulsion.

When choosing a material, you should also take into account in which room the cabinet will be used and under what conditions:

a built-in plasterboard cabinet cannot be installed in places with high humidity and significant temperature changes. For example, near the toilet, in the kitchen where the oven is built-in, or in the attic;
MDF and chipboard boards are considered a universal option. They are suitable if you are planning to make a closet in the toilet with your own hands in a Khrushchev-era building, where there is always not enough space, they make excellent built-in kitchens where you can install an oven, also an ideal option for a summer house or attic;
wood is best used for living rooms or bedrooms. It looks luxurious and presentable in any interior.

If we are talking about a small room in a Khrushchev-era building, you can think about the design of a corner built-in wardrobe. When arranging an attic house, for example, if it is a summer house, the corner location will also be very convenient.

Drywall

Solid wood

Preparing parts and tools

After you have decided on the design, filling, and materials used, you should look at the diagram again and think about whether you took into account all the nuances before manufacturing. Will you need to add shelves or cabinets, will there be enough space in the closet. Before you begin the construction work itself, you can watch a video about do-it-yourself built-in cabinets, which other home craftsmen have already done. This will help you determine the sequence of upcoming work, the calculation of a particular material and tool.

It is necessary to prepare details for:

doors;
guides for wheels if the doors will open according to the principle of a sliding wardrobe;
rear and side panels, if you will install them;
roofs;
shelves for clothes and shoes;
trempel rods;
fasteners.

Elements of the room can be used as back, side panels, and floors if the walls are fairly smooth. This will help significantly reduce material costs. In this regard, new buildings are much more convenient compared to Khrushchev buildings. If there are defects or unevenness on the walls, it is better to use a separate structure that should be attached to the wall. A lighter and thinner material is usually chosen as the back panel, since the back side is not load-bearing.

If we are talking about a wardrobe, it is necessary to lay a durable floor in it so that the structure is level and the parts do not wear out quickly. If the cabinet is built into a wall or in the place where there was a niche, you can leave the floor of the room, but it must be level, covered with a suitable material.

As for tools, you should also take care of them in advance so that the process of building the cabinet does not drag on. To work you will need:

level, square;
pencil, awl, sharp knife;
drill with the necessary drills, screwdriver;
hacksaw for metal.

The set of tools will differ depending on the selected materials, design and location of the cabinet. The preparation of parts should begin with the calculation and cutting of sheets into parts. To do this, you need to draw the necessary elements with a margin of 3-3.5 mm. If you do not have sufficient experience in repairs, working with cutting tools and built-in cabinets, you can order cutting of sheets in a specialized workshop or store. There they will do it quickly, efficiently, strictly according to your sizes. After all the parts are cut into elements, it is necessary to cover the edges with PVC film.

The final preparatory work is the selection of accessories. This includes handles for doors, pull-out shelves, tramples, hooks, “Euro-screws” with plugs.

Tools

The sequence of fastening all parts

A handmade built-in wardrobe allows you to make the most of the available space. If such a possibility exists, elements of the room are used as the bottom, roof, side, and rear walls. It is rarely possible to build a cabinet into a wall without both side walls; this is only possible in a niche or when designing furniture along the entire length of the wall. In any case, this opportunity to save money is worth taking advantage of.

The entire process of assembling the structure can be divided into the following stages:

markings are made for future holes for mounting screws. In other words, they transfer the drawing to the wall where the furniture is being designed. This is a very important stage that requires maximum precision;
install first the bottom and then the walls of the cabinet;
after the main frame has been built in, install the back wall and attach the upper shelves, this will make the built-in structure more rigid;
install the roof - even when making a cabinet under the ceiling, you must still leave a gap of at least 7 cm, otherwise you will not be able to fasten the “Euroscrews”. In any case, you won’t be able to use a screwdriver here; you can only tighten the screws with your hands or pliers, and tighten them with a wrench or a “ratchet”;
mount the side shelves using “Euroscrews” or corners, 4 pieces for each shelf. Install tramp rods and boxes;
The doors are assembled last. Here the sequence of actions depends on the choice of door type - sliding or hinged.

Preparing the installation site and developing a drawing

Preparation and fastening of the frame

Fastening the frame frames of the future cabinet

Drywall cutting

Fastening drywall

Puttying

Shelf material

Installation of shelves and guides

Door installation

Installing doors is one of the most critical stages in assembling a built-in wardrobe, since it is the doors that represent the façade of the entire structure. When installing swing doors you may encounter the following difficulties:

if you did not install side panels, but used the room wall instead, it will be very difficult to insert elements for furniture hinges;
An additional tool may be required for drilling large blind holes; not every home craftsman has such a router.

If you plan to install sliding doors, then the easiest way is to attach the guides for them using self-tapping screws, and screw the rollers to the doors themselves. If the floors and canvases are fairly smooth, there will be no problems with installation.

Depending on the material from which the door is made, additional cladding may be required. It can be self-adhesive, PVC film, colorless varnish, etc.

Installing sliding wardrobe doors yourself will require maximum attention and accuracy. Often this design is complemented with a mirror cloth for maximum ease of use. First of all, the rear door is installed; for this you will need screws, screws, rollers, corners, and a seal. The running profiles are secured at the top and bottom. Install the profile handle, corners from below on both sides, and running rollers. The fittings for the front door are attached in the same way.

If you plan to install a mirror, you need to apply a seal along the entire length of the profile; if you plan to insert chipboard, no seal is needed. Lastly, the doors themselves are installed in the grooves of the profiles, and the contents of the cabinet are equipped with tremors, baskets and other useful storage elements. Doors should close and open smoothly, without jerking or unnecessary sounds.

If all stages of manufacturing a built-in wardrobe are carried out as accurately and accurately as possible, then repairing built-in wardrobes will not take very long, and the design itself will only bring convenience and will help keep the house tidy. The video will help you better understand how to make a built-in wardrobe with your own hands. Having better studied the process of how the installation takes place, you will not have to redo anything and everything will work out the first time.

Installation of a compartment door