The sliding wardrobe is ideal for small apartments in which every meter of free space is important. Doors for wardrobes are doors installed on the facade and moving along a guide - the “face” of the entire structure. It is important to choose the ideal canvases that are suitable not only in appearance, but also in their functions. How to do this if you do not know the nuances of choice, we will tell you in our article.
Doors are the main detail of the cabinet
How do you like MDF?
wardrobes made of MDF
The front part of the sliding wardrobe can be made of MDF (fibreboard), which is made from sawdust.
The material is distinguished by high strength and ductility. This is a new material that appeared in the early 2000s. It is the most environmentally friendly, which is why it costs more. Its facades bend and are milled well, which allows you to create a reliable and beautiful model. The material is obtained by gluing dried wood fibers with polymer substances. It is very durable and does not absorb moisture, and therefore is used for making furniture.
Glass doors
Glass doors are perfect
suitable for designers' decisions. They are:
- matte;
- with a pattern or patterns;
- multi-colored;
- embossed;
This kind of material
completely environmentally friendly, it does not age, does not go out of fashion, and is easy to care for. The glass is carefully covered with a specialized film, which prevents the broken material from falling apart into small fragments. Often, special tempered glass - triplex - is used to decorate cabinets, but such material is much more expensive, which is why it is used in expensive models.
Glass can be used as an independent material, but can be combined with chipboard, mirror, or glass of a different color.
A cabinet with glass doors will look ideal in a spacious living room or library.
The best option
Chipboard, which is used for the production of sliding wardrobes, is characterized by a wide range of panel colors, thickness and edge processing methods. Upon request, you will be offered the same object, but in several versions: from chipboard produced in EU countries, Eastern European countries or domestically produced. Options may vary in price and quality. The inside of the wardrobe is made of chipboard panels and metal honeycomb parts. Manufacturers use similar honeycomb elements (shelves, baskets, etc.). The level of complexity of the design and the degree of quality of the cabinet depend both on the level of the brand, and on the experience of the designers and the professionalism of the assemblers.
Russian manufacturers purchase materials and fittings from imported manufacturers to make cabinets. But the product in this case is still not cheap.
It is worth noting that cabinets of very decent quality are produced by large Russian manufacturers. Here you have the choice of the most suitable option: free-standing or built-in wardrobe.
Cabinets are installed as furniture in the hallway, bedroom, kitchen or office. For example, a free-standing cabinet will be equipped with all the standard elements of cabinet furniture: base, floor, ceiling and walls.
The built-in version uses walls, floor and ceiling as its elements. Once you install such a wardrobe, you won’t be able to move it anywhere. And when you get tired of it, rearranging it will be accompanied by the risk of repairing a subsequently damaged wall.
But, still, the option of a separate cabinet is much more effective. It can be easily moved to a new location. For these purposes, when ordering a cabinet, you should provide an option with adjustable legs.
The interior of the cabinet is designed according to the client's whim. There may be regular shelves and drawers. If you plan to store something in a closet, then the drawers can be made like pull-out ones. In addition to shelves, you can mount mesh baskets moving on special rollers.
Mezzanines can be installed on top. If short items are stored in the closet, then they can be arranged in more than one row. Ordering and installing a mini elevator is now very expensive. There are good options with overhead shelves for storing things.
There is a unique opportunity to build a refrigerator into the cabinet, for which it is necessary to indicate this point in the project in advance, because it is necessary to make a support for it with increased load-bearing capacity. Some people will like to integrate consumer electronics or organize a work station with a computer.
The most popular option for a wardrobe is a model with drawers and shelves made of chipboard. When ordering a cabinet with individual parameters and design, you can count on the manufacturer to combine existing standards with the client’s requirements.
The interior decoration of a modern closet is based on three standard components, namely: honeycomb baskets or shelves, hangers and racks. Cellular metal baskets are combined into modules with the ability to transform or move freely inside the cabinet. This promotes good air circulation inside.
In addition to regular shelves and drawers, there are special devices for storing things. Escalator-type shoe shelves or carousel platforms spinning shoes in front of your face, as well as elevator hangers for placing clothes, will surprise the most demanding customers.
wardrobe lighting
An effective built-in lighting system is an integral part of a fashionable wardrobe. Lamps are located everywhere: on cornices or shelves and panels. Buyers have the privilege to choose mortise, wall-mounted or surface-mounted models of lighting elements. The backlight mechanism can be automatic or forced.
Required Parts
First of all, these are the door panels themselves.
You will also need the following details:
Sliding system profile. This is the name of a special guide, usually made of aluminum, on which roller mechanisms are mounted that ensure the movement of the sashes. During installation, this guide is attached above the opening either to the ceiling or directly to the wall. In modern designs, wall brackets are first fixed to the profile either with bolts or special latches, and only then they are secured to the ceiling or wall using screws.
There are several options for such mechanisms. They are chosen depending on the requirements for future doors.
- Roller mechanisms. They come with upper and lower sliding systems. Such devices are most in demand today due to the simplicity of their design, which makes it possible to install compartment doors with your own hands. With the upper system they are mainly used for installing interior compartment doors. The roller mechanism moves along the upper rigidly reinforced guide, and the verticality of the panel itself is determined by its weight. Doors with such roller mechanisms can be hinged or suspended. In hinged doors, compartment doors move using rollers made in the form of a pulley, rolling along a tubular guide. Suspension systems have a hollow guide with a rectangular cross-section. Rubber-coated roller wheels roll in it, ensuring a smooth and quiet ride. The advantages of this type of mechanism include the undemanding quality and levelness of the floor, and the disadvantages are the low weight of the door leaves. Industry, as a rule, produces such mechanisms designed for a maximum load of 60 kilograms.
- Bottom sliding system. This type of roller mechanisms is more reliable and allows the use of sashes with greater weight, since the main load falls on the lower guide. It consists of lower and upper guides, which are equipped with roller carriages. Carriages that move along the upper guide ensure the verticality of the sashes and perform a support function. They are most often used when constructing sliding doors for closets. Doors with such mechanisms do not jam due to distortions.
When choosing roller carriages for such systems, it is better to choose those whose wheels are rubberized or coated with silicone. Although they are more expensive than those made of plastic, they are more durable in operation and silent when the doors move, which is almost silent. If the doors use glass inserts or mirrors, you need to choose lower guides made of steel or other durable metal.
- Telescopic type mechanisms. In such mechanisms, the doors move along guide profiles on rubberized rollers and a special mechanism (synchronizers) ensures the adhesion of the door panels, so that one door seems to pull all the others along with it. They are used to install interior doors and to create large wardrobes.
Other details will also be needed.
- Closers that ensure smooth running. These mechanisms ensure that even with a sharp and strong push, the sash will move smoothly and without stopping until it comes into contact with the stop. It is very advisable to install such devices if there are children present in the room. This mechanism will prevent them from pinching their fingers.
- A stopper is a door fitting that limits the movement of the doors and prevents them from leaving a certain space. It also provides a softer opening and closing of the valves due to the rubber lining that softens the contact with the rollers.
- Clip stopper - this fitting ensures the sash is fixed in the required position (closed or open). The location of fixation is determined by the location of the clip stopper.
- Camouflage strips. They are used to hide the metal profile of the guide. Color and texture are selected depending on the interior.
- Door hardware - handles, locks, etc.
Why are partitions needed?
A wardrobe up to 6m long can be ordered without partitions, since the guides are made to that length. Even if you want it, then with such a length there will be many doors in the closet, and behind them there will be a space without partitions. It's not aesthetically pleasing. It is impossible to create a wardrobe of this type in an ordinary apartment, due to the fact that with a six-meter guide you will not be able to turn around either on the landing or in the apartment. Therefore, the cabinet, or rather the guide, must be divided into 2 parts. A vertical partition appears at their junction.
Mirror doors
A wardrobe with mirror doors will add charm and aesthetics to the design. Mirrors visually make the space larger, transforming a small room into a huge, large room. They make the room brighter and lighter. These doors will fit perfectly into any interior. Tinted mirrors, matte, look quite respectable. However, they are not recommended for rooms where there is little light. Mirror doors
for the cabinet, made according to the latest achievements of science and technology, are completely safe, thanks to the coating with a specialized film.
It is recommended not to combine mirrored furniture with original interior items made of real wood, heavy curtains, or any antiques. It will look at least cheesy.
Mirrored wardrobes can be used as partitions to divide a room into the necessary zones. There are a lot of ways to design such furniture. For example, furniture mirrors can be:
- tinted;
- have an anti-reflective coating;
- may have built-in lamps, which make it possible to additionally illuminate dark rooms;
- have designs and patterns, which looks unusual in large rooms;
The great positive quality of such cabinets is that they are much inferior in cost to analogues made from natural materials, including solid wood.
Design features of the wardrobe
- The product is made of chipboard with a laminated coating.
- The thickness of the slabs ranges from 8 to 28mm.
- The back wall is made of chipboard, with a thickness of 8 to 16 mm and is secured with plastic elements.
- The drawers are made of slabs with a thickness of 16mm.
- The shelves are secured using plastic elements.
- The canopy for mounting the lighting is made of a plate with a “Soft” edge, and the lighting uses 12V lamps powered by a standard household electrical outlet.
Selection of manufacturer and materials
Many manufacturers have different doors with their own characteristics. There are door options in two standard sizes - 76 or 91 cm. The panels are also made in certain standard sizes. When choosing a supplier, you need to compare prices for identical products manufactured by different companies. The presence of the central office of the manufacturing company is an important aspect. The price you are promised over the phone may not include on-site delivery and assembly. Check the availability and duration of the warranty immediately.
Be sure to ask the seller about the availability of his production. If this is the case, then ask a leading question, for example, what edge is used to process the panels. If you are offered an overlay or mortise edge as an answer, then refuse this order. The use of such elements indicates low quality or garage manufacturing. Reputable manufacturing companies have long since converted their facilities to the mechanical method of producing edges. You should definitely find out the thickness of the chipboard panels that will be used to complete the façade of your cabinet.
Slabs with a thickness of up to 10 mm are not produced here, but only imported. Many enterprising companies use milling of domestic slabs 16 mm thick to 10 mm and insert them into the door facade.
Don't forget to inquire about the thickness of the side walls of the product. If it turns out to be 18mm, then the panels from which your cabinet is made are of imported origin. Plates with a thickness of 16mm are of domestic origin, which is characterized by the likelihood of selling you domestic material covered with imported film.
Take the time to check the number of measuring engineers in the company. It is unacceptable for the loader to be a measuring engineer, and the head of the production cycle to be an installer. Unscrupulous manufacturers of this type of product sometimes deceive buyers on this point.
Wardrobe care requirements
Due to the fact that the cabinets are made from pressed wood, their surfaces do not tolerate moisture well. If it does get on the surface of the product, it must be removed with a dry cloth. Dirty panels should be wiped with a soft cloth to avoid scratches on the laminated layer.
Laminated panels must be frequently treated with special polishes. Mirror surfaces of cabinet doors should be wiped with special products.
It is advisable to lubricate creaking doors with paraffin or a similar product. The wheel guides must be cleaned of dirt and deposits.
