Help with wardrobes

Discussion in 'Carpenters' Talk' started by PHILPH, Jan 17, 2015.

  1. PHILPH

    PHILPH Member

    Hi,

    Could I ask some advice please.

    I'm thinking of buying some flat pack wardrobes from (B&Q) and as the fitting costs are quite high I'm thinking about having a go at fitting them myself.

    I don't think I'll have any bother putting the units together as Ive make a few up over the years, however where I'm stuck is the thought process in installing them.

    The basic set up is what I already have, which is an "L" shape, starting from the left hand side of the wall, starts with, double wardrobe, 2 box units over the bed, corner robe, and a single robe.

    Question is how/where do I start?

    Do I mark a line on the wall like you would fitting kitchen units as a reference point?

    Would you mark the walls or floor for where they go prior to fitting?

    How to you know they are square when you hit the corner for the final robe?

    Also, how do you level them, taking into account the final height when you fit the plinth?

    I don't and to plane anything off the bottoms to level them so do you just wedge them?

    Sequence of fitting them?

    I think you get the idea now that I haven't really got a clue with regards to the fitting!!

    I would say my skill level though is quite reasonable and think I could tackle them with a bit of know how.

    Any tips or advice would be well received.

    Thanks Lads.
     
  2. Hi Phil.

    You fit them chust like kitchen units.

    Bye.
     
  3. Phil the Paver

    Phil the Paver Screwfix Select


    How would he know how to fit kitchen units, if he doesn't know how to fit these. :p:p
     
  4. Phil the Paver

    Phil the Paver Screwfix Select

    Work out where you want your bed, take the centre of it as a fixed point to set the wardrobes to, ie: the middle of the overhead cupboards.
     
  5. Ok, ok, ok...

    As you say, the floor might not be perfectly even, so you should check this and find out if it slopes at all. Then you have a choice - do you 'wedge' up the units wot sits on the lower parts, or do you trim the bottoms off the units wot sit on the highest?

    Hmmm, dilemma.

    Hopefully your floor is nigh-on ok, so all you'd need to do is prop the odd unit upski a wee bit.

    As you say, you find the highest point on the floor, measure up the exact height of the tall unit, and that become your datum line. Use a good quality level to mark the whole line across.

    Get that bit right...

    Then it's case of positioning your units one at a time probably starting from that 'high' point. Position the unit, and mark out your wall fixings (that's another chapter...)

    To get the unit 'square' involves a combination of using your level on the vertical sides, checking 'diagonals' on the unit front (the most accurate) or even the cowboy method of actually fitting a door and wedging a unit side (if needed) until the door fits 'square' - ie: the unit carcase is as square as the door - even gaps all around (and that's pretty darned accurate too...)

    (Chust bear in kind that the door can fit 'square' on the unit even if the whole unit is tilted at a weird angle. So check the unit's verticals using your level...)

    Do not be tempted to screw any unit permanently to the wall until you are certain it is 'true' and 'square' in its own right. Ie - don't allow an adjacent unit to 'prop it up'/keep it level - each floor-mounted unit must individually be sitting 'true' (or else it'll chust 'sag' over time and you'll find doors scrapping and sh*)

    How do the unit fit to the wall? Sometimes you can fit a mounting 'batten' to the wall to support the tops of the units (a 2x1 fitted just under the top panels of the units), and this can help guide the level. But it's important to not let this batten 'carry' the units.

    Do your units have telescopic legs like kitchen units? If so, that's even easier - chust start on the highest part of your floor and adjust the legs to chust allow the plinth to slip under snugly. The each additional unit's legs to be slightly longer to suit the sloping floor.

    Finally, don't forget that carpet will compress over time, and that can 'throw out' the level a wee bit. A drastic solution is to cut the carpet away from where the units will stand, so's they sit on solid ground.

    But you prob shouldn't have to do that.
     

  6. Hey - I was bizz writing the second instalment... :p
     
  7. dwlondon

    dwlondon Active Member

    If its an old terraced house don't assume anything is square,plumb or level. So you will need to mark on the walls the approximate finished positions.

    The unit over the bed needs some careful consideration. That is if you want to avoid waking up to find it in your mouth. So make sure it gets fixed properly. This might mean digging into old plaster and finding where the bricks are. Fix some decent timber to the brick, then its easy to screw into it when fitting the units.

    I am assuming you want to get the whole lot in a nice close fit? This will take some shuffling about and positioning before you do any final fixing. The smaller units can probably be moved about and adjusted, but the double will be less easy to move about, and in some cases may begin to fall apart. so you will need help.

    if there is a big difference in levels, it might be simpler to make a level base out of sheet materials and sit all the wardrobes on that. The plinth will conceal it, if you allow for it.

    If the units are solid they will butt up against the skirting, not the wall. So consider that.
     

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