Optimizing an IKEA Wardrobe
Intro: Optimizing an IKEA Wardrobe
I have bought an IKEA (PAX) wardrobe with doors. When it came about the drawers, a design fault showed off: some unwanted and irregular space between the drawers made us loose some precious room.
Well, it may be a small annoyance, or a big one if you are a perfectionist!
Read on to see how to hack and save space. It will require a hand saw for metal, and a router.
Well, it may be a small annoyance, or a big one if you are a perfectionist!
Read on to see how to hack and save space. It will require a hand saw for metal, and a router.
STEP 1: Using the IKEA Online Planner
They have an online planner on the web, which allows you to choose the wanted size, color, accessories.
After opting for doors, when placing the drawers, you may notice some unexpected spaces (marked "?!?" below), but the images are pretty small and faded, so you'll miss them easily.
The wasted space seems meaningless, but believe me, in practice, you'll notice it. The bad thing is that you cannot use that space at all.
After opting for doors, when placing the drawers, you may notice some unexpected spaces (marked "?!?" below), but the images are pretty small and faded, so you'll miss them easily.
The wasted space seems meaningless, but believe me, in practice, you'll notice it. The bad thing is that you cannot use that space at all.
STEP 2: Why These Damn Extra Spaces?
But why, you ask, do these spaces exist? is there some sort of constraint?
The answer is: the door hinges are on the way!
The answer is: the door hinges are on the way!
STEP 3: The Solution
Let's not be ruled by these hinges. The idea:
- make a cut into the bottom-most slide
- make a groove into the fourth drawer
- make a cut into the bottom-most slide
- make a groove into the fourth drawer
STEP 4: Bottom-Most Drawer
A hinge is on the way of the slide. use a metal handsaw to make a cut like illustrated.
Then, mount all four slide pairs, and place the three bottom-most drawers.
Gain: one space.
(There are still two spaces wasted at the very bottom.) But hold on, the best is yet to come.
Then, mount all four slide pairs, and place the three bottom-most drawers.
Gain: one space.
(There are still two spaces wasted at the very bottom.) But hold on, the best is yet to come.
STEP 5: Fourth Drawer
A hinge is on the way of the fourth drawer. Mark the location on the drawer, and make a wide groove, using a router.
A router is a strange and dangerous power tool. Use a lot of caution and train on a piece of scrap wood! Wear protective glasses. Work slowly. Unplug the cord whenever tuning the tool.
Don't meet the screws: let at least 2mm of the thickness remain. The groove is quite wide, so make it in 3 passes, the center pass first.
Then place this drawer.
Gain: 5 spaces (almost the height of one drawer!)
A router is a strange and dangerous power tool. Use a lot of caution and train on a piece of scrap wood! Wear protective glasses. Work slowly. Unplug the cord whenever tuning the tool.
Don't meet the screws: let at least 2mm of the thickness remain. The groove is quite wide, so make it in 3 passes, the center pass first.
Then place this drawer.
Gain: 5 spaces (almost the height of one drawer!)
STEP 6: Done! Compact Layout
Enjoy the saved room, and the evenly spaced drawers.
Ambitious DIYers can even save the space at the bottom:
- make a longer cut into the slide
- you'll need to make a grove in the bottom drawer too
- be sure to do this first, as everything will be shifted downwards.
Ambitious DIYers can even save the space at the bottom:
- make a longer cut into the slide
- you'll need to make a grove in the bottom drawer too
- be sure to do this first, as everything will be shifted downwards.
8 Comments
AlA59 5 years ago
Your drawers look like they're made of solid wood, and I can find them only made of particleboard. Do you think it would be sturdy enough ?
Thank you !
JoannaO10 5 years ago
tbayley 10 years ago
fpedretti 10 years ago
prot158 11 years ago
But instead of using a router, I would have put the door hinge 10cm higher.
A little easier no?
cslaughter1 11 years ago
OJMDC 12 years ago
Great fix.
laxap 12 years ago
Fixed the fix. Thanks.