Today, each owner of his own home is trying to equip it as best as possible, namely, to choose a design and furniture corresponding to it. It's no secret that at the moment in specialized stores a wide range of wood products is presented. But what if you want to choose the original version?
The size of Russian apartments is quite small for a comfortable living of an average family, so many people go to various tricks to save at least a few meters of usable area. One of those is the wardrobe. This piece of furniture is very popular because it not only does not occupy excess space in the room, but is also very practical to use. However, quality furniture today is quite expensive, so many people think about how to make a built-in wardrobe with their own hands. Let's try to understand all the features of furniture production at home, and also talk about what materials and tools will be required for this.
general information
Everyone can make a built-in closet with their own hands, but here it is important to understand that this is a very painstaking process.
To furniture turned out to be of high quality, functional and beautiful, you should consider the following points:
- what materials will be used;
- what set of tools will be required during the assembly process;
- what scheme will be installed.
In addition to all of the above, you should also be able to create technical drawings. If you do not have such experience, then in this case it is better to contact a professional designer who will develop a project for you in accordance with all technical standards.
What materials are better to use
Before we talk about how to make a built-in wardrobe with our own hands, let's first look at what materials are best used. This is a very important aspect, because today you can find a huge variety of raw materials on sale, but not everything is suitable for the production of interior items.
Many people believe that wood is the best material, but it is not well suited for making built-in furniture. The thing is that natural breeds are very sensitive to the level of humidity in the room, and if there are strong differences, they will become unusable very quickly. If you are still very categorical in this matter, then when choosing raw materials, select only straight wood that does not have any defects, such as knots, cracks or growths. In addition, the boards should be saturated with special antiseptic solutions.
Very often built-in home furnishings are made of lining. However, it is only suitable if you make a frame with a reinforced structure, since the material itself has a large weight and low performance.
In some houses you can find a built-in wardrobe made of drywall. It is not difficult to make it with your own hands, since this material can be easily processed, but it is also not an optimal solution. GCR has a large weight and low strength, so it is best to use it only for finishing the cabinet. To extend the life of drywall, it must be putty, and to give an aesthetic appearance - decorative finish.
The ideal choice for the production of built-in furniture at home is a laminate, MDF or fiberboard. These materials have a low cost, it is very easy to work with them, and they are also immune to humidity changes.
Necessary tools
So, we figured out the materials, so now let's figure out the necessary tools.
To make a built-in wardrobe in the hallway with your own hands, you will need the following:
- meter;
- building level;
- jigsaw;
- electric drill with various nozzles;
- screwdriver;
- mallet;
- self-tapping screws;
- guides;
- friezes;
- mounting corners;
- rod holders;
- racks of hangers;
- double sided tape.
All tools and necessary supplies are sold at any hardware store.
Furniture design
Design includes the creation of a technical drawing of the cabinet and its design. However, first you need to determine its size. But here it is important to consider the geometric shape of the niche into which the furniture will be installed.
To correctly take all measurements, follow these guidelines:
- First of all, the back wall is measured: from above, in the middle and below;
- then comes the front part;
- at the very end, height measurements are taken from the "rear" and from the "front".
It is worth noting that it is also necessary to take into account errors, since otherwise a built-in cabinet made by one’s own hands simply won’t enter a niche or there will be very large gaps between it and the wall that will ruin the aesthetics. It will not be very nice if you cut the shelf, and it turns out to be too wide or narrow. Therefore, before starting to cut materials, carefully carry out all measurements taking into account errors. If the shape of the niche has an irregular shape or uneven walls in the house, then the shelves may not have a rectangular, but a trapezoidal shape. It all depends on the individual characteristics of a particular home.
When the measurements are completed, you can begin to develop a technical drawing. To do well, you must be able to draw. In the absence of such skills, it is better to contact a professional designer, since his services will cost much less than a subsequent remodeling of the cabinet. If you will order a project, then you will need to provide measurements, as well as talk about your preferences for materials. Based on these data, the master will develop a drawing in which all the nuances and the smallest details will be taken into account.
If you are going to do the built-in wardrobe with your own hands, then it should be not only practical and functional in use, but also beautiful. But to develop a good design, having no experience and practical skills in this area, will be impossible, therefore it is best to order a ready-made design project from a qualified specialist. It is important to take into account the fact that the more exotic and original the cabinet will be, the more difficult it will be to assemble. Therefore, it is better to give preference to furniture with a simple and conservative design.
When the interior design and the drawing are ready, you can begin the process of manufacturing and assembling furniture. How this is done will be discussed later.
Sawing up and accessories
So we came to a direct answer to the question of how to make a built-in wardrobe with our own hands. Step-by-step instructions will be discussed later, but first you need to purchase materials and saw them. It is recommended that you entrust it to a professional who, based on measurements and a technical drawing, will be able to ideally perform sawing with special equipment with millimeter accuracy on special equipment.
It is more preferable to contact experienced specialists, because:
- Furniture makers work directly with manufacturers of materials, so you can save about 20 percent.
- At enterprises specializing in the manufacture of furniture, laser equipment is used, so cutting will take much less time, and the work will be done more efficiently.
- Slicing will be performed on the workpieces, and you will not have to do it yourself. Edge is very important because it reduces the harmful effects of moisture on materials, so they last much longer.
If you chose laminate or MDF as the material, then their thickness should be at least 16 mm for cabinet walls and 25 mm for doors. Accessories are better to buy imported, because it has higher quality and reliability.
Frame mounting
So, how to make a built-in wardrobe with your own hands? The assembly process begins with the installation of the main frame. If you haven’t done this before, it’s best to first look at the training videos, which show in detail the whole process from start to finish. There is nothing wrong with this, since even experienced furniture makers sometimes use similar materials. The video will allow you to see a consistent editing algorithm with all the nuances.
Built-in furniture differs from stationary furniture in that it does not have its own frame. The niche itself acts as a floor, walls and ceiling. Therefore, based on the raised panel, on which the hardware is mounted. When installing the supporting frame, it is very important to do everything smoothly, especially if your apartment has curved walls. If the frame is installed unevenly, in the future this will lead to a roll of doors and they will not be able to close tightly.
To hide the gaps between the frame and the wall, use MDF panels, from which cut out the tabs of the desired size. Installation of the frame is performed strictly according to the level. For fixing use self-tapping screws. Slots are closed with decorative strips that fit onto double-sided tape or building glue. Friezes should be made of the same material as the cabinet, so that everything looks harmonious and in unison.
Door preparation
In the built-in furniture, the facade acts as a door. Most often, the principle of a compartment is used, in which the doors simply slide off to the side, and the hardware is mounted in the inner part of the niche. In this case, the guides can be installed both below and above. The first option is more preferable, since it is characterized by quieter operation and better reliability. The only exceptions are corner built-in wardrobes, which are also quite easy to do with your own hands. They use a different door open / close system.
The first step is fixing hardware. If it is located below, then you will also need special frames. The upper arrangement of the guides is possible only if the facade is made of light materials.
In most cases, 2-3 rails are used to mount the doors, which are parallel to each other. Thus, you can mount several doors, which will increase the practicality of the cabinet. So that there are no gaps between them, you should install facade slabs. The minimum margin is 20 millimeters. The number of doors depends on your preferences, and the order of their installation can be any.
It is worth noting that the guides can be installed from the outside. A do-it-yourself built-in sliding wardrobe will be an excellent solution for apartments with limited free space, since the accessories can be fixed along the wall. In addition, such furniture has one big plus, namely the absence of dead zones. The door will fully open, providing access to all shelves of the cabinet at once.
Shelf fixing
So, we already know how to assemble a built-in wardrobe with our own hands, however, this does not end there. It is still necessary to install shelves. It is better to do this before installing the doors, as they will limit the free space and it will be much more difficult for you to work inside the cabinet with power tools.
After the assembly of the frame, the marking of the internal space for the mounting corners is performed. In order for the shelves to be installed evenly, all work is done using the building level. At this stage, it is very important to adjust the canvas to the inner space. But here it is worth being extremely careful not to cut too much.
If the dimensions of the cabinet are very large, and the width of the shelves is more than 800 millimeters, then an additional mount is installed in the center. This will allow them to be strengthened to prevent bending when the load is too heavy.
If you are going to do the built-in wardrobe in the bedroom with your own hands, then it should have slightly different design features. In it, for the installation and fastening of shelves, you can use a corner rack. This will allow more rational use of the internal space and eliminate the presence of dead zones.
Painting and installation of facade panels
If you want a do-it-yourself built-in sliding wardrobe to be beautiful and easy to care for, then it is better not to clad the doors with decorative materials, but to paint. The choice of shade is best done before the shelves are mounted, so that the paint has time to dry well. An excellent option would be acrylic enamel. They have a rich color and shiny surface, and also tolerate wet cleaning. As a budget option, you can use drying oil, but in this case, the panels must first be primed to increase the level of paint adhesion.
Inside the cabinet, it is also better to use paints that are easy to clean. You should not buy cheap options, as they can leave an unpleasant odor and marks on clothing. It is better to immediately get high-quality coloring matter, so that you don’t have to redo anything later.
To make the built-in built-in wardrobe in the hallway beautiful and fit harmoniously into the interior of the room, it is recommended to consult with designers. Advice can be obtained regarding the choice of paint or finishing materials.
Lighting and Finishing
A built-in cabinet, made by yourself, will be much more practical to use if you install a lighting system in it. This is especially true for interior items of large size. As lighting devices it is better to use LED lamps that are built into the ceiling of the cabinet. They provide good illumination, have high reliability and consume little electricity. In addition, they do not heat up, so the likelihood of fire is completely excluded.
Finishing should begin only after a thorough inspection of the cabinet for various defects. There should not be any protruding sharp objects inside that could ruin your clothes. Self-tapping screws must be closed with decorative caps. So they will not be visible and will not tear your wardrobe items.
If desired, you can hang mirrors on the door leaves. This will not only make the furniture more attractive, but also visually expand the interior of the room. But in this case, it is recommended to strengthen the supporting structure, since the weight of the panels will be very high. Built-in wardrobes assembled with their own hands also look great (some photos are presented in the article), decorated with various drawings and abstractions. There are quite a few ideas for decorative finishes, so you can easily choose the right option that fits perfectly into the interior design of your apartment.
Conclusion
So, we figured out how to assemble a built-in wardrobe with our own hands. Home-made furniture is better than factory furniture, because in its manufacture you have complete freedom of action. You will be able to develop an interior item in accordance with the features of your home. In addition, it will cost much cheaper.
As it turned out, you can do many things with your own hands, the most important thing is to have a desire. If you follow all the tips and recommendations described in this article, then you will certainly succeed, and the furniture will be no worse than if you ordered a ready-made wardrobe in the store.