Sliding doors cabinets are much more convenient than hinged cabinets, which take up a lot of space when opened. In addition, retractable canvases can be placed inside a regular wall niche. This article contains detailed description how to assemble sliding doors for a wardrobe from inexpensive materials and install it yourself. We will talk specifically about filling the doorway; the manufacture of partitions is a separate topic.
Brief description of the design
In reality, the design of sliding doors is quite simple. You don’t have to invent anything - you just need to buy a ready-made installation kit, sold in any construction supermarket.
Reference. The set of purchased parts is accompanied by instructions that contain drawings and assembly diagrams for hinged doors for a sliding wardrobe.
The structure shown in the photo consists of the following elements:
- Door frame assembled from horizontal and vertical aluminum profiles.
- Elements for filling frame openings - slabs laminated chipboard 10 mm thick, mirror glass or plastic panels. The canvas can be made combined, dividing it into 2-4 openings by installing horizontal jumpers from a special profile.
- Wardrobe doors roll due to rollers built inside the upper and lower profile of the frame. The lower roller is a support roller, the upper one supports the sash in a vertical position, so its paired wheels are placed horizontally.
- The lower guide bar carries the entire load of the door leaves. The profile has 2 grooves where the rollers of adjacent sashes roll.
- The upper guide profile is made in the form of an inverted letter “W”. The element acts as a limiter, preventing the door from deviating from its vertical position. Paired rollers roll along the side walls of the grooves.
Vertical frame posts are made of two types of profiles - with an open (type C) and closed (type H) handle. From an assembly point of view, there is no difference between the parts. Upper and bottom bar made with a recess for installing rollers and a special round groove into which a fastening screw is screwed in (included in the kit).
To prevent dust from penetrating into the closet, the compartment door pillars are covered from the inside with buffer tape with a pile length of up to 12 mm. To protect against impacts against the walls of the cabinet or niche, a schlegel is attached to the ends of the doors - a self-adhesive strip up to 6 mm thick. For installation glass inserts A silicone seal is used inside the frame.
Note. We have reviewed cheap option mechanism and frame of sliding doors. More expensive kits include a variety of closers, clamps and magnetic stoppers. If desired, the listed parts can be purchased separately.
Calculation of sizes and purchase of materials
Before you start measuring the opening of a cabinet or wall niche where you need to build a sliding system, it is worth checking the verticality of the walls and parallelism with respect to the floor. The roller mechanisms allow you to adjust the inclination of the door leaves within certain limits, but if the divergence is large, the doors will begin to fall out or jam. In such cases, it is better to make a leveling wooden box, and then measure the opening.
Note. Instead of the designation Ln in the table, substitute the total width of the opening. Lc is the required sash size.
It remains to calculate the length of the frame cross members - upper, lower and middle (if any). Since the horizontal lintels are attached end-to-end to the ends of the racks, their size is equal to the width of the sash minus 2 of the width of the selected vertical profile.
The dimensions of the filling inserts must be calculated individually - they depend on the thickness of the material (mirror - 4 mm, MDF - 8 mm, laminated chipboard - 10 mm), the number of jumpers and profile configuration. IN in this case Refer to the calculation diagram included in the manufacturer's instructions.
Having determined all the dimensions, you will understand how much materials to purchase and which kit to choose for assembling wardrobe doors. Construction stores offer enough wide choose profiles and fillers different colors to pick up nice option for any interior.
Step-by-step instructions for assembling the door leaf
To carry out work at home, prepare a sharp hacksaw for metal and a rubber mallet. The rest of the tools are standard - an electric drill with a set of drills, screwdrivers and measuring devices (construction level is required).
How to assemble wardrobe doors with your own hands:
Advice. Before drilling holes, be sure to check the manufacturer's drawing in the instructions - the amount of indentation for your products may differ.
If the sliding wardrobe panel is made up of several inserts, use H-shaped slats - jumpers. They are offered in two versions - with and without end fastening. The first option is used when the chipboard core is placed above the glass, the second - vice versa. Finally, cover the side parts of the racks with buffer tape (schlegel).
Reference. When assembling a door for a sliding wardrobe, you can do it differently - first mount the frame, then adjust the filler panels to its size. The manufacturing process is shown in detail in the video:
Installing the sashes in the opening
The last stage of assembling the sliding wardrobe consists of installing the guides, installing the door and making final adjustments. The procedure is as follows:
After installing the door, all that remains is to adjust it relative to the wardrobe itself. Using a hex key, rotate the lower roller adjusting screw until you achieve the optimal position - the sash should open without problems and fit against the side walls without gaps. The complete assembly technology is described in the next video:
Conclusion
Although the assembly process of sliding systems does not look complicated, beginners are recommended to practice installing doors on a balcony or country cabinet in order to feel all the nuances. Instead of the proposed budget design, you can use more expensive mounted mechanisms (similar ones are installed on interior doors), and decorate the sash with original filling - glass with photo printing or an engraved design.
Design engineer with more than 8 years of experience in construction.
Graduated from Eastern Ukrainian National University them. Vladimir Dal with a degree in Electronics Industry Equipment in 2011.
In a spacious or small apartment There are always wardrobes, lockers, bedside tables that provide places for organizing and securely storing clothes, dishes, books, and other necessary things behind a closed facade. This is why cabinet doors perform one of the most important structural functions.
Today it is proposed to use various methods of fastening traditional swing doors, as well as sliding ones, which are installed mainly in sliding wardrobes. You can install any doors into a closet with your own hands if you familiarize yourself with the mechanisms of their operation and follow detailed instructions.
Installation of a swing facade on furniture hinges
Today there are the following types door hinges:
- hinged;
- four-hinged (overhead, semi-overhead or inset);
- products for glass structures;
- corner;
- inverse.
How to mount a door leaf on hinges
Before installing hinges on the door and cabinet wall, you need to take into account the material the furniture is made of, and also determine how many door hinges will be needed. The number of products used depends on the size of the door and its weight. For example, with a facade height of about 1500-2000 cm, which weighs up to 13 kg, you will need 3 hinges.
Get ready for work
You should select the following tools with which you can hang them yourself: swing doors into the cupboard. Prepare:
- electric drill and drill corresponding to the diameter of the mounting screw;
- milling machine, nozzle of equal diameter;
- tape measure, pencil for marking;
- building level;
- We screwed it with a regular screwdriver that fits the size of the fasteners.
Procedure
- Mark the location on the door to install the hinges. The distance between the loops depends on the height of the fabric, and 8-15 cm should be measured from the edge.
- Place the hinge on the door and use a pencil to mark the location for the cup of the fixture.
- Drill out niches for the cup using a router with an attachment. Use the sharpest possible tool, drilling to a depth of 13mm.
- Insert the loop inside the finished recess, align the device horizontally. Mark the locations for preparing holes for fastenings.
- Drill holes for fasteners.
- Attach the hinge to the door surface.
- Place the door against the cabinet body with your own hands, align the position of the panel, and mark the cabinets where the strike plate should be installed.
- Drill through the cabinet at the marked points.
- Install the strike plate onto the screws.
- Connect both parts of the loops.
- Use a screwdriver to adjust correct position loops.
Sliding wardrobe panels
The sliding wardrobe is the most popular furniture today. This is facilitated by the ability to rationally use living space. Often the closet occupies the entire space from floor to ceiling, has a large capacity and, when using a sliding door, does not at all interfere with the movement next to it.
In order for such storage furniture to serve for a long time and without failure, it is important to correctly assemble the entire structure. the main role belongs to the flawless installation of sliding facades. By precisely fulfilling the requirements and recommendations of specialists, a person with the skills to use special tools can install with his own hands door system closet
What do you need for work?
Before you begin installing the door yourself, check that you have the necessary components for sliding system into the cupboard. In addition to the facades themselves, the following must be prepared:
- Bottom and top rails or guide profiles. These are the main parts that ensure the movement of the door leaf.
- Motion limiters and stoppers. Parts that help the door move smoothly along the guide rail and stop the movement at a certain point.
- Closers - mechanisms that ensure sliding door panel.
- Accessories for façade systems. For example, seals, screws, rollers, etc.
Prepare your tools:
- electric drill;
- metal drill with a diameter of 4 mm;
- a set of straight and Phillips screwdrivers;
- spirit building level;
- imbus key;
- plumb line;
- sandpaper;
- pliers;
- hammer;
- stationery knife;
- roulette.
Carefully read the main structural elements sliding wardrobe doors and their location.
Step-by-step instruction
You can begin installing sliding facades with your own hands only after the installation of the wardrobe itself has already been completely completed. The doors of the structure must be set according to the level. When performing work, be extremely careful and careful, as components can be easily damaged.
- Measure the width of the cabinet opening at the top as accurately as possible. The top guide rail will be mounted there. You need to subtract 1-2 mm from the obtained value.
- Use a ruler (square) to accurately mark the cutting line perpendicularly according to the obtained size. Cut the profile using a grinder or a hacksaw.
- Cooking mounting holes for self-tapping screws. Along the entire length of the guide profile, at regular intervals of about 40-60 cm, mark the holes for the screws; they should be located on the same line.
- To avoid damaging the profile while drilling, use a chair, table, etc. as a support. Drill the holes, then sand the edges sandpaper.
- Install the finished guide profile in the upper opening of the wardrobe. Use screws or self-tapping screws for this.
- Trim the lower profile in the same way as the top one. Mark the mounting holes, then drill and sand the edges of the cuts.
- Install a stopper at both ends of the profile guide. The device is designed to record the condition of the cabinet door leaf in closed position. For the latch to function correctly, it must be inserted: in the right panel - in the recess on the right, in the left panel - in the recess on the left.
- We use a plumb line to check the correct position of the profile.
- Installing a door on profiles in a wardrobe. Alignment of the position of the facade canvas.
The sliding system used involves the use of special rollers, which are placed on both sides of the facade (top and bottom). The upper elements are stationary, they fix door leaf. The lower rollers perform the function of workers - the door moves along them.
- Carefully insert the upper rollers with your own hands into a special place in the upper profile, and the lower wheels into the groove of the lower profile rail. The diagram clearly illustrates installation locations and methods.
- The sliding wardrobe doors are installed, it's time to adjust their position. For this, there are special wheels that are located on both sides of each door leaf. To properly adjust the balance, the cabinet doors must be in the closed position.
In some systems, when adjusting door leaves, tighten the adjusting screw located at the top of the lower roller. This can be done with a Phillips screwdriver or a hexagon. If the adjustment is performed correctly, the doors fit snugly in the open and closed positions to the cabinet planes, and slide gently along the guides without creaking or rubbing.
- At this stage, screw the lower guide rail to the end of the bottom of the wardrobe with self-tapping screws. Follow final installation, if you are 100% sure that the door fronts are in the correct operating position (vertical and parallel).
- Stick special rubber pads on the side ends of each door. This will help reduce the force of impacts that occur when opening/closing the door.
- Pay attention to adjusting the position of the stoppers. The parts are adjusted in such a way that the door remains closed while the lower rollers hit them.
- New guides are supplied from stock coated with a special protective film. This protects the surface of the components from damage and scratches during delivery and installation work. When the work is already over, film with aluminum profile can be removed.
The process of assembling a sliding door system with your own hands cannot be called easy. But an attentive and careful craftsman will do all the work correctly, and the cabinet will last for many years.
Starting major renovation in the apartment, many also think about changing furniture. Replacing an old cabinet with a new one is the desire of many. When doing this, most people prefer to buy sliding systems. They are comfortable, save space, and fit well into any interior. Such designs gained enormous popularity immediately after their appearance on the furniture market and continue to hold a leading position. You can entrust the assembly of the sliding wardrobe and its repair to a specialist or do it yourself.
Installation instructions
The most important part of the work is installing the doors. They can only be put in place after the cabinet has been completely assembled. Its doors should be perfectly level. The entire performance of the structure depends on this. Therefore, before installing the sliding system with your own hands, level the floor surface and ceiling.
To install wardrobe doors, you need to perform a certain sequence of actions.
- Installing the top guide.
- Attaching the bottom guide.
- Installation of the clamp.
- Adjustment of canvases.
- Buffer tape sticker.
Installing the top guide yourself
The top guide is metallic profile W-shaped. It is attached flush with self-tapping screws at a distance of 450-600 millimeters parallel to each other, that is, in each recess of the profile. If this is not done, the profile becomes slightly twisted, which affects the operation of the system. For fastening, first measure the width of the cabinet at the top, subtract 1-2 millimeters and cut off the guide. Using a drill and a drill bit, we make holes for the screws, which are then ground.
Attaching the bottom guide
To attach the bottom rail with your own hands, the width of the cabinet at the bottom is also measured, then holes are made on the profile. The installation has one peculiarity. The profile must be fixed with an offset inside the structure. The recess is 20 +/- 2 millimeters. The exact distance is determined as follows.
Simply place the guide in the cabinet. Then you need to install the sashes. You can't do this without an assistant. The rear panel is placed first, and then the front panel. One person will insert it into the upper profile, and the second into the lower one, while lifting the wheels. By moving the profile, align the door strictly vertically using a level. Having determined the ideal position of the canvases, we fix the guide.
Installing the retainer
The lock is necessary to ensure that the door leaf does not slide, but remains in the closed position, fitting tightly to the side wall of the cabinet. It must be inserted into the bottom groove of the profile before it is screwed to the bottom. The latch is adjusted using a flat screwdriver. It must be placed in such a position that the middle of the stopper is where the middle of the wheel is when the blade is closed. To do this, before installing the stopper, the blade is closed and the location of the middle of the wheel is marked on the profile.
Adjusting the blades
After installing the doors in place, you need to make adjustments so that the door fits evenly to the side and does not form gaps. For this purpose, the lower wheels have adjustment holes. The setting is made with a hex wrench. Turning clockwise raises the blade, counterclockwise lowers it.
Buffer tape sticker
The function of the buffer tape is to protect the contents of the cabinet from dust. Therefore, there is no way to do without it. In addition, it softens the impact of the canvas on the sidewall when opening, increasing the service life of the sliding system.
Buffer tape can have two pile lengths:
- 6 mm – short;
- 12 mm – long.
Long pile tape is not used often, but will provide more comfortable use of the cabinet. Its color matches the color of the entire system. It is easy to glue with your own hands. It is necessary to remove the protective layer from reverse side and attach it to the end of the door leaf.
Door repair
Some time after the start of use, sliding doors may begin to close poorly. This is often due to dust, lint and other debris getting into the working mechanism. Repair in this case consists of lifting the blade up as much as possible and assessing the condition of the roller that sets it in motion. The mechanism is cleaned of accumulated debris, and if necessary, the roller is replaced with a new one.
If the door jams in one of its positions, we can conclude that the profile is deformed. Repair in such a situation comes down to aligning the guides. If this is impossible to do for any reason, then it is replaced.
For more serious damage, such as a cracked mirror or bent frame, replacing the broken element of the system will help. Such repairs can be done with your own hands by purchasing everything in advance necessary details. To do this, you need to remove the door and disassemble it, after which a replacement is made. After replacing the part with a new one, the door needs to be put back in place.
Knowing how to hang doors on a wardrobe with your own hands, as well as how to carry out repairs when needed, you will enjoy your work and save your family budget.
The article is a practical guide to self-installation and adjusting furniture hinges. Chief technologist furniture production will talk about hinges, their internal structure, fastening methods and adjustment options.
The first thing the eye stops at, even when briefly examining the furniture, is the façade.
A significant portion of the cost of the finished product also depends on the material and complexity of manufacturing the facade.
Crooked doors can spoil the impression of even the most expensive and high-quality furniture.
If only because any fittings wear out over time and require tightening or complete replacement.
Furniture hinges and methods of fixing them
First, I propose to define the terminology. We will hang our door on standard furniture four-hinged hinge with structural elements:
- cup,
- shoulder,
- response plate.
Determining where the cup is on the loop is easy. This element has the shape of a recess with “ears” for fastening.
The cup is located in the blind holes with a diameter of 35 mm on the door. The hole is made at the factory, and trying to drill it using improvised means without special equipment and a cutter required diameter I do not recommend.
This requires a certain precision, which cannot be achieved in artisanal conditions.
The hinge arm is a lever permanently connected to the cup through hinges. Attached from the inside to the side wall of the cabinet using a striker plate.
The strike plate is directly fixed on the surface of the stand. It has two screws for subsequent adjustment of the front after installation.
Before hanging the door, you need to attach the cup with the shoulder to the door and the strike plate to the stand.
Cup mounting options:
- on bushings,
- on self-tapping screws,
- using a quick, tool-free installation system (Clip).
To install the strike plate use:
- euroscrews,
- screws,
- footwear,
- Clip system for quick installation.
What are the features of each type of fastening?
I think we shouldn’t stop at self-tapping screws, so let’s move straight to the footings.
- The fittings are bushings pressed into the façade material, with internal thread under the mounting screw. Thus, the hole in wood, MDF or chipboard is not broken due to repeated replacement of hinges.
- A Euroscrew is more reliable than a self-tapping screw, but it can only be screwed into a pre-prepared hole.
- Installing clip-on hinges requires not only drilling holes, but also maintaining the exact dimensions, otherwise they will not be able to be secured.
We install the hinged furniture façade ourselves
Before hanging the door, I advise you to carefully study the design of the hinge assembly.
What should you pay attention to? There are two adjustment screws on the strike plate. The arm of the hinge is sometimes provided with a guide for the head of the screw closest to the cup.
So, don't forget to hit the guide when installing the door.
It is more convenient to start installing the door from the top hinge. The facade will be fixed, and it will become easier to secure the remaining awnings.
Possible difficulties when installing doors
Fix the facade - not too much difficult task, but there are some difficulties.
For example, for installation it is very narrow doors you will need a short screwdriver. Sometimes a cabinet is ordered exactly to fit the size of a washing machine or dishwasher.
In this case, the equipment will have to be removed before installing the facades, otherwise there will be no access to the canopies at all.
And installing doors with more than two hinges will require some skill and dexterity.
Adjusting the hinges
Adjusting the facades consists of aligning them in relation to each other and to the walls of the furniture.
Especially for this purpose, they leave between the doors gap 3–4 mm.
Please note that alignment is only possible when the cabinet is level and both of its diagonals are equal to each other. Let me remind you that the facade must also be smooth.
Hinge adjustment steps:
1 Adjusting the height of the facade
Vertical grooves on the canopy strike plate allow you to adjust the door height. Loosen the mounting screws and sweep the door in the desired direction. Tighten the screws.
2
You need to adjust the depth in three cases:
- when the door does not open or close, resting against the door;
- when it is visually noticeable that closed door protrudes too much in the place where the hinges are attached;
- if when opening the door there is a significant gap near the awnings.
The depth can be set by a screw on the strike plate, located further from the cup.
Loosen the screw on one or all hinges (as necessary) and slide the door in the desired direction. Retighten the screw.
3
This adjustment option is necessary for uneven gaps between adjacent facades.
The door is moved to the right or left by rotating the screw closest to the cup on the canopy striker. It does not need fixation.
There are many types of hinges, so I suggest you determine the desired direction of rotation of the adjusting screw experimentally. Further setup will not be difficult.
Once you have completed adjusting the hinges, make sure that the doors do not slam loudly when closing.
Use inexpensive option– silicone shock absorber with adhesive backing.
I hope my tips will be useful both for adjusting doors on old furniture hinges and when installing fronts on a new kitchen set.
Always yours, Timur Denisov
(modena select=18, You can choose and buy a kitchen here >>)
When assembling furniture on their own, many people have questions related to fastening and adjusting doors. In our article we will try to answer them.
Door adjustment
Recently, the question of how to adjust the doors of a standard cabinet has become increasingly relevant. A similar procedure may be required in various cases, and the issue itself must be approached in detail.
First, let's look at when to adjust these elements.
| Problem | Solution |
| Over time, the mechanisms began to work poorly; they did not close completely, or the doors were slightly open. | Most likely, the screws in the mechanism itself have become loose. They will need to be tightened and adjusted to correct the problem. |
| After the move, large gaps appeared. | It is necessary to carefully inspect the doors before adjusting them, then align them in height, length and eliminate deviations from the end. |
| The arrangement of the elements has changed, the design seems “crooked”. | Most likely, there was a displacement of the mechanisms, as a result of which they moved away from the facade. Carefully inspect the hinges and the position of the bolts before making adjustments. |
Correctly identifying the problem is already half the success. It is very important to understand what happened to the furniture and caused the displacement of its elements. This includes determining the current position of the doors to work out further actions.
How to directly adjust cabinet doors? First you need to open them and carefully examine the degree of displacement. Find the adjusting screw on the hinges; it is located first to the sash and is used to change the position to the left or right. Use a screwdriver to twist this element, controlling the change in position. It is necessary to achieve a result when the sash is located according to the end, and their edges coincide. The gaps must be the same everywhere; this fact requires careful monitoring. Some models have a lock installed; if you set the position correctly, it will close.
The second step is to adjust the height. To do this, you need to unscrew the screws that secure the doors to the structure itself. The door must be moved manually so that its height completely coincides with the structure itself and does not extend beyond its edges.
The second screw from the sash allows you to push it forward and move it back. If you unscrew it, you can adjust the location for special magnets, which are used on some models to fix the sashes.
If you follow the basic rules, you will be able to return individual parts of the furniture to the correct position for full further use.
Fastening
Another important question that interests many: how to screw a cabinet door, and in this case, many consider the video optimal solution for self-study. Of course it can give you general information, but it is necessary to have practical knowledge in this matter. Therefore, if you have no idea how to properly hang the sash, then it is best to immediately contact specialists.
But still, it is worth considering the installation process itself to give an idea of the theory of this issue.
What you will need to attach your cabinet door:
- Measurement tools.
- End cutter 3.5 centimeters.
- Screwdriver.
- Self-tapping screws.
- Drill for making holes.
Now let's talk about how to hang a door on your closet. To begin with, it is recommended to mark and mark the center. It is usually performed at a distance of 22 millimeters from the edge. You need to retreat from the end from 7 to 12 centimeters.
In most cases, two loops are performed at the top and bottom. This option is the simplest and most convenient, allowing you to reduce the time of direct installation. But there are very large structures with a lot of weight, for which two loops may not be enough. In this case, it is recommended to install another element. It is performed in the center of the structure, thereby ensuring full weight distribution.
The cup from the loop will be inserted into the hole made; it has a certain diameter. The overwhelming number of parts are designed specifically for this size for a complete installation. But before installation, it is worth checking the diameter on your hinges to avoid mismatch.
It is recommended to use only well-sharpened tools. It is important to quickly and correctly make the hole, avoiding defects such as pushing through the coating, excessive depth and chips. Normal depth is 1.2 centimeters.
We insert the hinge cup, mark the entrances under the screws using an awl and screw them in. Next, you need to mark the door, taking into account the indentations on the furniture body, and then screw it to the main part. Using the adjusting screws, you can immediately adjust the correct position, eliminating the possibility of deviations in the future.
Mirror installation
Not all manufacturers install mirrors on their furniture. More precisely, only a few do this, because mirrors are very fragile elements and are easily damaged during transportation.
Attaching a mirror to a standard cabinet door is possible in several ways:
- Using special plastic slats.
- By gluing, this is the easiest option today.
- Mirrors are often attached using metal claws in the shape of the letter “P”.
- Small screws.
Before starting installation, you need to remove the sash from the structure and place it on the floor. This is necessary for maximum precise work and your convenience.
For the mirror itself, measurements should be taken, recognizing it exact dimensions. After this, you need to take a pencil, a ruler and draw the place of direct attachment. This will allow you to accurately place it on the door.
The easiest mounting option today is using a special double-sided adhesive film. It is as simple and easy to use as possible, allowing you to quickly complete the task without using a huge number of tools.
First you need to cut a piece of film according to the previously made dimensions. It needs to be glued to the door according to pencil markings, gradually removing the protective layer from the bottom side and smoothing the area of application well.
Now remove the protective layer from the top side, apply a mirror and press down a little. It is important not to overdo it, because with too much pressure it can simply burst. The glue on the film sets quickly, and you can be confident in this method of fixation. Coping with such a connection is not so easy; usually the surfaces can only be separated with a metal string.
