Building floor to ceiling wardrobes

[notretiredyet]

Hi, I really want to have some fitted wall to ceiling wooden wardrobes built but every carpenter I have asked has said that they would only build it with MDF/melamine etc - is it really impossible to get wooden wardrobes built> And am I just being fussy - does it really matter?

Also, one of the carpenters wants to use decoflex veneer which is a flexible veneer, paper mounted, with the wooden fibres then broken - seems odd to me, isnt this basically just paper?

I guess you can tell I dont work in wood! But any advice would be welcome

 

[Phil Pascoe]

You shouldn't have any trouble whatsoever getting what you want so long as you explain to your carpenter that you've got bottomless pockets.

 

[petermillard]

Hi, I really want to have some fitted wall to ceiling wooden wardrobes built but every carpenter I have asked has said that they would only build it with MDF/melamine etc - is it really impossible to get wooden wardrobes built

Not impossible, but it's certainly less usual to have fitted furniture made from 'real tree wood' these days. MDF has become popular because it's a flat, stable material that is ideally suited to modern, centrally heated homes, whereas timber has a tendency to move as temperature and humidity levels change within a home. Also, you may want to expand on what you regard as 'wooden wardrobes' - is it finely crafted oak planks made into boards, or off-the-shelf knotty spruce staves glued into boards aka 'furniture boards' or 'timber boards'?

And am I just being fussy - does it really matter?

Not fussy at all - you're the customer, you should get what you want, though obviously only you can decide if it really matters enough for you to pay the asking price

Also, one of the carpenters wants to use decoflex veneer which is a flexible veneer, paper mounted, with the wooden fibres then broken - seems odd to me, isnt this basically just paper?

No, not just paper, but as described - a paper-backed flexible veneer product; not sure why you'd use this on a flat sheet material for a wardrobe, when you can buy pre-veneered boards easily, though?

HTH - good luck, and welcome!

Pete

 

[rafezetter]

A forum member Eriktheviking recently had 2 almost floor to ceiling wardrobes either side of a chimney breast made from MDF and spraypainted and although the work was very very good quality the price was ..... steep, almost eye wateringly so, I hope he won't mind my saying close to 5 figures.

I would say unless as stated you have bottomless pockets I'd settle for veneered MDF, for cost and stability.

 

[paulrockliffe]

As amateurs it took and my Dad 30 (long) man days to build two fitted wardrobes using planed all round and dimensioned ash. A professional would be quicker, but would dimension from rough timber too.

Spent about £400 a wardrobe, but labour on top of that would have run into the thousands.

I would say DIY or MDF, unless you have a load of cash.

 

[Chrispy]

I think you have answered your own question when you wrote "I have ask every Carpenter" I think you need a furniture maker or cabinetmaker for what you are looking for.

 

[Rhossydd]

every carpenter I have asked

Strictly speaking you should be trying to find a joiner or cabinet maker(furniture maker).

Sure you can get things like this made, but as everyone else has said it will be an expensive project. The quality of timber needed to build bespoke solid wood furniture is expensive, the skills needed won't come cheap and it will take a long time to make and fit.
Maybe in London you have the budget and can justify the expense, but veneered boards, well used, may give you a very similar look at a fraction of the cost.

 

[RobinBHM]

You need to try a joinery shop, or cabinetmakers.

What you want is not a site carpentry project.

Wardrobes really comprise of 2 elements: the carcassing and the doors / face frame. Even the most high end cabinet built wardrobes will have a carcase made of sheet material, either mdf painted, veneered mdf or ply. Most projects are made with mfc and edgebanded or solid wood lipped.

If want a solid timber carcase, either choose birch plywood or solid pine panels.

The doors, frames etc can of course be solid timber

 

[Terry - Somerset]

If you are wholly committed to the traditional wardrobe look then what follows is probably not relevant - however:

Floor to ceiling wardrobes can be very effective with sliding doors. You get easy access to all areas, interiors can be designed and modified flexibly, and there are numerous suppliers of made to measure doors in a wide range of finishes - foil, veneered, wood frame etc.

Just a thought!

Terry

 

[adidat]

Hi there i built these from scratch about a year ago in a house in dulwich. Not really keen on sharing prices but i think it came in just under £5k including it was a large unit 1300 wide and almost 3m high. It has an internal egger board oak carcass. Client was very happy!!





Im in london for the next week or so if you would like to discuss a quote.

Adidat

 

[Froggy]

Built these for myself out of solid oak. Didn't realise their worth until I read this thread!! :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[notretiredyet]

Thank you all so much for all of these replies. It has really made me think about what I want. One of the major problems I have with MDF is the hinges - ugly and eventually the board wears round the hinges. I shall try some cabinet makers and see how much it comes in at.