Wardrobe infill strips / kickers etc...

[Woodworking Chancer]

Hi everyone,

I'm a DIYer who's in the process of making my first inbuilt wardrobes. I have the carcasses all built and ready to go, and I'm installing on a ladder plinth.

I'm suddenly doubting myself on infill strips etc... I'd like them to be flush to my doors, which are currently going to be slabs (but I might later on change them to shaker). When I did the design in Sketchup and the way I've done the plinth, I was envisaging the base to be like a kitchen with a "toe kick" kind of infill strip at the bottom. But now, I'm not sure how all that would join together, because the MDF strip along the base will be inset by a few centimetres, while the side infill strips will be flush.

If I continue with this - should I end the side infill strips at the same height as the bottom of the doors (I feel like that would look a bit odd)? Or continue to the floor, and somehow join them to the base filler sat a few centimetres behind? I've attached two pictures of the same thing from different angles from my original Sketchup design. As you can see, in Sketchup I just continued the side strips to the floor (they won't be quite as wide as those but will be around 7.5cm wide.

OR, would I be better off bringing the bottom strip forward to also be flush? I also see many wardrobes use skirting on the bottom. If I did this, would I attach that over a flush strip so that it sat proud of the doors?

Any help and advice much appreciated. I think I can figure how to scribe and attach them using an L shape and screw from inside the wardrobe - although I wish I could find the thread as I'm sure I saw on here a good thread about infills where someone did a Sketchup drawing to support the OP to see how to use an L shape infill and scribe it.

Thanks in advance for any help from the experts!

 

[macca]

usualy with a kitchen a decor panel will sit down the side of a cabinet down to the floor which would terminate the plith and form a return below the unit from the infill back to the plinth, without a decor you could just mimic this return at the bottom of your filler panels to close any gap. you could finish with a flush plinth but IMO it would look wierd.

at the end of the day its just personal preference as its really an aesthetic choice.

in terms of attaching the infills you could hide any fixings using a block attached to the back of your infill, this is then fixed ito through the side of the cabinet, if the blocks are in line with your door hinges these can be used to hide the scews.

 

[Woodworking Chancer]

usualy with a kitchen a decor panel will sit down the side of a cabinet down to the floor which would terminate the plith and form a return below the unit from the infill back to the plinth, without a decor you could just mimic this return at the bottom of your filler panels to close any gap. you could finish with a flush plinth but IMO it would look wierd.

at the end of the day its just personal preference as its really an aesthetic choice.

in terms of attaching the infills you could hide any fixings using a block attached to the back of your infill, this is then fixed ito through the side of the cabinet, if the blocks are in line with your door hinges these can be used to hide the scews.

Thanks Macca,

Just so I can check my understanding - I've never really fully understood what people refer to as a return - are you basically saying to close the gap I've got in the picture and I'll be mimicking what happens with kitchen cabinets with the decor panel?

I was thinking that if I did my infills as L shape, at the bottom of the wardrobe the part of the 'L' attaching to the wardrobe panel could be wider and it would then carry on to the ground and naturally fill the gap if the bottom strip joined to it.

The red part is what I am thinking you are referring to when you say to mimic the return?

Thanks again for the input.
Pete

 

[Terry - Somerset]

I assume the kick boards in a kitchen are set back from the front of the doors to allow you to stand closer to the worktop with feet partially below the cabinet.

This is less necessary for a wardrobe and it becomes more of an aesthetic choice.

 

[Woodworking Chancer]

I assume the kick boards in a kitchen are set back from the front of the doors to allow you to stand closer to the worktop with feet partially below the cabinet.

This is less necessary for a wardrobe and it becomes more of an aesthetic choice.

Yeah that's what caused me to doubt myself as it doesn't seem necessary for a wardrobe. I've seen them recessed on wardrobes from online searches, and it seems to look OK, but then I've seen loads flush (looks a bit odd to me), but also loads with a lower height skirting that seems to look decent. So I'm doubting myself with my original plan as I can't see the side infills and "toe-kick" style of bottom strip looking right (although now I've drawn in the red bit in my image above I'm thinking it could be ok).

 

[paulrbarnard]

Just my 2c worth but I wouldn’t put a toe kick on a wardrobe. I recently did some bathroom cupboards and didn’t put them on there either. Like @Terry - Somerset said they are intended for where you need to stand close to the units, so where there is a worktop.

 

[TomGW]

If your ladder plinth sits flush with the face of the cabinet then a decor 'skirting' will be flush with the doors. In my view this is the best look, with infill strips and end panels all flush too. This helps it to look like furniture rather than a larder.

 

[Woodworking Chancer]

If your ladder plinth sits flush with the face of the cabinet then a decor 'skirting' will be flush with the doors. In my view this is the best look, with infill strips and end panels all flush too. This helps it to look like furniture rather than a larder.

Thanks Tom,

My ladder is currently set back as when I planned it, it seemed natural to me to have a toe-kick type arrangement. It wouldn't be tricky for me to pad that all out for it to sit flush.

I've seen these with actual skirting (but usually lower height than the rest of the room) but I have a feeling this looks better with shaker doors, and from the pictures of this style I've seen I think the skirting actually sits forward of the doors. When you say decor "skirting" I guess you're saying to go with the same stuff as the infills?

Cheers,
Pete

 

[TomGW]

Thanks Tom,

My ladder is currently set back as when I planned it, it seemed natural to me to have a toe-kick type arrangement. It wouldn't be tricky for me to pad that all out for it to sit flush.

I've seen these with actual skirting (but usually lower height than the rest of the room) but I have a feeling this looks better with shaker doors, and from the pictures of this style I've seen I think the skirting actually sits forward of the doors. When you say decor "skirting" I guess you're saying to go with the same stuff as the infills?

Cheers,
Pete

Yes, I was meaning the same as the rest of the doors and infills.
This is a bedroom that I made when we first moved into this house 35+ years ago. It's looking a bit dated now but that's to be expected, although I did take it apart and give it a respray a couple of years ago.