IKEA Wardrobe Height – Ceiling Height Requirement?

paperclap

Hi all,

So we are looking to get an IKEA PAX wardrobe, at the 236cm height.

Our ceilings are 238cm.

From what I've read online, a 244cm ceiling height is required. This is so that once the wardrobe has been assembled on the floor, it can be pivoted up and into place.

However, I've seen some people suggesting that it is possible to build it upright, so as to circumvent the need for additional ceiling height. Is this possible to do?

We had also planned to get sliding doors. However, IKEA states that a minimum ceiling height requirement for these is 240cm, as they clip on top I think? Is this really the case?

I've also read that some people cut off a section of the bottom of the wardrobe (say, a cm or two) to gain some leeway. Again, is this possible?

These height restrictions are frankly ridiculous, given that our ceiling height is literally the majority of the UK houses.

Bendy_House

laurencewhymark said:

Hi all,

So we are looking to get an IKEA PAX wardrobe, at the 236cm height.

Our ceilings are 238cm.

From what I've read online, a 244cm ceiling height is required. This is so that once the wardrobe has been assembled on the floor, it can be pivoted up and into place.

However, I've seen some people suggesting that it is possible to build it upright, so as to circumvent the need for additional ceiling height. Is this possible to do?

We had also planned to get sliding doors. However, IKEA states that a minimum ceiling height requirement for these is 240cm, as they clip on top I think? Is this really the case?

I've also read that some people cut off a section of the bottom of the wardrobe (say, a cm or two) to gain some leeway. Again, is this possible?

These height restrictions are frankly ridiculous, given that our ceiling height is literally the majority of the UK houses.

However, I've seen some people suggesting that it is possible to build it upright, so as to circumvent the need for additional ceiling height. Is this possible to do? Yes. Anything that can be build horizontally, can be ditto vertically :-)

We had also planned to get sliding doors. However, IKEA states that a minimum ceiling height requirement for these is 240cm, as they clip on top I think? Is this really the case? No idea - have a close look at pics.

I've also read that some people cut off a section of the bottom of the wardrobe (say, a cm or two) to gain some leeway. Again, is this possible? If the units have a plinth, then anything under that can usually be trimmed away with no issues.

These height restrictions are frankly ridiculous, given that our ceiling height is literally the majority of the UK houses. Bludy Scandies with their bludy big houses with big pointy roofs :-)

ObserverOfLife

Ex-IKEA employee from the bedroom department here albeit it has been a while!

You are correct that the clearance is to pivot the wardrobe up but also because many people do not factor in carpet in their measurement so the clearance plays it safe in a way (check your measurement is from carpet to ceiling!) However, I think you've got your figures the wrong way round. It is 240cm for hinged door and 244cm for sliding doors - this is because of the overhanging clip that you have to latch on when fitting the sliding doors.

You could build it upright but you will certainly need 2 people to hold one part in place or it will easily fall apart and break. It is much harder to fit it upright so take your time if you do this.

I would not advise you to cut it down to size because you will invalidate the product's eligibility for return. I've had many customers come back to me complaining it didn't fit after they had cut it to size because their carpentry skills weren't as good as they had thought. 

Personally, my ceiling height is 244cm (Old Edwardian house!) But I opted for 201cm wardrobe and bought a storage basket/box that fits perfectly on top of wardrobe. It looks smart so maybe consider that. If we move home them it will certainly fit in the next place.

Martin_the_Unjust

I have ikea wardrobes that reach up to within 4cm of the ceiling and yes I had to build them upright, it wasn’t particularly difficult I just needed the assistance of a second pair of hands at a couple of points.

TELLIT01

laurencewhymark said:

These height restrictions are frankly ridiculous, given that our ceiling height is literally the majority of the UK houses.

But Ikea isn't a UK company.

Cornucopia

I've built IKEA wardrobes upright for exactly this reason in the (distant) past.    I propped one side up against a wall and the other was held upright whilst the top was put in place.   It worked, but the potential for wrecking the whole thing is pretty significant.   I think if I was doing it again, I'd probably actually attach the side to the wall temporarily, to prevent any possibility of "pancaking".  

Murmansk

Depends how good you are at furniture assembly and how many people you have available to help but I'd say take heed of the instructions unless you're very confident and have plenty of experience and help.

outtatune

20mm seems pretty tight but this guy has a video specifically about building the Pax 236cm wardrobe vertically where it seems he doesn't need to go higher than the wardrobe height

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIuqzUXoR5s

I've found his other videos super helpful for putting together other IKEA stuff.

ashe

We also took the shorter ones and have rattan basket storage on the top of them. 

grumbler

Bendy_House said:

 Yes. Anything that can be build horizontally, can be ditto vertically :-)

Well, I wouldn't say 'anything' as this depends on the fixings.

E.g. in this case the top is fixed with pretty long pins that have to be inserted into the side panels from the top and locked in them. And 2 cm gap is insufficient for doing this.

I don't remember how I had done this 20 years ago, but I think I started assembling from the top and  added the sides from underneath. Luckily, the bottom part is fixed differently and could be added at the next step.

Of course, in the worst case scenario you can improvise and change the fixings, e.g. use ugly brackets instead of the nicer pins in this case.

scottishblondie

We assembled the tall ones upright at our old house. For at least the hinged doors no access is needed to the top of the top panel, all the hardware is inserted into the bottom side of it.  They were within about 2cm of the ceiling.  You need 2 or 3 people and 2 step ladders.