Framing in/around IKEA PAX wardrobe

greensalad

We have a 2m x 2m dressing room that we are putting PAX wardrobes in - in an L shape pushed into one corner. No skirtings so they'll be flush to the wall, intending to fit carpet around them.

The wardrobes are 188cm width on one wall and 185cm on the other. Leaving us only with a tiny gap on each side, and 20cm on the ceiling. We'd like to "frame" in the wardrobes to give them a more built in look and also help the gaps not become dust traps (and not have to worry about skirtings or carpet down these narrow gaps).

What do you think would be the best way to do this? I was thinking a batten attached to the wall (it's stud) on each end, and then a similar batten attached to the carcass (screw from inside the carcass through to the wood?) That would give me two battens to screw plasterboard to, two strips of plasterboard 12cm and 15cm wide on each end. 

Don't want to have to actually plaster the board, so was thinking jointing tape + lining paper? Or just fill, mist coat and paint?

Bendy_House

These 'robes have an 18mm carcase?

Your idea sounds good. As you clearly realise, the awkward parts are getting the edges and joints looking good. The correct way is to use jointing tape, in this case folded in t'middle to make it 'L'-shaped, bedded/adhered to the p'board and wall, and then a skim of filler over each side of this tape, sanded to 'feather' it in to the walls and ceilings.

And then there's the cowboy method...

You can always resort to the correct way should the 'boy fail.

By the way, you could use MDF for this if you prefer, tho' it is much harder to cut.

Yes, a batten down the side of the cupboard, set back from the front edge by the thickness of p'board used - 12.5mm is much firmer than 9mm. Ditto for the wall and ceiling. You are unlikely to catch a stud to screw in to on the wall at least, so you may need to 'glue' this batten in place instead - a thin bead of Gorilla polyurethane glue, and the batten braced snugly against the wall isn't going to see it move again without serious damage to the wall, so get the position correct first time

Then, when you fit the neatly-cut p'board strips, also glue these - this time with PVA - to the battens, and the p'board edge to the wall (and ceiling). Ideally use the pappered p'board edge for making contact to the wall and ceiling, as this will help it to adhere. The idea is to prevent future movement that could cause cracks. So, apply that smear of PVA to the wall/ceiling edge of the p'board too, then wipe away excess PVA with a damp cloth from the front surfaces (any PVA left on the cosmetic surface could mess up the painting.)

When it comes to joining the two (and more) p'board sections (ie the ceiling strip to the vertical end bits), a simple way is to cut a timber batten the required length, position it behind one edge so it's half-way behind there, PVA it first, and then a few p'board screws through the front of the p'board to secure it. The next panel overlaps this batten too - with the p'boards butting together, and flush at their fronts - and repeat. PVA first - including the p'board edges together - then a few screws. This should be firmly joined, and have no movement. If you don't have battens, you could actually use a piece of spare p'board for this, tho' a method would be needed to hold it in place whilst the PVA dries.

Then, to make good the visible joins (as part of the final job after the construction work has all been done), just cut a quarter-deep V-groove into the p'board to remove the visible, and slightly-rough, join, brush in PVA, wipe away all traces from the FRONT surface of the p'board, and then fill with filler. When you come to sand this, take care not to damage the surrounding paper surface.

At the wall and ceiling, trim away any fluffy paper edge, and either use filler as before, or even a thin bead of decorator's caulk (make it a small, neat, sharp bead tho' - you can wrap a damp cloth over a shape and run it up the edges for this, but act quickly as the caulk does skin very quickly) to finish off the board to ceiling/wall joints. Once painted, they should hopefully look spot-on.

That leaves the p'board to cupboard joints. I would use architrave for covering this, matching whatever type you already have in the room, or even going 'Ogee' if the door archi is plain. This will be a simple fixing job, requiring only simply 45o mitres at the top corners, and the corner of the cupboards. Fit it so that only ~5mm goes over the cupboard sides - enough to hide the joints - and the rest will frame your cupboards really well, and add - I think - to the bespoke look. Fit them with panel pins or similar. Any imperfections - perish the thought - and a touch of decor's caulk.

Of course, MSE's T&Cs state you must come back and show us the mes... er wonderful finished work.

Doozergirl

We've used mdf and painted it the same colour as the walls/ceiling.  It's not a large enough space to bother with plastering, it's just not noticeable that it isn't.  

Bendy_House

Yup... :-(

But the joining together bits still apply, so my post isn't completely wasted...

greensalad

I'm still leaning towards plasterboard over MDF. Easier to cut (we only have a jigsaw or a mini circular), cheaper, and more alike to the wall colour that we want to paint it. We actually don't want it to match the cupboard, but the plan is to set it back about 5cm from the wardrobe edge so the wardrobe carcasses appear to protrude from the wall, if that makes sense?

I'm very fast becoming a fill-and-sand pro so feel a lot more comfortable with that! Thanks for the tip on folding the jointing tape. I normally use the big tub of quick dry Polyfilla, is that appropriate in this case (already got it) or do I need a specialist filler?

Also read that plasterboard sealant is required, but I have a big tub of Valspar white quick-dry that I've been using as a primer elsewhere (new plaster) so am thinking 2:1 paint water on that should suffice to soak into the plasterboard and not require me to buy another "sealant" that probably does the same thing?

Interesting that you say to glue rather than screw the timber to the walls and to the plasterboard. Because we are setting the battens back from the wardrobe edge I may have more of a choice to "pick" where they go, so will stud test in case we're lucky. Do you think just glueing stud to the wall would really be strong enough? I feel happy glueing the plasterboard to the timber, that seems to make sense, but I would've thought screwing the battens in would've been recommended. 

greensalad

Right done my shopping list for the plaster board and timber. Need to finish painting the room now but at least if I commit to this project I don't have to paint two of the walls and only cut in the ceiling on two sides as well! Now if I order everything before my OH gets home from his business trip he can't say no, can he?

Racky_Roo

I did a miscoat on my plasterboard and then 2 coats of actual emulsion in the room colour. It's such a small gap in my room too that you don't want to be taking a lot of time on it

Bendy_House

GreenS, the easy things first... Bare plasterboard takes emulsion paint straight on. Filler - and plaster skims - require the 'sealing' you refer to, but in practice that's just emulsion paint with an added, ooh, 10-15% of water.

Some p' board tapes come with a crease down their middle, and that's what it's for - to fold crisply around corners. Kudos to you for going with this proper method, rather than my c'boy version.

If you cannot find a vertical stud - or a horizontal noggin - in the wall to screw in to, then, yes, glue will work. PVA might actually be better than Gorilla, as it'll likely go through the paint layer and bond with the wall plaster skim. Over the length of the batten, that'll be surprisingly secure. But if you'd rather secure it with mechanical p'b fittings, that's absolutely your call. If you glue, give it a full coating over the batten face, and brace the batten firmly against the wall using short sticks betwixt it and the wardrobe side - PVA doesn't fill gaps, but is immensely strong when in tight contact.

Bendy_House

You can buy tubs of ready-mixed scrim filler, probably the best stuff to use - goes on smoothly, and is easy to sand. But others may advise differently.

greensalad

Ok so glueing seems like the perfect easy option, next question, any reason I couldn’t use no more nails esque glue? Or rather, the Sticks Like Sh*t in the tube that I already have and was going to use to glue the skirting boards back on with? Not that PVA is remotely expensive but this is MSE after all and I already have it! 

Also I did see premix of the filling stuff but it’s quite expensive for the tiny amount I need hence why I was hoping Polyfilla would suffice. If I can use the NMN and Polyfilla I already have then I only need to buy timber, plasterboard and tape. 

Bendy_House

Any fine filler should do, especially for the over-coat which is feathered down. I'm not sure how the tape is stuck down first, tho' - others will need to advise on this (tho' I have used PVA for this myself, when I wanted the tape as flat as possible, so as little skim required on top as was needed to feather...)

'No more nails'/'sticks like...' will work too. The solvent-based versions have a tendency to 'skin' very quickly, and you need to act quickly. Non-solvent is easier to use, but probably not as strong - and certainly not as 'instant grab'. But, it'll all work.

As with any adhesive, it comes down to the surfaces being suitably prepared - not dusty/powdery/dirty/wet. (Tho' non-solvent will cope with damp as long as it all ultimately dries out...)

Again, prepare the job and do a dry run. Ie, draw the vertical line the batten needs to line up with, position the batten, and wedge in the bracing sticks - make sure the batten is held nicely flat against the wall. Remove, glue, refit, brace. Leave to set.

Bear in mind that you will be able to shift the batten afterwards if you are heavy-handed. Eg, if you NAIL the p'board on to the batten instead of screw, then good chance it'll break away. But it'll take the surface of the wall away with it - possibly just the paint, possibly just the paint and a single layer of surface paper, possibly the paint, paper, and half the plaster...

If you DO find a horizontal noggin to also shove a screw in to, then great. (Making sure there's no wiring or pipes...)