How Should I Go About Refurbishing My Wardrobes?

JadeHighland

I've got a couple of weeks off work and I'm hoping to get some advice on refurbishing my wardrobe. It's a real eyesore, especially since the rest of the room has been updated recently. I'm not very skilled with DIY, so I'd like to know if this is a project I can tackle myself or if I should hire someone.

The walls are in poor condition and need painting. Should I sand them first, or can I just fill the holes and paint over them?The sliding mirrors are rusty and discolored. Where can I find replacements, and are they easy to install?

Additionally, the mirrors aren't connected to the bottom tracks and lift up. Would I need to install a higher supporting block for the new tracks?The shelves are chipped and unattractive. Is it straightforward to replace them?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

kimwp

I think I'd be tempted to see if an IKEA wardrobe or similar would fit in the space. And use drawers instead of shelves as high up as is sensible, they are far better for clothes storage.

Working_Mum

When we moved into our new house four years ago my son's room had a wall of fitted wardrobes. They were old and a bit wobbly. 

I took everything out and gave them a really thorough clean, removing shelves etc so I could see the actual state of the inside. When replacing things I turned a couple of shelves which were chipped (like yours) so the good side faced outwards. and placed some of the more worn ones in places I would use less and not see at eye level.

After giving the 2 mirrored doors a super thorough clean I used a frosted film and covered one of them - my son still had one to act as a mirror for when he dressed. Ours had two white/ cream melamine doors and I considered covering these too but decided against it in the end.

You could paint the mirrored doors or use a film to update them. The clean may fix the sticking door too. Maybe it needs some kind of WD40 spray on the runners to help smooth things??

I know I spoke to a few fitted bedroom furniture places and they wanted to sell me new doors etc which I didn't want to do.

So maybe a good spring clean, swapping the shelves around might give you the look you want.

Alternatively you could remove the doors and go for the completely open vibe which is very fashionable nowadays (but you need to be super tidy!!).

Good luck, it's a nice project to do.

WM