A sliding wardrobe needs no floor space in front of it to open, which is why it wins in small bedrooms and anywhere a bed sits close to the wardrobe wall. The trade off is that you can only ever see half the wardrobe at once, and the quality of the whole thing rests on hardware most people never look at.
When is sliding the right choice?
When there is not enough clear floor in front of the wardrobe for a hinged door to open fully, which is most small and average sized Irish bedrooms.
A hinged door needs roughly its own width of clear floor to swing into. Put a double bed within that arc and the door either hits it or opens far enough to be awkward. Sliding doors remove the problem entirely because nothing projects into the room.
They also suit long runs. A four metre wall of hinged doors is a lot of swinging timber, whereas the same run in sliders reads as one clean wall.
What are the doors actually made of?
A frame, usually aluminium, holding panels: mirror, glass, painted board, timber effect, or a mix.
Mirror is the most common single choice in a small room, because it doubles the apparent size and removes the need for a separate mirror. A full wall of mirror can feel like a lot, so mixing mirror with a solid or coloured panel is often the better answer.
Glass panels in a colour give the same lightness as mirror without the reflection. Timber effect and painted panels read warmer and hide fingerprints far better, which matters more than people expect in a family bedroom.
Why does the track matter so much?
Because the doors carry their whole weight on it every time they move, and a cheap track is the single most common reason a sliding wardrobe feels bad.
A good system runs on a bottom track carrying the load with a top track guiding it, and the doors glide with one finger. A poor one runs rough, drifts out of alignment and eventually jumps. That is a hardware decision made at specification, and it is not visible in a showroom photograph.
Soft close is worth having on sliders. It stops the doors being slammed shut, which is what knocks them out of alignment over time.
What do you lose compared to hinged?
You lose access to half the wardrobe at any moment, and you lose a little internal depth to the track.
With two doors you can only ever open one side at a time, so the section behind the closed door is not visible. It matters when you are looking for something rather than putting it away, and it is the main reason some people still prefer hinged.
The track also takes up some depth at the front, so the usable internal depth is slightly less than the external. That is accounted for in the design, but it is why a shallow alcove sometimes suits hinged doors better. Our <a href="/fitted-wardrobes/hinged/">hinged wardrobes</a> page covers the alternative.
Everything we make in wood carries a two year warranty against defects.
How it works
We call out, measure the space and talk through what you want. Our designers draw it in 3D so you see the finished piece in your own room, and you get one complete itemised quote within two working days. Nothing is ordered and nothing is charged until you say yes.
One team for this and the rest of the job
The same team that makes this fits it, and we also do kitchens, fitted wardrobes, internal doors and windows. If more than one thing needs doing, it is one contractor, one schedule and one point of contact rather than four. See the rest of our work.
Frequently asked questions
How many doors can you have?
Two and three door runs are the most common. Longer walls can take more, though every extra door means another panel that overlaps its neighbour.
Can sliding doors go floor to ceiling?
Yes, and it usually looks better than stopping short. Full height also stops the gap on top collecting dust.
Can I have mirror on some doors and not others?
Yes. Mixing mirror with a solid or coloured panel is one of the most popular combinations.
What areas do you cover?
Dublin, Meath, Kildare and Wicklow. The design visit is free and there is no obligation.