Sliding Door Wardrobe out of square - how to fix gaps?

[eddomak]

Hi,

I am about to finally finish my daughter's room, and due to the size of the wardrobe I decided to build it in the room and fix it to the adjoining walls and cabinets piecemeal, rather than try and assemble it as a standalone unit and move it into place.

Probably a bad decision with hindsight, but what's done is done.

One of the vertical side panels was warped and bends inwards at the centre. To the naked eye with no other reference it is not noticeable, but as soon as the straight edge of the sliding door is closed against ot the gaps and the top and bottom are obvious.

I can't think of a way of closing the gap or making the problem less obvious except by scribing the wardrobe door to match the gap. Do you think this is a good idea?

Thanks in advance for the advice.

 

[Stone Message]

If that bent side panel has been in the room for a while then there is little chance that it will assume its original true shape.

If it were possible to put a shelf inside at the height that matches the maximum bow then that could do the job but as it is a wardrobe that might not be possible.

Is the end panel removeable? If so, it could be replaced or doctored. If you cannot replace it might you be able to cut a couple of shallow rebates from top to bottom on the inside. You could then glue some narrow (and straight) pieces into those channels. Whilst the glue is going off I would use some clamps to put a very slight bend in the opposite direction.

Even with the best quality PVA I would leave everything for 24 hours before removing the clamps.

Peter

 

[semenza]

Hi,

    Does the panel flex? Move easily?

  Is there room inside behind the front edge to add a piece of steel angle? And or a 2" - 3" wide x 2" - 3" thick piece of hardwood , on the outside front?  Sort of an exterior post. Or maybe just an interior post? Or sandwich the panel between interior and exterior post.

Seth

 

[tjbnwi]

Don’t worry about it. It’s in a kids room, probably will never be closed again.  [big grin]

Scribe the door.

Tom

 

[HarveyWildes]

Is there room to glue a 1/4" (or so - slightly wider than the gap) on the side, in front of the door, to hide the gap?  Then hand plane it flush to the front edge.

 

[waho6o9]

Scribe it.

 

[Stone Message]

Another way may be to put a face frame which is attached proud of the current front edge. It would need to be on the left and right hand sides and along the top. It only needs to be about 1/4" thick and wide enough to cover the panel width plus the bow (at a guess - 1").

If you scribe it then you will have to deal with the edges.

Peter

 

[antss]

I'd do as Seth suggests.  Make a frame and attach it. 

It will strengthen , square the carcass and hide any gap that might remain.

 

[Dane]

I've done as Seth suggests with angle iron on pantries.  Top to bottom, inside- will straighten it right out.

 

[eddomak]

Thankyou all for your ideas!

Don’t worry about it. It’s in a kids room, probably will never be closed again.  [big grin]

Hah hah hah, yes, those are my thoughts exactly.  [big grin] But I thought I might as well try and learn something.

Another way may be to put a face frame which is attached proud of the current front edge. It would need to be on the left and right hand sides and along the top.

Unfortunately the existing frame is part of the design, and is flush with other cabinets, so adding another frame to hide the gap isn't an option.

If it were possible to put a shelf inside at the height that matches the maximum bow then that could do the job but as it is a wardrobe that might not be possible.

Yes indeed - I have one in there to try and push it out, but as the wardrobe has a centre divider which is more flexible, than the sides, it doesn't seem to be doing the job.

Is the end panel removeable? If so, it could be replaced or doctored. If you cannot replace it might you be able to cut a couple of shallow rebates from top to bottom on the inside.

Unfortunately it is no longer removeable (as the back panel seals in the pocket holes that hold the side.
Also to create a new panel is a lot of work (it is a 9mm baltic birch panel laminated onto a 18mm baltic birch panel, with a mitred edge, and scribed to the wall), and quite expensive. Here's a shot of the panel when I was making it (inside face is topmost). Lesson's learnt - don't stand the panels up for too long (this was a multi-month project for me).

[attachimg=1]

However it could be interesting to cut in a shallow rebate/channel behind the front frame...

In conclusion, I will just scribe it.

 

[Bohdan]

If it were possible to put a shelf inside at the height that matches the maximum bow then that could do the job but as it is a wardrobe that might not be possible.

Yes indeed - I have one in there to try and push it out, but as the wardrobe has a centre divider which is more flexible, than the sides, it doesn't seem to be doing the job.

Put a temporary brace on the other side of the centre divider to straighten the bowed end and then attach the shelf to the back.

 

[DB10]

If it were possible to put a shelf inside at the height that matches the maximum bow then that could do the job but as it is a wardrobe that might not be possible.

Yes indeed - I have one in there to try and push it out, but as the wardrobe has a centre divider which is more flexible, than the sides, it doesn't seem to be doing the job.

Put a temporary brace on the other side of the centre divider to straighten the bowed end and then attach the shelf to the back.

Being a child's wardrobe could be your saving grace,
brace the centre divider as mentioned above and then install two clothes rails between the centre divider and the bowed end piece one rail at normal height and one rail lower down so children can reach it, cut the clothes rails extra tight and hopefully they should act as two braces that will straighten up the end panel.

 

[eddomak]

Put a temporary brace on the other side of the centre divider to straighten the bowed end and then attach the shelf to the back.

Good ideas - I could either use yet another shelf on the other side to brace the centre divider, or another hanging rod.

The other thing that I would slightly worry about is whether the pocket screws will hold the wardrobe side on, with all that pressure. The construction was done so that the side is actually the last piece (except the wardrobe inner back) to go on, and is attached with pocket screws.

I may try to brace and try to unbend using a car jack, monitoring any signs of strain in the wrong places.