CRF Services Ltd
Wardrobe fitting and fitted wardrobes
Wardrobe fitting covers building storage into a bedroom so it uses the full height and width of the space, rather than standing a freestanding unit against a wall. CRF Services Ltd builds fitted wardrobes into alcoves, across chimney breast recesses, under sloping ceilings and along whole walls, and secures tall freestanding wardrobes safely to the wall. This page explains how fitted wardrobes are planned, what affects the price and what to decide before asking for a quote.
Fitted wardrobes compared with freestanding ones
A freestanding wardrobe is a piece of furniture. It has its own back and sides, it leaves a gap above and beside it, and it can be moved when you move house. A fitted wardrobe is part of the room. It is scribed to the walls, ceiling and floor so there are no dust traps, and it can fill shapes a shop bought unit never will, such as the slope of a loft room or the recess beside a chimney breast.
Because fitted wardrobes use the walls of the room as part of their structure, they often give more hanging space for the same floor area. The trade off is that they stay with the house, so they are worth planning around how you will use the room for years rather than months.
How a fitted wardrobe is built
Most fitted wardrobes start with a frame or carcass fixed to the walls and floor. Old houses in Medway rarely have square corners or level floors, so the frame is packed and levelled first, then the front is scribed to follow the walls. Shelves, hanging rails, drawers and shoe racks go inside, and the doors are hung last so they can be adjusted to close evenly.
Doors can be hinged or sliding. Hinged doors give full access to the inside but need room in front to swing open. Sliding doors suit narrow bedrooms where a door would hit the bed, but only half the wardrobe is open at once. Painted MDF, veneered board and mirrored panels are all common door finishes, and the choice changes both the look and the cost.
- Measuring the space and checking walls, floor and ceiling
- Fixing and levelling the frame
- Scribing panels to uneven walls
- Fitting rails, shelves and any drawers
- Hanging and adjusting doors
- Filling, caulking and finishing ready for paint where needed
Alcoves, eaves and awkward spaces
The recesses either side of a chimney breast are the classic place for a fitted wardrobe in a Victorian or Edwardian bedroom. A wardrobe can fill one recess, and the other can become open shelving or a cupboard; the alcove shelving and cupboards page covers that side of the work. In loft rooms and bungalows, low doors set into the eaves turn dead space under the slope into storage.
Freestanding wardrobes made safe
Tall wardrobes can tip forward if a child climbs a drawer or a door is pulled hard. Securing an existing or newly delivered wardrobe to the wall with the right fixing for the wall type is a short job, explained on the shelving and storage fitting page. CRF does not offer furniture assembly as a service, so freestanding wardrobes need to arrive built.
Wardrobe fitting cost: what moves the price
There is no single price for a fitted wardrobe, because the size of the space, the number of doors and the materials vary so widely. The biggest factors are the width and height being filled, whether the walls and floor need a lot of scribing, the door style and finish, and how much is going inside, as drawers and internal dividers take far more time than a rail and a shelf.
Painting is another factor. A fitted wardrobe in primed MDF needs painting once fitted, which can be done as part of the job or left to you. If you are comparing a custom wardrobe with a shop bought range, ask each quote to state the same things: carcass material, door type, internal layout, finish and whether removal of an old wardrobe is included. Every job is quoted in writing after a visit.
Booking a wardrobe fitter near you
Send a photo of the space, the rough width and height, and a note of what you want to store through the contact page. A sketch of the layout you have in mind is helpful but not essential. Wardrobe work sits within the carpentry service and can be combined with new skirting or doors in the same room.
This work is part of our Carpentry service.
Common questions
Wardrobe fitting and fitted wardrobes questions answered
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Have a job in mind?
Tell Danny what needs doing and get a clear, no-obligation quotation.