[boykster]

I figured I'd post some pics of my "built-in" PAX system and what I had to overcome to get my sliding doors to fit. My house has relatively low ceilings, but I wanted the floor to ceiling feel that the PAX STORDAL glass sliding doors would give, so I measured many times and purchased the 118 1/8" x 92 78" kit.

I had an existing closet that was about 130" wide, so I decided to frame in the "extra" space and give the PAX system a built in look, losing only a few inches of storage. Additionally, the far left side of the closet was a bit shallow, so I had to modify the cabinets and shelves to accomodate this lack of depth.

The ceiling height was also an issue, especially because I was totally remodelling the bedroom and was installing 5/8" hardwood bamboo flooring at the same time My "extra" headroom disappeared and I had to figure out how to adapt, so I decided to create an inset for the doors to travel in, and frame it in with metal to match the look of the doors.

here are some pics:

This is an overall view of the system installed, and how it really is 'floor to ceiling'



Here is a closeup of the inset I created using aluminum flashing (base) and angle irons. Mind the dirt, cleaning day isn't until tomorrow



Here is a closeup of the wall and ceiling transistion. I attached the side trim pieces, then caulked any gap and primed and painted. you can also get a glimpse of the shallow shelf (a bit)



Here is a pic of what I used the shallow shelf section for -> shoe storage for my wife. I cut down a bunch of shelves (bought extra even), redrilled both the shelves and the cabinet to use the mounts and created some fairly efficient shoe storage.



It was a fun project, and my wife was sure I'd mess it up it was touch and go a couple of times trying to get those doors on their track with literally ZERO clearance, and the 11th hour solution to the floor was just lucky. I'm glad I thought about it BEFORE i put down the hardwoods, and planned just a bit.

Cheers!

Rich

[kmcg]

It's the closet of my dreams!! Your wife is a lucky woman that you would build it for her. Great job, and thanks for posting!
Kathy

[kisaacs]

Holy cow! I am so jealous! It's beautiful. And I love the inset into the floor. 130" of closet space - wow. I share 53" with my husband! Seriously, it's awesome!

Kristen

[splatgirl]

LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT! Really excellent work!

[boykster]

You're all too kind

I tried to find some "before" pictures to show just how awful the room looked (dark wood 70's louvred doors with a big post in the middle) but can't seem to find them. They may be on film

I really am pleased with how it turned out. The only complaint my wife has is that the doors are a bit noisy. If I were to do it again, I'd consider putting down some sort of strip on the upper door runner to dampen the noise. Oh, and she still wants more space

[kelly]

Great looking closet! I have the PAX Stordahl as well, but not built in like that!! The doors do make some noise- they are suprisingly heavy, but don't they roll like a dream? Very high quality.

Congratulations on a great project!

[Mariposita]

Can I hire you to install a system like that for us? I LOVE it!! Will have to drag DH to take a look at what you've done. A place for everything, and everything in its place. I'm jealous though.

[GardenOfDarwin]

Wow! I don't know how I missed this before. It's beautiful! If it were me, I'd be baking Tigger a whole bunch of chocolate chip cookies.

Susan

[fh2000]

boykster,

I started a thread with my question here: http://www.ikeafans.com/forums/home-...ld-closet.html Then, I was pointed out to check the old threads and I found yours.

Yesterday, I went to my local Ikea store and looked at PAX STORDAL sliding doors. I can see that it has a surrounding metal frame that is screwed into the closet wood/particle board carcass.

The size of the sliding door is very close to my closet opening (79" X 93") . I only want to have the doors installed but not the PAX closet. The reason for that is I have an opening to the attic INSIDE the closet. If I also install the IKEA closet, I will have to open a big enough hole at the top and I fear that the side board will not have enough strength to hold the whole closet. Plus, I will have to demolish a narrow wall that is currently part of the closet.

So, to just intall the metal frame, and doors to have a tight fit, I will have to build my own frame around the opening with some 2 X 4's, and screw the PAX STORDAL metal frame to it. The bottom metal frame will be screwed to my laminate floor and cement slab beneath it.

Will this work? Are there any special issues that I need to worry about?
Thanks

[boykster]

Hi fh2000,

You should have no problems doing what you described retrofitting to an existing closet, as long as you take lots of measurements and make sure that the mounting rails are spaced properly. The upper rail needs to be VERY securely fastened as it carries the all of the weight of the doors.

Otherwise, I don't see any problems. I considered what you're doing, but I needed new closet fixtures anyway, so I went with using the PAX cabinets as inserts....