A wardrobe door that used to close with a satisfying clunk and now catches on the frame, or hangs slightly lower on one corner, is one of those small daily irritations that people put up with far longer than they need to. Most of the time the fix is genuinely simple and does not need a joiner at all. Sometimes it does, and it helps to know which is which before you start taking things apart.
We fit a lot of handmade wardrobes across Hampshire and beyond, and we also get called out to adjust or repair doors we did not originally fit. The causes fall into a fairly short list, and working through them in order usually gets you to the answer quickly.
Hinged doors: the most common culprits
If your wardrobe has hinged doors, particularly the concealed cup hinges used on most fitted furniture, the good news is that these are designed to be adjusted without any tools beyond a screwdriver. Over months and years of opening and closing, the tension can shift slightly, and a door that was once flush can end up sitting a few millimetres proud or catching the frame on one edge.
Concealed hinges typically have three adjustment screws: one moves the door side to side, one moves it in and out, and one moves it up and down. Small turns make a surprisingly big difference, so adjust a quarter turn at a time and check the door before going further. It is worth doing this with the wardrobe empty or at least not fully loaded, since a heavy hanging rail full of coats can pull a door out of alignment temporarily.
If a door has genuinely dropped, meaning it now catches on the bottom of the frame or has an uneven gap at the top compared to the bottom, that is almost always the vertical adjustment screw needing a turn or two, or in older hinges the screws fixing the hinge plate to the carcass may have worked loose in the chipboard and need refitting with a slightly larger screw or a filled and redrilled hole.
When it is the house, not the wardrobe
Fitted wardrobes are built into the room, and if the room moves, the wardrobe moves with it. Houses settle gradually over years, floors can develop a slight slope, and even seasonal changes in humidity can shift a timber frame enough to throw doors out of true. This is particularly common in older Hampshire properties with suspended timber floors, and in loft conversions where the roof structure can flex slightly with temperature.
If several doors across a run of wardrobes have all developed the same problem at roughly the same time, for example all catching at the same corner, that points strongly towards the building rather than the individual hinges. In that case, hinge adjustment might mask the symptom for a while but the actual fix is checking the frame is still level and packed correctly against the wall and floor.
- One door affected, others fine: almost always a hinge adjustment issue
- Several doors affected the same way at once: likely the building or the frame has moved
- Problem appeared suddenly after redecorating or new flooring: check the floor level under the wardrobe
- Gradual worsening over a year or more: normal settlement, adjust hinges periodically
Sliding wardrobe doors
Sliding doors have a different set of problems because they run on a top track, a bottom track, or both depending on the system. Doors that judder, feel heavy to move, or come slightly off the track at one end usually have debris in the bottom channel, worn rollers, or a track that has come slightly loose from the floor or frame.
Vacuum the bottom track thoroughly first, since carpet fluff, dust and small objects build up there over time and are a genuinely common cause of sticking. If that does not solve it, check the rollers at the base of the door for wear or damage, as these are a wearing part on any sliding system and will eventually need replacing after years of daily use. Top hung systems, where the weight is carried by the top track rather than the floor, avoid a lot of these issues but rely on that top track being fixed securely into solid structure, so if a top hung door has started to sag it is worth checking the fixing points above the frame.
What we check on a call out
When we go to look at a wardrobe door problem, we start by checking the wardrobe is still standing level, using a spirit level along the top and down each side of the frame. Only once that is confirmed do we move on to individual hinge or track adjustment, because adjusting hardware on an unlevel carcass is a losing battle.
We also check how the wardrobe was originally packed and fixed to the wall and floor. A fitted wardrobe built along a skirting board or an uneven wall should have been packed out properly at the time of fitting, and if that packing has compressed or was insufficient to begin with, doors will keep drifting out of true no matter how often you adjust the hinges.
When to call someone in
Hinge adjustment is genuinely a job most people can do themselves with fifteen minutes and a screwdriver, and we would rather you save the call out fee for something that actually needs a professional. Where it is worth getting someone in is if the carcass itself has come away from the wall, if a track has worked loose from the ceiling or floor, or if you have already tried adjusting hardware and the problem keeps coming back within a few weeks.
If you are in Hampshire and have a wardrobe, hinged or sliding, that is causing ongoing grief, give us a call on 02380 201687 or 07833 227576, or drop us an email at info@vipwalls.co.uk. We are happy to have a look whether we fitted the wardrobe originally or not.
Common questions
- Why has my wardrobe door started dropping on one side?
- This is usually a concealed hinge that needs its vertical adjustment screw turned, or in older hardware the hinge plate screws have worked loose in the chipboard. Both are usually fixable with a screwdriver in a few minutes.
- My sliding wardrobe door judders when I open it, what should I check first?
- Clean out the bottom track thoroughly, since fluff and debris are the most common cause of juddering sliding doors. If it still judders after a proper clean, the rollers under the door may be worn and need replacing.
- Is it normal for wardrobe doors to need adjusting occasionally?
- Yes, a small amount of periodic adjustment is normal over the years as hinges settle and the house shifts slightly with the seasons. It does not usually mean anything is wrong with the wardrobe itself.
- Can settlement in an old house really affect fitted wardrobes?
- Yes, particularly in older Hampshire properties with timber floors or loft conversions, gradual movement in the building can throw a built in wardrobe frame slightly out of true even years after it was fitted.
- Do you repair wardrobes you did not originally fit?
- Yes, we are happy to come out and look at hinge, track or fitting problems on wardrobes fitted by other joiners, not just our own work.
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