How to turn the corner with a thin PAX wardrobe

ikea corner wardrobe pax

I have a few of the shallower 35cm (13 3/4″) PAX modules but I wanted a corner wardrobe.

After a search on IKEA, I found out that the corner module only exists for the 50cm (22 7/8″) depth.

PAX corner wardrobe 50mm

PAX Corner wardrobe with Tyssedal doors | IKEA.com

So, I scratched my head and read this Hackers Help Question but I did not find the answer I was looking for.

I scratched my head again and thought, “What the Hack?”

And this is the result of my attempt to solve this riddle. It looks and works the same as the 50cm deep PAX corner wardrobe. Only thinner.

IKEA PAX corner wardrobe 35mm hack
IKEA items used: 
Other materials and tools: 
  • Two 18mm x 35cm spacer boards, as tall as the wardrobe

DIY PAX corner wardrobe for 35cm units

Here’s what I did for my shallow PAX corner wardrobe.

I bought a 75cm (29 1/2″) PAX module and one 50cm (19 1/2″) door.

After assembly, I slid the module in the corner. 25cm of the frame’s width is covered by the adjacent corner unit. I left 50cm open for the door.

plan

Next, I mounted the door.

It was then I realized the doors won’t open and close without knocking into each other. I needed a spacer between the two modules.

spacers

Top view showing the space between the two PAX units

As a result, I inched the other module away to leave a gap. Next, I filled the gap with the spacer boards.

Lastly, I slid the modules and spacers back against the ‘corner’ unit.

And just like that, the doors open and close without any issues, with adequate margin for the knobs. Hooray.

knobs
How long and how much did it cost?

The spacer boards cost almost as much as a 50cm module.

What was the hardest part about this hack?

Aligning the spacer boards with the modules.

What to pay special attention to?

The spacer boards need to come out as far as the door. The spacer boards could be fixed to the ‘in line’ modules. I tried double sided sticky tape, but was only partially successful.

Attaching the spacer boards to the modules should make horizontal alignment easier. They will add weight to the feet.

Looking back, would you have done it differently?

I’m waiting for your comments 🙂

See this question and comments for additional information. 

Visit my blog for the complete tutorial.

~ by Simon A