Hardwood built in wardrobe?

[LancsRick]

So this is me thinking ahead of time as I'm a good few months away from doing it. I have just moved into a new place and one of the jobs I will be doing when refitting the bedrooms is putting in a built in wardrobe.

I am planning to be here for a long time so I want to do the job right, but I also don't want to waste money. I will want the exterior of these to be in oak but I don't want to spend masses on oak for the interior. That said, years ago I made one and did the interior in painted MDF. It looked naff. I want to avoid naff!

So the short version - when designing a built in wardrobe that will be externally hardwood, what are the suggested techniques and materials for the inside for a professional finish?

Cheers.

 

[Trevanion]

If you want a bright interior, Ash faced MDF that's been painted looks about the same as painted oak to the untrained eye and when the surface is wire brushed and painted it has a very deep grain effect which looks great. Done this on a few units and it definitely looks better than flat white paint which as you say, looks naff. If you want the interior to match the exterior go for Oak faced MDF.

How you build it really depends on the layout of the room and how you want to utilize it.

Here's one we did recently, two painted Ash wardrobes built on either side of a window with a seat with storage in the middle. The Wardrobes themselves are pinned out for modular shelves and have a drawer underneath and storage space in the top with a door on a gas strut to help keep it open. The construction is fairly simple, the face frames are all pegged mortice and tenon construction and are screwed onto the MDF carcassing.