IKEAn IKEA PAX wardrobe or B&Q Modular wardrobe?

[sheeplikessleep]

I just wondered if anyone had purchased either of these? We can't decide between them, B&Q have a third off prices at the moment, which is starting to swing it, but still comparable to IKEA prices.

Any experiences? Thanks

We have ikea pax wardrobes and have some of them over 10 years. We have collapsed them down several times for house moves. They are solid and sturdy.

The interior fittings are easy to change and very cheap. For example a hanging rail for a single wardrobe is £2 and a double, brace yourself, is £3!

We also have their wooden drawers plus their plastic tubs on rails inside our numerous ikea wardrobes. Their canvas storage tubs are also great.

They have taken some serious knocks from the children but are still looking good. We have them in every room.

My nearest Ikea used to be 45 minute drive away but is now 5minute drive so very convenient for me if I want to change the fittings inside.

that's reassuring to know. thanks fizzylemonade. i quite like the malm one, but it is only 200cm tall (some of the others are 236cm tall) and i'm trying to maximise storage space at the moment, with another baby on the way! thanks for posting

We have a PAX one that is 10 years old and have also been put up and down a few times (6 times I think) and they are still very solid and sturdy. Def would recommend.

We have the PAX wardrobes in our bedroom. Got the widest ash sliding doors and have essentially four units behind them: two "double units", one tall single unit (for my longer dresses/coats) and another tall single unit half shelved and half filled with wooden drawers (for dh's stuff). One of the double units as a high shelf, a hanging rail and then the bottom half is filled with the wooden drawers. That one has by blouses/jackets and the drawers are filled with jumpers/T-shirts and the bottom one with shoes. The top drawer has the wee swuares, which are filled with socks/knickers etc. The other double unit has the same high shelf and hanging rail 9for dh's shirts and jackets) and the bottom half has the trousers rail.

Dh took his time putting them up and they work beautifully - they're a pleasure to use.

Thank you so much for your posts

Ikea do some lovely boxes that you could put on top of the wardrobe

We can only have the 201 high ones, modern houses, tut.

My parents had B&Q and then tried to add a few more items but they had stopped doing them. As you can see by me and other posters Ikea have been doing PAX for decades

I have 3 Paxes, and another planned. They are easy to build (did it myself with DH helping to lift 1 heavy bit then stand them up), loads of choice over how you arrange them inside and they really hold a tonne of stuff. The only thing I didn't like were the plastic drawers going the length of a double unit, eventually they warped and no longer fitted.

right, our minds are definitely made up, we're going for a pax, now just need to decide on which one. i'd like one that isn't transparent (inside of our wardrobes are always reminiscent of the look of the end of a jumble sale!) and 236cm high.

boxes on top are an idea, thanks (although more dusting required than everything being behind closed doors!). god i'm lazy.

thanks so much for posting.

Hi Sheeplikessleep
We bought some pax wardrobes a couple of years ago. Can't remember which size exactly, but they're tall, and my DH needed help from me and our eldest DS (then age 11)to put them up...wish I could have called upon Sputnik to help! My Dh thought that the instructions were a bit mis-leading just showing assembly by 2 adults. That said, they look superb and the doors glide very easily. We also got some bookcases from here and they look fabulous in all 3 of our DS's bedrooms.
Good luck with the pregnancy

Thanks Tivvy - it's good to know the doors still slide well for you! Those bookshelves are lovely, really nice, but probably a bit beyond our budget unfortunately, but they are lovely.
Thanks for posting and for the good luck message!

Thanks Tivvy - it's good to know the doors still slide well for you! Those bookshelves are lovely, really nice, but probably a bit beyond our budget unfortunately, but they are lovely.
Thanks for posting and for the good luck message!

Love our PAX. They are much more solid than anything B & Q/Homebase/Argos sell at the same prices. One thing - remember to buy the door hinges. For some reason these are 'extras'

We had to do another 100 mile round trip just to buy the hinges

We have bedside tables that are actually ikea's cheap as chips 3 drawer chest of drawers and we have "lined" the clear plastic bit with paper on the inside so it is just white.

Means you can't see all the tat

Re dusting tops of wardrobes, I have a telescopic long handled ostrich feather duster. I stand on my bed (I have 2 double wardrobes at the bottom of my bed and then some to the side) and I can dust easily.

My top Pax tips (although it may be a bit different if you are doing the sliding door ones as I haven't got those) figure out which is the top and the bottom of the side panels, they have different holes.

The middle vertical strip of holes down the side panels are off centre so you cannot attach something the wrong way.

I have those plasic tubs (have had the double ones and overloaded them and still never had them warp) I attach all the runners for those before I assemble the wardrobe. If I do this when it is upright my arms ache with the weight of the drill.

I assemble mine lay down, then upright them. I do it all myself Use a set square to get the corners square and they will be perfect!

I need to print this thread off to accompany the instructions!
Thanks so much for posting

Fabulous just found this thread....off to IKEA hopefully this w/e

Am mid house sale and am looking forward to trips back to Ikea, 3 mile away, bliss.

My current house has been finished for a year so no shopping to be done.

sheep- did you get them?

Hi,

I'm not a Mum but I do love coming here for tips and advice. And I know this is a old thread, but I think it's idea for my question.

What is the quality of the PAX furniture like? I don't often get to Ikea but love their stuff and can order online - but that means I can't judge the items for myself. I can guess it's not solid good, but is it cheap cover board or high quality nearly wood? I needs to go with wood block flooring so knowing me I'll be comparing on a daily basis!!

Thanks

Ikea furniture is MDF..not at all wood. Unless it gets wet, it lasts really well. If it gets wet it can swell & lose shape...hope this helps!

If you choose the right colours to match/contrast your wood flooding they can look great! They aren't wood but they look wood. Excellent smooth finish & everything works beautifully for years...smooth drawers, doors, hinges etc.

That's great, thank you! May go with carpet in the bedrooms now as this cold weather reminds how comfy a carpet can be

I have 2 dismantled 236cm high Pax in my garage, as they are too tall for our new house!

So if you are in Northants and can hire a van to pick them up, you can have them for free.

I keep meaning to list then on Freecycle.

Mine are still going strong, I am Fizzylemonade from upthread, my oldest ones are now 15 years old and they are in the children's bedrooms, so they aren't gentle with them. They have endured 4 house moves.

Judging from the holes drilled into the doors for the hinges to sit in and the base of the carcass which isn't covered they are made of chipboard not MDF.

I have moved house since posting the last time so I now own 6 doubles and 12 single Pax wardrobes, some 15 years old and some 3 years old. I love them. I have a 4m run of them in the children's playroom to stash toys as well as coats, shoes, bags, a 32" tv hides inside a double wardrobe too.

All of the above sounds really useful. I went to IKEA today and did a wardrobe design on their computer. I have a closet/built in type wardrobe that I want to get new sliding doors and interior rails/shelves etc put into.

Has anyone used IKEA to improve an existing space rather than getting the whole wardrobe from scratch? Will it be difficult to try and fit IKEA products into a non IKEA exterior?