Ikea Pax as a foldable wardrobe

Hello everyone

I have already read quite a bit regarding Pax and rollers, but my question is somewhat different from the problems solved.

I need a folding assortment cabinet in my basement. After considering various options, a Pax combination seems useful to me. For that, I will buy a deep Pax with 58cm depth and 1 meter width, assemble it without doors, and attach it to the wall. The interior will consist of shelves and the Trofast insert boxes. Now I will buy two more Pax modules, each 50cm wide and 38cm deep, which will be attached with hinges—like this one here —to the sides. Underneath, of course, there must be rubber rollers—something like this The height of the large Pax must of course match the rollers, so it is best to place boards underneath. What I still need are two back panels for the narrow Pax units and handles to pull them out. Altogether, folded up, I can fit two cubic meters of assortment compartments into one square meter.

Does this make sense or does it only work in my head?

My uncle has a cabinet like the one you described used as a desk. No idea where he bought it, I can't find anything similar online at the moment. However, the fold-out parts have the same depth as the base cabinet.

You definitely need to put all Pax cabinets on boards; putting the wheels directly on the floor won't work (it would be too unstable).

To be honest, I also don't quite understand the purpose. You still need space to the right and left of the cabinet to fold it out. You could just place the cabinets next to each other. Or is it about saving the doors?

Thank you for the answer Schmidti82.

Of course, I need the space for unfolding, but firstly, less space directly next to the walls is lost this way (always an issue in the basement) and secondly, much more importantly, I rarely need to get in there. When I need the stuff, I want to have everything neat and within reach. When I don’t need the stuff, I can use the space all around differently. A few weeks can easily pass in between.

If the floor can’t hold the rollers, a side mounting of the wheels, inward-facing, would still be possible. I just wonder whether the larger Pax, meaning its side walls, are suitable as a pivot point or if the thing will just collapse if the lateral load isn’t right.

I’m really not sure whether that will work in the long run. The total load is not that dramatic. It will be around 100-150 kilograms in total for everything.

And regarding the cost question: No, the cost of the doors is not a problem. With high-quality rollers and hinges, it won’t get much cheaper. The comfort is simply different. I can stand or sit in the middle of the three cabinets and have all the stuff around me with appropriate lighting. Possibly, rubber seals or small “brushes” might be added on the joints so that the cabinet also closes properly. I’ve already input everything in a cabinet configurator – it comes to about 2,000 euros compared to around 700 with Pax.

Edit: Meanwhile, I have also found a somewhat reasonable technical term. It should become a kind of display storage cabinet with the difference that the compartments have significantly more volume.

I have also created a picture from the Pax configurator. The red markings would be hinges, the blue ones would be internal rollers. I still have no idea whether the whole thing works.

Whether this works largely depends on whether the floor is level enough. If the rollers are folded out and rest on the floor and the floor slopes upward in the front, the side panels will get caught.

The construction should also hold without rollers using [Ladenband] and [Plattenhaken]. Appearance is not so important in the basement.

I would firmly install two shelves each to increase the stability of the carcass.

Thank you Ikea expert

The floor is nice and level, it is the screed without any further floor covering.

Loading strap and panel hooks are a good idea. But I am afraid that it will become top-heavy or the thin outer walls of the large box have to withstand the pressure from above and the pull forward, or when opened outward. That sounds dangerous to me.

Do you mean the two shelves for stability are screwed inside the box or at the bottom on the base?