Hinged doors open outward from your wardrobe. They are the more traditional style of furniture.
Sliding doors move along a track so one door disappears behind another. Sliding doors sit flat against the floor of the wardrobe whereas hinged doors tend to leave a step at the bottom of the wardrobe.
Both are valid style choices with their own advantages which we’ll go into here.
The Pros and Cons of Each Door Type
Hinged Door
We’ll consider hinged doors first. As they are the standard choice, many people prefer the style of a hinged door. They also come in a wide range of colours and finishes to suit your décor. The maintenance of these types of doors is easy. They’re quick to clean and hinges are cheap and simple to replace so repairs aren’t too costly. Hinged doors can all be opened at once so you can see all your clothes in one go, making choosing an outfit easy and fun. If you’re installing a built-in wardrobe to fit a non-standard space, hinged doors can be angled to accommodate sloping ceilings or uneven wall heights.
Hinged doors take up more space than sliding doors as they need the room to open so aren’t the best choice for small spaces. There is more of a limit on size with hinged doors to prevent bowing. This also means it’s more difficult to attach mirrors to hinged doors.
Sliding Door
Sliding doors are a great choice for smaller areas as they don’t require the external opening space of hinged doors. As the track they move along is narrow, this means you can maximise clothing storage space by choosing a built-in wardrobe with sliding doors. Mirrors can be easily added to sliding doors as they can take more weight and you can even have every door fully mirrored. Mirrors can brighten a small space which is further evidence sliding doors are a great choice for limited spaces. Sliding doors are also available in a range of finishes like hinged doors so can fit any taste, and they tend to be more popular than hinged doors in modern style trends. Sliding doors are available in a wider range of sizes so if you are fitting a tall space, they’re the logical choice.
As sliding doors open one at a time by sliding behind each other they can’t be opened all at the same time, so you won’t be able to see all your clothes at once. Sliding doors have more moving parts than hinged doors so some people worry about safety if they have small children.
Some Tips to Make Your Decision
We’ve looked at the advantages and disadvantages of both door types and we think the choice largely comes down to how much space you have and how tall your wardrobe will be. One additional thing to consider is that sliding doors are easier to use, so if anyone using it has difficulties with their hands it could be a better choice. Sliding doors are a bit more expensive than hinged doors so your budget could help make the decision for you.
Whichever door you decide on, at Lifestyle Wardrobes WA we can help you find and fit the best one for your room. Find more details on the doors we offer here.