IKEA Sektion: Built-In Wardrobe For Sloped Ceilings

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Are you looking for a creative way to use IKEA Sektion cabinets for a built-in wardrobe solution for sloped ceilings? If so, you’ve come to the right place! Learn the benefits of using IKEA Sektion cabinets and how I used them to create a custom-fitted wardrobe solution for a room with sloped ceilings. We will explore the advantages of using IKEA Sektion cabinets, the design, the cost-effectiveness of the solution, and the ease of installation. I also have a full video of this project in case you would like to see the planning process in SketchUp and the full project as we built it!

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Built-In Wardrobe for Sloped Ceilings

If you have a room with sloping or slanted ceilings, a custom-built-in wardrobe is the perfect storage solution! It makes the most of the available space and adds a polished, unified look that’ll blend in with the existing decor.

Built-in wardrobes are custom-crafted to accommodate the room’s unique dimensions and slope, making them a stylish and practical storage solution. Unlike freestanding wardrobes designed for flat walls, built-in wardrobes provide a tailored solution.

A built-in wardrobe for sloped ceilings can be crafted with various materials, including wood, MDF, and other resilient materials. This wardrobe can be tailored to your storage needs with hanging rods, shelves, drawers, and cabinets – all to suit your personal space!

Using IKEA Sektion as a Wardrobe

IKEA Sektion cabinets are a great and cost-effective way to create a personalized wardrobe. Usually used for kitchen and bathroom storage, these cabinets can be modified to give you the wardrobe of your dreams!

IKEA Sektion cabinets are ideal for building a wardrobe due to their flexibility. With a wide selection of sizes and styles, you can mix and match pieces to create a storage solution perfectly tailored to your needs.

To create the perfect built-in wardrobe with IKEA Sektion cabinets, you’ll need to buy the individual components and customize them to fit your storage needs. This could involve installing hanging rods, shelves, drawers, or other organizational solutions inside the cabinets.

To complete the look of your wardrobe, don’t forget to pick up the extra bits of hardware, like door hinges and handles, to go along with your cabinets.

Customizing IKEA Sektion for a Wardrobe

When planning a built-in wardrobe using IKEA Sektion cabinets, it’s essential to consider the size and shape of the space. The cabinets are designed to fit flat walls, so if your ceilings are sloped or angled, you may need to get creative with your storage solutions or customize the cabinets to make the most of the area.

Creating a wardrobe using IKEA Sektion cabinets may take extra effort, but the outcome can be a unique storage solution that looks great and meets your needs. With some customization and a clever design, you can craft a built-in wardrobe that fits your storage requirements and enhances the style of your space.

Have you seen my first IKEA wardrobe hack using Pax wadrobes? Learn more here.

Why IKEA over Traditional Wood?

If you’re considering a built-in wardrobe project, IKEA cabinets have several benefits over traditional wood.

1. Cost: If you want to stay within a specific budget, IKEA cabinets are usually more cost-effective than custom-made wooden ones.
2. Ease of assembly: IKEA cabinets come with straightforward instructions and all the required tools, making them a great option if you don’t have much woodworking experience or want to save time.
3. Customization: IKEA cabinets come in various sizes, colours, and styles, so you can mix and match them to create a wardrobe that suits your needs.

Considering this, there are also some cons to using IKEA cabinets for a wardrobe project. They may not be as adjustable as custom-made wooden cupboards and may not be as durable. Ultimately, deciding between IKEA cabinets and wood for your built-in wardrobe project will come down to your individual needs and preferences.

My Experience with IKEA

From my personal experience and using IKEA cabinets in my kitchen and two wardrobes, they are holding up great. I don’t have any complaints about them. I also like to consider that these products are sold to millions of people in many countries yearly. IKEA has teams of people who design and test these products to ensure they function well and last. They fit my budget and my projects and make projects more accessible to me!

Before Photo

Total Cost of the Wardrobe Project

The total cost for this fitted wardrobe project using IKEA Sektion cabinets was just under $1,400 (Canadian). This is mostly just for the materials we had to buy, not including any tools and supplies we already had.

Designing a Fitted Wardrobe for Slanted Ceilings

A fitted wardrobe for slanted ceilings is an excellent choice for several reasons! It can take full advantage of storage space, adding a cohesive, stylish touch that complements the existing decor. Plus, with the wardrobe built directly into the space, the look is smoother and more polished, improving the functionality and value of your home.

You need to take accurate measurements when planning and to design the built-in wardrobes to fit your space with sloped ceilings perfectly. This includes the width and depth of the space without baseboards, making sure the measurements are the same at the floor and ceiling height to account for imperfect walls. Also, the points at which your ceiling starts to slope.

I used the free version of SketchUp to plan this project. I started by drawing the space and calculating how many cabinets I could fit. IKEA has various sizes available in the IKEA Sektion cabinets making this a flexible process. It is also essential to ensure that you can purchase the Pax doors that fit the width of the cabinet.

For this space, we used 3-36″ IKEA Sektion base cabinets, which are 30″ tall, plus 60″ Pax doors that took us to be in line with the slope of the ceiling.

Materials

• 3-6″ IKEA Sektion Base Cabinets
• 1 pack of 36″ UTRUSTA Shelves
• 1 KOMPLEMENT Clothes Rail 39 3/8” white
• 9, UTRUSTA 95-degree hinges
• 3, BILLSBRO handles white
• 6, ENKOPING doors white wood effect
• 2, 2x4x10 wood
• 3, 2x4x8 wood
• 2, 1x6x8′ wood
• 3, 12×97″ melamine shelves (Canadian link)
• 2 packs of brackets
• Variety of screws and wall anchors
• Shims
• Wood Filler
• Caulk
• 2-12′ pieces of 3/4″ quarter round
• Lattice Trim
• Base Trim
• Plywood

Tools

• Mitre Saw
• Brad Nailer
• Hack Saw (or something to cut the closet rod shorter)
• Drill/Driver
• Clamps
• Level
• Jig Saw (or something to make more minor cuts)
• Caulk Gun

Instructions

Please note I am not a professional; I am a designer and self-taught DIYer sharing how we achieved this project at home! If you are unsure about something, please do your research or ask a professional.

Step 1: Build the IKEA Sektion Cabinets + Remove Baseboard

Start by building your IKEA Sektion cabinets that you will use for this built-in wardrobe project.

Remove the baseboards so the cabinets can push back, flat against the wall.

Step 2: The Base

Then, build a 2×4 base for the cabinets to sit on.

The goal is that every point where the IKEA Sektion cabinets touch the ground is where you want the 2×4 base to touch to ensure it is supported structurally for the wardrobe.

If you look at the photo below, you will see that there is a 2×4 running the total distance of the front of the cabinets and the back. Additionally, four shorter pieces run from the front to the back of the cabinet – these support the sides of the cabinets.

The 2×4 base should not extend beyond the cabinets. It should fit underneath, allowing the trim to be nailed to it at the end of the project. For our project, we ran the longest 2x4s to the wall (just beyond the sides of the Sektion cabinets) since this area will be covered by trim at the end.

Step 3: Level, Clamp, + Attach to Wall

Once your base is built and in place, put the IKEA Sektion cabinets on top to create the frame for the wardrobe. Ensure that the cabinets are level from side to side, front to back, and up and down!

Next, follow the IKEA instructions to attach them. Use a clamp to hold the two cabinets together, and use the provided IKEA screws to attach them. I believe IKEA suggests you attach them to the wall before connecting them together. Do what you are comfortable with!

Once they are connected together, begin to attach the cabinets to the wall. The IKEA instruction book gives a few options to do this.

For our project, we opted not to use the suspension rails that you would use if you were installing them in the kitchen. We decided to attach them right to the wall using wall anchors and screws, with the other provided pieces from the IKEA Sektion package. Review step 13 in this Sektion installation guide for more details.

Step 4: Filling the Gap between IKEA Sektion and the Walls

For this space, we had 2-1.5″ gaps on either side of the Sektion cabinets, but this will vary for each wardrobe project. We need to fill in this space to allow us to attach trim later, but it also provides some structure for the upper door hinges to attach to.

We cut 2x4s that would run from the floor up to the ceiling and cut them on an angle. The sloped ceiling in this space was about a 45-degree angle, so we could use the mitre saw to cut that.

The 2×4 should be flush with the front of the cabinet. When the trim is installed later, this will ensure the cabinet doors and trim are flush and have a nice finish.

To attach this 2×4, we predrilled holes from the inside of the IKEA cabinet into the 2×4. Then, at the top, where there is no cabinet, we used 3″ screws to drill through the 2×4 into the wall.

Try to countersink your screws if possible so the screws sit flat! If you don’t have the right head for this, drill a hole the correct size for your screw. Then, find a drill bit the size of the head of your screw and drill a little tiny bit over your first pre-drilled hole. This will ensure the head of the screw is flush with the cabinet.

Step 5: The “Countertop”

The difference between working with Pax wardrobe, as I have in other projects, and IKEA Sektion is that there is no upper part to these cabinets. They are designed for kitchens so that a countertop would be installed on top of them!

While we were building this, we weren’t sure what to do. In the end, we bought 2-12×97″ melamine shelves and put them together to fill the 24″ depth of the cabinets perfectly. We just had to trim the length down. We will now call this the “countertop” to keep things simple.

This closet has three sections (3 Sektions), 2 for shelves and folded clothes, and the remaining for hanging clothes. Due to this, we only wanted the countertop on 2 of the sections.

The countertop runs from the wall to the inner edge of the 3rd cabinet (see the left of the photo below). We also had to cut out a tiny square from the front to fit around the wood structure on the wall side (see the right of the below photo).

Step 6: Bumping it out 3/4″

This 2×4 structure on each end of the cabinet filled the gap between the wall and cabinet, but we still need to bump out the structure an extra 3/4″.

Why? The doors we chose have three hinge spots – 2 will attach to the IKEA Sektion cabinet, but the upper hinge will need to attach to something for this wardrobe. PLUS it needs to be flush with the cabinet below for the hinges to attach correctly.

Bumping out the upper 2×4 structure by 3/4″ makes it perfectly flush. We cut a 1×6 to size, so it sat on the top of the cabinet edge and ran up to the ceiling, directly attaching it to the 2×4 structure and cutting it at an angle. I’d recommend countersinking the holes so you can fill them later.

Is this a perfect solution? No, I am positive someone else would do this a bit differently. I try to make my projects as simple as possible for myself and others who want to replicate them! It is possible that 1x4s could have been used instead of 1x6s, but I was using some wood we already had to cut costs.

Step 7: Adding Hanging Space to the IKEA Sektion wardrobe

Initially, I planned to mount the hanging rail inside the Sektion cabinet, making a very short hanging section for the wardrobe. As we were working on this, we found another solution! We decided 1 of the Sektion cabinets close to the wall would be a hanging section, allowing the rod to mount to the wall on one side, making it sturdier.

Note we removed the front metal bar on the section cabinet. We decided it was structurally supported on either side and wouldn’t work for hanging clothes if a bar were in the way!

Cut a 2×4, similar to how we did for the front of the wardrobe hinges. Mount this at the midway point, about 12″ back from the front of the Sektion Cabinet on the wall side only. Countersink these screws!

Then, we cut 2-1×6 pieces that ran from the bottom of the cabinet up to the ceiling on an angle that matched the ceiling. These were attached to the Sektion cabinet walls with screws. On the other side, we will use a bracket, but let’s return to this.

Why did I take the 1×6 to the bottom of the cabinet? I wanted to provide as much structural support to this hanging section as possible. If you’ve ever tried to move a rail of clothes, you know it can be heavy. While the supports on either side are attached to the wall and will be attached to more than just the 1×6 and bracket – I liked the idea it was also getting a bit of support from the base.

Step 8: The Upper Hinge Supports

From here, we need to create a structure for the upper hinges of the four middle doors to attach to. Luckily, the width of the two cabinet sides equals the width of a 2×4. This means the upper hinges will line up with the lower hinges when we attach the doors.

Measure from the top of the cabinet up to the ceiling and cut a 2×4 on an angle to match the sloped ceiling.

Then attach the bracket to the 2×4 and ceiling. Ensure the bracket is at the back of the 2×4, so it doesn’t impede the hinges later (oops, we ran into this issue!). Also, use wall anchors to attach to the ceiling if there are no studs.

Additionally, use a bracket to attach the 2×4 to the top of the cabinet. See the photo below for a little clarification.

Step 9: Filling the Space in the Wardrobe

We want to ensure that clothes in the folded section won’t fall over into the hanging section, so we cut some scrap plywood to the unique triangle shape behind the 2×4 and along where the 1×6 for the hanging rail was attached. This also reinforced the 1×6 we had for the hanging rail.

We used brackets to attach this to the cabinet and the ceiling, plus some screws from the plywood into the 1×6.

Also, use a bracket to attach the 1×6 in place for the hanging rod to the ceiling. Make sure this piece of wood is straight with a level before attaching it to the ceiling. Use anchors if necessary.

At this point, any bare wood was primed and painted white to match the rest of the cabinet! If you plan to fill any of the holes from countersunk screws, fill those first, sand them, and then paint. We used Chantilly Lace (in pearl finish) since we already had some. It matches the rest of the room, but I wouldn’t say it was a perfect match for the IKEA Sektion cabinets. In the end, you won’t see much of it, though.

Step 10: The Closet Rod

If your wardrobe design includes a hanging section, this is the time to install the closet rod. The IKEA rod we use for this project is for the Pax wardrobe system. This is a little wider than the Sektion cabinet, so we had to cut it down with a hack saw. Then use a metal drill bit to drill a hole to lock the rod into the bracket.

When hanging the closet rod, use a level to ensure it is straight and not at an angle.

Step 11: Adding a 12″ Shelf to the IKEA Sektion Wardrobe

Maximizing storage space is important for this project. We want to get another shelf above the Sektion cabinet in the sloped ceiling area.

We bought an extra 12×97″ melamine shelf. Plus, we can use some of the cut-offs from the countertop sections to create supports underneath.

Look at the above photo on the left. Where the 12″ shelf meets the side of the cabinet, there is a piece underneath to support it. Use two screws to attach that to the side support (and into the hanging rod 1×6 on the other side).

A middle support was also made with the cut-off wood. Use a bracket to attach it to the cabinet countertop.

Step 12: Inside Trim + Caulk

If you have little or big gaps inside the wardrobe, you will want to fill them. Especially the significant gaps, so things don’t fall down the cracks and disappear forever! One option is to use quarter round to fill the gap at the back of the wardrobe. This gap is where there the countertop and wall met due to imperfect walls.

Then, use some white moulding caulk to fill any smaller gaps. It really pulls everything together and makes it look perfect!

Step 13: The Hinges

Initially, we were unsure if the two lower hinges would align with the predrilled holes in the Sketion cabinet since we were using Sektion cabinets with Pax doors. Thankfully – they fit!

Install the two lower hinges per the IKEA instructions and attach them to the cabinet. This will allow you to line up the top hinge and mark where you need to drill holes.

There are a few ways you can install the top hinge. You could remove the screws and anchors from the little “cleat” that the hinge clips into and drill new screws right into the wood.

Alternatively, you can do what we did, which is replicate how IKEA attaches their hinges to their cabinets.

To determine the hole’s size, you will need to take your drill bits and flip them upside down. Try to find one that is the closest fit to the predrilled holes running up and down the Sektion cabinets – the ones that your other hinges attach to. It’s better for them to be a little smaller than bigger.

Mark the holes and drill them. Screw in the little “cleat,” ensuring the arrow is pointing out (as per IKEA instructions). Then, clip in the hinge!

Step 14: Adjusting the Doors

This step is critical and annoying! The fantastic thing about IKEA hinges is that they have many options to adjust. Take your time adjusting all of the hinges, so all of the doors are aligned along the top, they are all flush with each other, and the spaces between all of the doors are equal. Trust me, it’s a very annoying process but very worth it in the end.

Step 15: The Outside Trim around the IKEA Sektion Wardrobe

Once all of the doors are adjusted, it’s time to work on the trim. Start with the trim along the top to bridge the gap between the sloped ceilings and the doors. Leave enough of a gap so the doors open and don’t drag on the trim every time. For this section, quarter round is what we are using. We use prefinished trim on the sides to cover the 2x4s, which brought the trim and doors flush.

Finally, add a baseboard to the front of the wardrobe which covers the 2×4 base. Don’t forget to add your baseboards back onto the wall too! You should be able to reuse the baseboards you took off. Trim them down so that they meet the baseboard of the wardrobe.

To attach this trim, use a brad nailer. Use wood filler to fill any nail holes and sand once it is dry.

PRO TIP: Want to know how to paint your IKEA wardrobe and other furniture? Learn more here.

Step 16: Caulk + Paint

Once the trim is complete, you will likely you will have some little gaps where the wall meets the trim or trim meets the floor.

To make this look perfect and finished, use more moulding caulk. Be careful if you are adding any near your floor. I recommend laying down some painter’s tape so you don’t get any excess on your floors!

Once the caulk is dry, paint the trim to match the wardrobe doors. When possible, I like to leave the IKEA doors the way they came rather than paint them. Nothing beats the manufactured finish on them. Check out this post with my primer recommendation if you decide to paint them.

Ideally, I think you want this to look like a panelled wall rather than a wardrobe – or at least that was my design for this project!

I hope this blog post helps you, and if you haven’t already, I recommend watching the YouTube video associated with the project so you can better visualize everything. I promise, while it might seem overwhelming, once you get going on it, it isn’t that bad!

The Project Video

FAQs

More home decor ideas

• Painting IKEA Pax and Other Furniture
• Pax Wardrobe Hack
• Pax Wardrobe Hack 2.0
• IKEA Smart Under Cabinet Lighting
• How to Sand and Stain IKEA Hemnes TV Bench