Can an IKEA PAX wardrobe door do with one less hinge?

May 24, 2017 9:09 AM

We have an IKEA PAX wardrobe (50cm x 58cm) which has a standard hinged door. The door is attached to the wardrobe via four hinges. One of these hinges (the second one from the bottom) is preventing us from putting drawers in the layout we prefer; the hinge gets in the way of the drawer. I'm wondering if it's ok to just remove that hinge and have the door be suspended by 3 hinges instead.

The door felt fine and not wobbly after removing the offending hinge, but I have no idea if it will cause problems down the road. I'm not sure if a wooden door that is 50cm x 58cm and weighs ~6kg really requires four hinges; random googling seems to suggest that four is standard though. And IKEA being IKEA would probably not add more hardware than they need to in their products. Anybody carpenters / cabinet makers care to comment?

posted by destrius to Home & Garden (7 answers total)

Best answer: Yes - we have three PAX wardrobes, and at least two of them are missing one of the hinges on each door (for the same reason you're facing).
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 9:22 AM on May 24, 2017

Best answer: We've had a PAX with one hinge missing (due to a broken bit of wood), and it's been fine for 4 years. We don't have kids hanging off it or anything, but you don't notice any problems in day-to-day use.
posted by Magnakai at 10:05 AM on May 24, 2017

Best answer: Normally, with IKEA type furniture I would say that they do not put any extra or over engineered parts. They keep it as cost efficient as possible with the least amount of parts to do the job. However, I too know the wardrobe in question and agree that one removed hinge will not affect the long term stability.
posted by AugustWest at 10:21 AM on May 24, 2017

I have 3 PAX wardrobes, I think it might be more questionable if it was the top or the bottom hinge but with a middle hinge I doubt it will be any issue.
posted by treehorn+bunny at 10:23 AM on May 24, 2017

I have 3 PAX wardrobes, I think it might be more questionable if it was the top or the bottom hinge but with a middle hinge I doubt it will be any issue.

At least two of ours doors are missing bottom hinges, and it's not an issue at all.
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 10:33 AM on May 24, 2017

I'd move the hinge.
posted by bergnotburg at 5:00 AM on May 25, 2017

Response by poster: Unfortunately the hinge can't be moved because it requires an inset inside the door, which has already been routed out in a specific position.

Thanks for all the answers! I think we'll probably remove the hinge and just remember not to subject the door to heavy weights.
posted by destrius at 7:39 AM on May 25, 2017