Blog · 13 October 2026
PAX with sliding doors or hinged doors?
The doors determine how your wardrobe looks, how much space you need and how much work the assembly is. Here are the differences.
Choose sliding doors if there is little space in front of the wardrobe, for example next to a bed: they need no room to swing open. Choose hinged doors if you are free to choose the width of the wardrobe and want the whole wardrobe open at once. IKEA sliding doors only fit a wardrobe width of 150 or 200 cm and make the wardrobe about 8 cm deeper. Assembling and adjusting sliding doors takes more time and precision.
The differences at a glance
| Aspect | Sliding doors | Hinged doors |
|---|---|---|
| Space in front of the wardrobe | no swing space needed | a door 50 cm wide needs over 50 cm of clear space |
| Wardrobe width | 150 or 200 cm in total | any combination of frames of 50, 75 and 100 cm |
| Depth with a 58 cm frame | about 66 cm | about 60 cm |
| Access | always part of the wardrobe open | the whole wardrobe open at once |
| Assembly | more work: rails, heavy doors and precise adjustment | less work: fitting hinges and adjusting each door |
Dimensions are the standard IKEA PAX sizes. Check the dimensions of your combination in the IKEA planner.
When sliding doors are the better choice
In a narrow bedroom, the bed is often close to the wardrobe. A hinged door then hits the bed or blocks the walkway. Sliding doors solve this, because they move along the wardrobe.
Keep in mind that with two sliding doors you can only open half of the wardrobe at a time. So plan drawers and pull-out fittings so that they do not end up behind the overlap of the doors, otherwise they will not open fully.
When hinged doors are more practical
With hinged doors you are free to choose the width. A wardrobe of 125, 175 or 250 cm is no problem, as long as the frames fit next to each other. You see the entire contents at once and drawers can go anywhere.
Hinged doors are also easier to readjust if a door sags a little over time. However, you do need space in front of each door to open it.
What does this mean for assembly?
With sliding doors, everything depends on the foundation. The frames must be level, tightly connected to each other and fixed to the wall. If the wardrobe is a few millimetres out of line, you will see it immediately in the gap between the door and the side panel. The doors themselves are large and heavy, so they are hung by two people.
With hinged doors, the work is in the adjusting: every door gets the same gap and the same height. On a wide wardrobe wall, that quickly adds up to eight or ten doors.
You can read more about how we approach this on the page about PAX assembly.
Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions about PAX doors
Do sliding doors fit every PAX wardrobe?
No. IKEA sliding doors are made for a total wardrobe width of 150 or 200 cm. Your combination of frames must therefore add up to exactly that width, for example two frames of 75 cm or two of 100 cm.
Does a PAX wardrobe get deeper with sliding doors?
Yes. The rails and doors sit in front of the frame. A frame that is 58 cm deep becomes about 66 cm deep with sliding doors, and about 60 cm with hinged doors.
Is a wardrobe with sliding doors harder to assemble?
It takes more precision. The wardrobe must be perfectly level and the frames must be properly connected to each other, otherwise the doors run stiffly or close crookedly. Adjusting the doors is the last and most important part.
How much does it cost to assemble a PAX with sliding doors?
Prices start from €79 and depend on the number of frames, the type of doors and the layout. Sliding doors are more work than hinged doors. You get a fixed price upfront based on your order list.
Want it assembled?
Fixed price upfront, pay after assembly
Upload your order list or a screenshot of your shopping basket and you will receive a clear price by email. No call-out fees, no start-up fee.
Contact
Free, no-obligation quote
Upload your order list or describe what you need assembled. You will receive a clear price by email.
Available Monday to Sunday, 09:00 to 18:00
- 5.0 on Google, 7,000+ assemblies
- Fixed price upfront, from €79
- No call-out fee or starting rate
- Pay after the assembly
- Our own assemblers, since 2014
How it works
- Send your order list or a screenshot
- You receive a fixed price by email
- We assemble, you pay afterwards