Review of rollers for wardrobes, how to choose the right one

A wardrobe is a storage unit with sliding doors. The movement of the valves is carried out using a mechanism consisting of many parts. One of these components is the guides on which the doors run. Let's consider the types of profiles, their technical characteristics, materials and installation rules in the cabinet. A summary table of ratings of popular companies and models will help you buy good guides.

Purpose and equipment

The doors move along guides, like a train on rails. The sliding mechanism system includes:

• guides;
• moving rollers;
• closers ensuring smooth closing;
• silicone seals and brushes;
• mounting screws, screws;
• stoppers;
• retainers.

A set of fittings for the assembly and installation of sliding doors.
All these components together form a single mechanism for sliding doors, which allows them to move only in two directions - right and left. Rail profiles are made of metal and plastic. Additional elements are purchased for them: stoppers, rollers, seals.

Guides vary in weight, size and materials. When purchasing a ready-made cabinet, door profiles are always included in the kit, so there is no need to select them separately. But in the event of a breakdown, you will need to purchase new elements.

Advantages of a hanging system for sliding wardrobes

Why is it profitable to buy hanging systems for sliding wardrobes?

• maximum load – 100 kg per door. Therefore, this system is excellent for large-sized doors, including solid doors;
• the components of the hanging system for sliding wardrobes do not take up the functional space of the cabinet;
• aesthetic appearance: the cabinet frame is completely hidden behind the doors;
• smooth and silent opening/closing of doors;
• reliable fixation of facades in doorways: the profile shape prevents the running carriages from falling out;
• sound insulation: closed doors have practically no gaps;
• hanging door systems for sliding wardrobes can be used for both solid door leaves and frame ones. However, frameless cabinets look much more

more impressive and more expensive;

• wide selection of door facades: MDF, chipboard, mirror, glass and various combinations of materials;
• Some types of overhead systems are equipped with a special mechanism for synchronized opening of doors.

With all the advantages of top-rail systems, there are also some disadvantages. Thus, the price of a cabinet with a hanging system may be higher due to the additional costs of decorating the top rail, since its main function is load-bearing. Calculations and installation of sliding wardrobes with top rails are more difficult than those with bottom rails.

Choose high-quality hanging systems for sliding wardrobes, which you can buy at

Types of systems by design

There are two main types of sliding wardrobe systems: hanging and supporting.

Suspended structures place load on the upper rollers. In support systems, the main weight of the doors falls on the lower profile.

The single hanging mechanism on which the doors are mounted is located at the top of the cabinet. Over time, the canvas may become loose. To prevent this, you need to install a stabilizer.

Support system - rollers move only along the bottom guide. The door is secured at the top with special clamps. By changing the height of the wheels it is easy to adjust the tilt of the doors.

The main disadvantage is that dirt and dust get into the runners, which causes the rollers to wear out quickly. This can be avoided by securing belt brushes or regular manual cleaning.

The combined system combines both types. The movement of the shutters is carried out by the upper and lower wheels. This is the modern and most popular mechanism.

A special feature are coplanar systems, which allow the door leaves to be positioned in one plane (flush), and when opened, they first move slightly forward and then move left and right. These are the most modern and expensive mechanisms.

What is special about the hanging system for sliding wardrobe doors?

Anyone who plans to order a wardrobe is faced with the problem of choosing a system for sliding doors: bottom-supported or suspended (top-supported). The latter consists of:

• top guide with rails;
• roller carriages;
• locking mechanism.

The hanging system for sliding wardrobes appeared on the Russian market not so long ago, but has already managed to win the enormous sympathy of customers. The peculiarity of the top-support system is that the sliding doors are suspended on the upper guide, which holds the entire structure. The doors do not move inside the cabinet, but in front of it. The guides are attached either to the ceiling or to the roof of the cabinet. Installation of the suspension system is quite simple and does not require additional milling of the doors. However, during installation, it is important to take into account the quality of the plane on which the guide profile is attached, since it may not withstand heavy loads.

Typically, hanging systems for sliding wardrobe doors are used for interior partitions and built-in wardrobes, because due to the absence of a bottom guide, unnecessary and inconvenient obstacles are not created on the floor. In addition, dust constantly accumulates inside the rail with the bottom guide, which makes it difficult for the doors to move. There are no such problems with the top guide.

Materials

Three main types of guide profiles are distributed in retail chains:

• Aluminum. High-quality and expensive components. They are lightweight and highly durable. Can withstand doors of any weight and width. They are easy to cut.
• Steel. Durable, reliable, inexpensive. The correct selection of furniture parameters is required. Heavy, difficult to cut and adjust. Steel guides are difficult to install.
• Plastic. The cheapest fragile profiles with a short service life. Plastic should be combined with metal elements.

It is best to buy aluminum guides depending on the parameters of the furniture.

Manufacturing materials

Guides for sliding doors are made from the following materials:

1. Steel - it makes quite strong structures, but you need to choose the right profile size relative to the weight of the facade. Steel guides for wardrobe doors belong to the middle price segment, however, the cost of products from some brands is overpriced relative to the technical characteristics of the product.
2. Plastic - this type of raw material is considered the least reliable. Plastic products are characterized by low cost and poor quality. They are suitable only for light, small facades. Today, combined rails are more often used, where a plastic profile provides an iron supporting surface for the wheels.
3. Aluminum - the most durable profiles are made from it. They have the best features in terms of quality. It is allowed to install door leaves up to 4 m high and of any weight on them. Another advantage is the ability to choose a suitable design. The only disadvantage of the material is its high cost.

Metal profiles can be painted in two ways:

1. Anodizing is the application of color using a chemical method; during the painting process, the pigment penetrates into the metal. This coating is durable, resistant to high humidity and sunlight.
2. Applying PVC film - this method of painting is also considered quite wear-resistant. The presence of an external coating contributes to the silent opening of doors.

The color coating of guides and handle profiles can be not only monochromatic. Consumers are offered imitation of the texture of wood or stone, painting with an aging effect, patination.

Steel

Plastic

Aluminum

Anodizing

PVC film

Decorative coating

Aluminum ones are additionally anodized to provide additional protective properties and a beautiful appearance. In this case, the metal is chemically painted. During the operation, pigment particles penetrate deeply into the aluminum structure. Thanks to this, the decorative coating is especially durable, resistant to scratches, abrasion, fading and moisture.

Variety of colors and textures of aluminum profiles

An aluminum profile, which is wrapped in a protective thin layer of PVC, is very durable, moisture-resistant, and wear-resistant.

The steel profile is most often painted. Colored steel coating is not wear resistant. Over time, it cracks and peels off.

Functional purpose of guides

The mechanism of sliding doors or a wardrobe consists of a set of basic elements:

• guide profiles – hold the canvas vertically and set the direction of movement of the rollers,
• rollers provide a quiet, smooth ride,
• clamps limit the movement of the door leaf.

Additionally, the kits include: closers for smooth closing of the door, contour and wall frames, locks, handles, seals and brushes that disguise decorative additions.

Rollers for wardrobes

How to choose a good model?

Pay attention to the following criteria to avoid mistakes when purchasing:

• The quality of the material affects the noise level when moving the rollers and the durability of the system.
• The price depends on the manufacturer. Those that are too cheap may bend under the weight of the doors or corrode due to poor metal processing. But it’s not always worth overpaying for a brand. Domestic analogues have similar characteristics and are several times cheaper.
• Choosing the right size will make installation easier.
• The compatibility of the fittings is important - the type of roller must match the guide. Buy wheels and profile as a set from one company or interchangeable analogues.
• You can save on guides, but positioners and rollers must be of high quality, for example, from Raum+.
• The most expensive products are from Aristo. Analogues from Dorwell, Premium or Grandis are half the price, but are not much inferior in quality.
• Aristo has several profiles with different prices: “ECO”, “RF” (economy). Some companies also have “light” models. This is a lightweight foil-type profile, which is manufactured at the expense of quality at low prices. Its thickness is less than the recommended 1.2 mm.
• The Versailles brand does not exist. This is the name given to all Chinese products without identification marks or markings.

Tips for choosing

Before you go to the store, you should study the recommendations for choosing furniture guides:

1. The width of the profile must correspond to the dimensions of the facade and the diameter of the wheels.
2. When installing the part, an open rail is installed at the bottom, which regularly becomes clogged with dust and hair. To prevent the mechanism from malfunctioning, it should be cleaned in a timely manner.
3. When choosing an upper profile to protect laminate, parquet or linoleum, special wheels must be installed below; their size depends on the dimensions of the remaining parts of the door system.
4. The combined design, when the guides are mounted at the top and bottom, is the most durable, since the facades are held on both sides.
5. Based on the shape of the canvas, the guides can be linear or radial. The latter allow you to introduce more interesting design solutions, for example, creating curved facades. Such parts are made mainly of aluminum, their cost is higher.

Methods of decorating mirrored facades of sliding wardrobes

To make using the wardrobe comfortable and for the door opening mechanism to last for a long time, you should choose high-quality guides. It is better if they are made of aluminum alloy. In addition, when purchasing, you must check the quality certificate and clarify the warranty periods of the product.

The width of the profile must correspond to the size of the rollers and the facade. The combined system is considered the most reliable

Radius guides allow the installation of semicircular facades

Essential elements

The main elements include:

• housing, which includes: bottom bottom, side walls, top cover, base, rear wall and various internal shelves;
• compartment doors;
• internal filling.

With a built-in version of a piece of furniture, the body may be practically absent. The lower guide for the door leaves, in this case, is attached to the floor plane.

The body is usually made of chipboard, which is an environmentally friendly material, the thickness of which is usually 16 millimeters. The back wall is a thin laminated fiberboard, up to 4 millimeters thick. It is usually placed on the ends of the walls.

The housing elements are connected using mounting angles or ties. Many manufacturers offer mostly hidden fastening of structural elements to each other. The internal shelves, like the body itself, are made of chipboard, the same color and texture.

Essential elements

Filling elements

Types of sliding wardrobe guides

There are two options for coupling guides and rollers:

• with a longitudinal groove along which rollers move;
• rail type, when the groove is on rollers.

The variety of shapes satisfies the aesthetic requirements for the sliding mechanism:

• open type - U and W-shaped cut shapes do not hide the rollers from view;
• hidden type - the profile cut has the shape of a spiral, here the groove and rollers are inside the guide, so they are not visible.

Open profiles accumulate dust, which leads to rapid wear of the wheels.

The relative position and number of doors, as well as the shape of the sliding wardrobe determine the choice:

• compartments – the lower one is supporting, the upper one holds the façade vertically;
• sliding - the doors do not change places, the profile is narrow, the mechanism takes up little space;
• cascade - multi-channel movement of the sashes, the facade takes up a lot of space;
• movement of the shutters along the circumference - curved rails are made to order complete with the door;
• books and accordions - folding doors move along a monochannel profile, most often these are hinged structures.

The mechanism of the wardrobe built into the niche pushes the door leaf into the wall, freeing up useful space. Top, bottom, and sometimes middle guides are used, built into a cassette frame inside the wall where the open door is placed.

When choosing any guide, its features are taken into account