Need sliding doord for eaves cupboard

[Lobster]

My house has a dormer roof (ie 1st floor is built in to the roof so the bedrooms have a large area of sloping ceilings) and I want to box in the space in the eaves in one of the bedrooms to create cupboards. The eaves are already boxed in; what I want to do is fit cupboard doors across the eaves parallel to the existing boxing, for the full width of the room.

The area concerned already has an MDF plinth, just above skirting board height, so the plan would be to have sliding doors on runners sitting on this plinth, across the room. There will be a bed pushed up against the door lengthways; ie the cupboads are for long-term rather than every-day storage.

The opening measures 2400 x 675 mm. I was thinking of spanning this with probably 4 doors in something like 6mm ply, and then using some form of plastic slot runners top and bottom - does that sound about right? I was hoping to avoid heavy-duty wardrobe-style doors/hanging systems. Where can I get some appropriate runners... I'm having trouble sourcing anything which looks suitable?

Thanks David

[Roger Mills]

You can get plastic channel that's like a letter E in cross-section. I've just dismantled some wardrobes which I made 30 years ago which had top cupboards with sliding doors, using this stuff. My doors were made of white melamime/conti stuff though, so were quite a lot more than 6mm thick (about

15mm?). Maybe you can get similar channel with a smaller cross-section. [A quick Google has come up with Any use?]

[The Medway Handyman]

The bigger B& Q's have a fair selection of plastic & ally channel.

[Lobster]

Thanks for that. Interesting that you'd used sliding contiboard doors actually - I was considering that but rather thought that the thickness and weight wouldn't lend itself to sliding in runners, as opposed to having running gear of some sort. Yours presumably worked OK then,30 years on?! Would probably prefer contiboard TBH to avoid the whole painting issue...!

Thanks David

[Roger Mills]

Yes, my sliding doors were 24" high and about 30 - 36" wide (they weren't all the same) and they worked ok. Mine was a similar sort of application to yours - being top cupboards in fitted wardrobes, they were only opened occasionally to access blankets and suitcases, etc. - not every day to put clothes in and out. [The hanging space below had folding doors].

[Owain]

What about countersinking recesses in the bottom of the door and putting in some ballbearings for it to run on?

Owain

[NT]

if necessary you can always stick a strip of 6mm on the back of your

6mm so it fits

NT

[John]

What about countersinking recesses in the bottom of the door and putting in some ballbearings for it to run on?

Owain

Why? - they wouldn't rotate

[Owain]

it would still reduce friction of the bottom edge of the door though

Owain