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Replacing very old guide for sliding wardrobe door

Hi everyone I just bought a house and am new to DIY (usually stands for destroy it yourself for me) so hoping for some advice. We have a built-in wardrobe that's quite old (the house is around 45 years old and it could even be original) and one of the doors has a broken guide. I've attached some photos, there is meant to be a piece in the middle that's retracted when you fit it then extends into the track.

Ideally I'd like to replace it like for like until I replace the whole wardrobe down the track but when I google Riegel which I can see written on it I get no results, given its not a roller and seems a pretty crappy mechanism I doubt they've been produced for a long time. A couple of questions;

- there are currently 5 intact guides on the door (1 end at the top and 2 on each end at the bottom, would moving one from the bottom to the top (leaving only 1 on the bottom at one end) likely be OK? The door is quite heavy so not sure if it could break other guides by taking one off the bottom.

- can anyone suggest an available guide that could work if I can't get an original? Looked in Bunnings today and couldn't see anything similar but I don't know if it needs to have the same action or a roller or similar of the same size could work. I'd also be rubbish with a chisel so not sure how I'd go trying to recess a different shaped guide.

Appreciate any advice, I'll be much more popular with the boss when I can unpack my clothes properly 🙂

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EricL

Hello @charlie3

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. Thank you for joining us and sharing your question about replacing the old guide for your wardrobe door.

The wardrobe door guide you are looking at is the Trola Riegel 612. It is a wardrobe guide made for lightweight wardrobe doors imported into Australia many years ago. Your description of their function is perfect. You pull the center switch up to retract the guide in and that allows you to swing the door off from the rail.

I suggest leaving the two guides at the bottom. I recommend using a Rolltrak Adjustable Timber Door Floor Guide. If the wardrobe frame is wide enough, I propose installing two guides on the wardrobe frame. One inside the wardrobe and one outside, their purpose is to guide the wardrobe door and prevent it from twisting while it is being pushed or pulled along the track. I've placed a drawing below, please have a look and tell me what you think.

Please keep us updated with your progress, we look forward to seeing your wardrobe doors functional.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

charlie3

Hi Eric, thanks heaps for the quick reply and helpful suggestion. I'm not sure I'll be able to use the rolltrak guide as there are 2 overlapping doors and I think the one between the 2 doors would block the track (but I don't know what I'm doing so may be missing something 😀). Have added a couple more pictures of the tracks at the top, with the other door that's OK,

to hopefully show what I mean.

Cheers,

Charlie

MitchellMc

Hi @charlie3,

I wonder if the Rolltrak 25.8mm White Security Sliding Door Guide or something similar could be screwed into the location where the Trola guide was? Alternatively, what about removing the other guide at the top and installing an aluminium channel that the door could slide in?

Mitchell

EricL

Hello @charlie3

It's great that my colleague @MitchellMc has offered you alternative mounting solutions. Thank you so much for posting that extra photo of your wardrobe assembly. Because you don't have room on the wardrobe frame we will have to proceed to plan B.

Remove the door and look carefully where the remaining Trola guide is located. Using a ruler and pencil draw a guide along the top of the wardrobe door to indicate where the extruded guide is actually located.
Using a timber chisel rebate the top part of the wardrobe door so that you can install a Cowdroy Door Guide Floor Mount. It is important that it lines up with the Trola guide.
You will need to trim the top of the Door Guide so that it is at the same height as the old Trola guide.
Once everything is lined up, you will need to slide the top part of the wardrobe door into the channel first while pulling the switches on the bottom door guide to lock it in place at the bottom.

I've placed a drawing of Plan B at the bottom. Please have a look and see if it will work for you.

If you need further assistance, please let me know.

Eric

charlie3 wardrobe2.jpg charlie3 wardrobe3.jpg charlie3 wardrobe4.jpg charlie3 wardrobe5.jpg

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