Fitted wardrobes - Backing Advice

2 years ago

Hi everyone, I hope you are all having a good evening. If you have had fitted wardrobes installed, I am after some advice on whether these have been installed with a backing? If so, have you ever had any issues with damp/mould after installation? I cannot decide whether I should have the wardrobes with or without a backing. I live in a terraced house so only one side of each wardrobe will be up against an external wall. Any advice will be greatly appreciated. Kindest, Sarah

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Comments (13)

Daisy England
2 years ago
last modified: 2 years ago
I thought all wardrobes had a back in them. Mine has. Never thought about a problem.
Sarah
Original Author
2 years ago
Hi Daisy, apparently they don’t! I just learnt that myself. You can get them built with or without which has left me thinking pondering on what to do.
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Kirsty
2 years ago
Sarah, it sounds as if your home has the same layout as mine. Our fitted wardrobe extends along a whole wall of the bedroom. It has no back or sides, which is fine- I don’t see that there would be any purpose to them. Hope that you end up with something that you like.
minnie101
2 years ago
I guess either could cause damp issues but if you have the backing it will be somewhat disguised? I would ask the fitters to include ventilation
Sonia
2 years ago
Mine have no backs or sides. i thought it was a bit odd at first but we painted the back and sides white to give it a clean finish. No damp issues and theyve been in 4 years.
Sonia
2 years ago
Here’s a couple of pics of the inside of mine. They are double doored each set and there are sides for each set - hope that makes sense!
arc3d
2 years ago
Yes it's very normal not to have backing on fitted wardrobes. One advantage is that if you got a damp or mould problem you'd be able to see it and fix it than it festering away behind the backing.

I went to a house once where the kids were always ill. Turns out they had a ton of mould growing behind their vinyl wallpaper. Black mould is a killer.

They removed the wallpaper and got some dehumidifiers in. Not had a problem since.

Best to leave walls exposed I think.
User
2 years ago
Interesting... I have one room with open back wardrobes which are on an internal wall, so shouldn't be any problems with that. But, in another room I have closed back wardrobes on internal and external walls. So I'm wondering if there is mould lurking behind mine especially on the external wall. Certainly had mould behind a bathroom unit on the same wall. I also wondered if thernal lining paper would help when I get around to replacing the old wardrobes?
User
2 years ago
- thermal lining paper
arc3d
2 years ago
It really does depend on the property. It could fix the problem or it could make it much worse.

There are a number of reasons why you will get damp.

Water ingress - caused by some damage whether a leaking pipe, guttering or from neighbouring property or from damage to the structure e.g. the roof or damp proof course.

Poor ventilation - older properties had built in ventilation. Solid brick walls were designed to "breathe". Covering these in materials like vinyl paper prevents the movement of moisture through the wall. The moisture becomes trapped and causes damp.

Excess moisture - people, pets, appliances, bathrooms and kitchens all produce moisture. If this moisture isn't allowed to escape it will cause damp.

So in answering your question. It will depend on your property and the way it is used. Thermal lining paper could work in a house that has damp caused by condensation by keeping warm moist air away from cold walls you eliminate the condensation point. However the same lining paper in a house that has moisture in the wall because of water ingress would make the damp problem much worse by trapping the water in the wall and not allowing it to dry out.

All houses since ancient times are designed with systems (roofs, guttering, drains, breathable materials, heating, vents, chimneys, mechanical extraction, damp proof course etc) to prevent excess moisture indoors. It's usually people messing with these systems or damage to them that causes damp problems.

The first step in fixing any damp problem is finding the cause. Once you've found the cause you can eliminate it at the source and so generally don't need overpriced damp proofing solutions sold by the damp proofing "experts".
Sarah
Original Author
2 years ago
Thank you for the advice everyone, I really appreciate it. The company will be putting vents top and bottom inside the wardrobes but I suppose I just want to be extra cautious. The house is very old (Victorian) but thankfully there are no current mould/damp issues upstairs. Thank you again.
LTS
2 years ago
This had never crossed my mind! We have just ordered fitted wardrobes, which I presume will have backs on (looks that way from the plans). They will be on internal walls. Wonder if I need to ask the wardrobe company about ventilation?
Sarah
Original Author
2 years ago
LTS - I do think it’s worth having the conversation with them.

Fitted wardrobes - Backing Advice

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