1. Confirm the opening before the finish

Every later decision rests on a set of numbers that describe the room as it is, not as drawn. Before any finish is chosen, record:

• Floor to ceiling height at three points across the wall — left, centre and right — plus the floor level along the run.
• The out-of-plumb and out-of-square condition of the wall, skirting and any recess.
• The exact position of power sockets, switches, lights and air-conditioning outlets that the carcass will pass or cover.
• Door and corridor widths, lift car dimensions and stair turns on the route from the delivery point to the room.
• The finish build-up of adjoining surfaces — flooring, plasterboard, tiling, joinery — so the wardrobe meets them cleanly.

A made-to-measure order should arrive with these dimensions written into the specification sheet rather than assumed. Where a wall is uneven, the supplier needs to state how scribing, filler panels or an adjustable plinth will be handled, because that decision changes both price and site time.

2. Specify the finish by name, not by colour word

"White" covers a wide range of surfaces: cool bright whites, warm off-whites, high-gloss and matte sheets, and different levels of depth in the surface. Ask for the exact sheet reference and request a physical sample panel to view in the room's own light before sign-off.

SANTERSON's acrylic wardrobe range is built around project-specific dimensions and finish choices, so the same carcass can be ordered in different surfaces across one building. The available options include matte acrylic wardrobes for low-sheen, fingerprint-tolerant fronts, and two tone acrylic wardrobes where door colour and carcass colour are deliberately different. A checklist item that is often missed: confirm the finish on surfaces nobody photographs — the inside of doors, the back of the carcass, the top of an upper unit — and specify which face carries the acrylic.

3. Ask what is under the surface and how the edges are finished

The acrylic layer is only part of the panel. The board beneath it carries the load of hinges, slides and hanging rails, so ask which substrate is being used for carcass, doors and shelves, and what thickness each one has. Then look at the edges, which are where a wardrobe ages well or badly:

• Edge banding material and colour match on all visible edges, including door edges that meet when closed.
• Whether the banding is flush-trimmed and continuous at corners, or mitred — and who is responsible for that work.
• How cut-outs for sockets, pipes and skirting are sealed after machining.
• The hardware fixing method into the substrate, and whether reinforcing plates are used for tall doors.

For multi-unit work — apartments, hotel rooms or a villa with several bedrooms — ask for one wardrobe to be built as a reference before the rest of the order is released. It settles finish, edge quality and hardware behaviour once, in writing, instead of twenty times on site.

4. Match the door system to the room, then plan the interior

Door type decides how much floor space the wardrobe consumes and how usable it is daily. Sliding fronts suit narrow bedrooms and rooms where beds or furniture sit close to the front; hinged doors give a full opening view of the interior but need clearance to swing. Walk-in layouts change the question again, since the carcass becomes part of the room rather than a piece against a wall.

Interior layout is the second half of the same decision. List what has to be stored — long garments, short hanging, folded stacks, drawers, luggage, ironing, lighting inside the carcass — and set hanging heights against the actual ceiling height rather than a standard drawing. Drawers in front of a hanging zone need clearance; a rail above a door hinge needs checking. Ask for an interior elevation with every component dimensioned, so nothing is "TBC on site".

5. Put the whole scope in one document

Most disputes trace back to a gap between two quotations rather than a defective part. Before ordering, confirm that a single specification covers:

• Carcass, doors, interior fittings, plinth or floor-standing detail, and any filler or scribing panels.
• Sheet reference, substrate, thickness and edge treatment for every component type.
• Hardware brand and model for hinges, slides, handles and any soft-close or push-open mechanism.
• Integrated interior lighting, its power feed, transformer position and access for replacement.
• Matching items elsewhere in the project — built-in furniture such as vanity units, shelving and cabinetry ordered to the same finish and material batch.

Where a project needs several rooms or units coordinated, ordering wardrobe fronts, custom built-in kitchen cabinets and other joinery from one production run reduces the risk of colour drift between batches, which is a common problem when white surfaces come from different factories.

6. Check the delivery and installation terms as part of the price

A wardrobe quotation that stops at the factory gate is not comparable with one that reaches the room. Ask explicitly how the order travels and who fits it:

• Packaging method, panel protection, labelling and container or crate loading plan.
• Freight mode and the paperwork supplied — commercial invoice, packing list, certificate of origin.
• Whether delivery goes to port, to site, or door-to-door, and who handles customs clearance.
• Who installs: local trades or the supplier's team, and how snags and replacement panels are handled afterwards.

SANTERSON describes a workflow that runs from design consultation and material selection through production, project management, logistics and installation handover, with logistics and door-to-door delivery and installation and after-sales support as named stages. Confirm the specific terms, transit arrangement and installation scope for your own project in writing; do not assume a published service description applies unchanged to every order.

7. Inspect on delivery, then sign off against the specification

The final checklist item is an inspection carried out with the approved sample and the specification sheet in hand:

• Panel dimensions against the dimensioned drawing, before any fixing begins.
• Surface quality under raking light: no haze differences between panels, no chipped banding at corners.
• Colour and sheen match against the signed sample, checked in daylight and in room lighting.
• Door alignment, gap consistency, and smooth travel on every drawer and slide.
• Hardware quantities, spare hinges and a written record of what is covered after handover.

Recording these points at handover keeps any later correction factual. A supplier that issues dimensioned drawings, sample panels and a component list has nothing to lose from the check; one that cannot produce them will.

Frequently asked questions

Is a white acrylic wardrobe harder to keep clean than a matte one?

Glossy surfaces show fingerprints and dust more readily than matte acrylic wardrobe fronts, but they wipe cleanly and reflect light, which helps small rooms. Choose the sheen according to how often the doors are used and how much cleaning the building provides.

Why do two white wardrobes from different suppliers look different side by side?

White sheet materials differ in undertone, in the depth of the acrylic layer and in gloss level, and the substrate and edge banding alter how the surface reads at the edges. Comparing physical samples in the actual room is the only reliable test.

Can wardrobe fronts be matched to kitchen and bathroom joinery in the same project?

Yes, if they are specified as one scope with the same sheet reference and produced together. Ordering interior fixtures and built-in joinery through a single supplier keeps material batches, edge treatment and hardware consistent across rooms.

What should be confirmed before placing a multi-unit order?

One approved reference unit, a dimensioned drawing for each layout variant, the sheet and hardware references in writing, the delivery route to each unit, and the inspection and snag process at handover.