Sliding wardrobe shutters in a Hennur bedroom: the overlap tolerance when doors stack and the handle-height ergonomic spec

A three-door sliding wardrobe in a Hennur bedroom master suite sits flush to the wall, its shutters stacked in the closed position like a folded fan. The architect has specified the overall cabinet width to 2400 mm, the three doors to 800 mm each. But the overlap tolerance—the measurement where each door overlaps its neighbour when closed—is not in the RCP. This is where the specification breaks down on site, and where the first operation at handover either succeeds or binds.

Why overlap tolerance matters in a three-door sliding system

A sliding wardrobe shutter does not swing on a hinge; it runs on an overhead track and a floor guide. When three doors are specified, the first door (on the left) sits in front, the second door behind it, the third door behind the second. As you slide the first door to the right, it must pass behind the second and third without catching. The overlap is the horizontal distance one door sits in front of its neighbour when closed.

In a 2400 mm cabinet with three 800 mm doors, the naive assumption is that each door is 800 mm wide and they sit flush. In reality, the doors must overlap to prevent light leakage and to ensure the guide track accommodates the stacked thickness. A typical overlap is 12 to 16 mm per door. This means the first door is 800 mm, the second door is 788 to 792 mm, and the third door is 776 to 784 mm. The sum of the three widths, minus the overlaps, equals the cabinet opening width to the millimetre.

The tolerance stack-up: track, guide, and panel thickness

Track-guide clearance and panel thickness

The overhead track is typically aluminium, anodised or powder-coated, with two rails spaced 50 to 60 mm apart. The trolley that carries each door sits on these rails. The floor guide is a single channel or a twin-guide system, depending on the door weight and the cabinet depth. A typical floor guide is 8 to 12 mm wide and sits centrally under the door.

The glass panel itself is usually 6 mm or 8 mm tempered, or 5 mm laminate for safety in bedrooms. The frame around the glass—typically aluminium or timber—adds another 20 to 30 mm to the total door thickness. So a door is typically 26 to 40 mm thick. When three doors stack, the total stacked thickness is 78 to 120 mm. The track must accommodate this without binding the trolley.

The overlap tolerance is set to ensure that as the doors slide, the leading edge of the door behind does not touch the frame of the door in front. A gap of 3 to 5 mm between the rear face of the front door and the front face of the second door is typical. This gap is achieved by reducing the width of the second door by the overlap amount. The third door is reduced further.

How the atelier measures and specifies overlap

At the design phase, the atelier receives the cabinet opening width from the architect—in this case, 2400 mm. The door heights are fixed by the floor-to-soffit dimension, typically 2100 to 2200 mm for a bedroom wardrobe. The door widths are calculated as follows: divide the opening width by the number of doors, then subtract the overlap tolerance for each door except the first.

For a 2400 mm opening with three doors and a 14 mm overlap per door:

• Door 1 (leftmost, front): 2400 ÷ 3 = 800 mm
• Door 2 (middle, behind Door 1): 800 − 14 = 786 mm
• Door 3 (rightmost, behind Door 2): 786 − 14 = 772 mm

The sum is 800 + 786 + 772 = 2358 mm. This is 42 mm short of the opening width. This 42 mm is the total clearance needed in the track to allow all three doors to slide without binding. The atelier specifies this clearance in the shop drawing, noting it as "track clearance: 42 mm" or "stack-up tolerance: 14 mm per door overlap".

Handle height and ergonomic specification

Standard handle height relative to door width

The handle on a sliding wardrobe door is typically mounted 900 to 950 mm above the floor. This height is ergonomic for most users to reach without stooping or stretching. However, the handle position relative to the door width also affects usability. If the door is narrow (less than 600 mm), the handle should sit closer to the centre of the door width to avoid a reach that feels awkward. If the door is wider (800 mm or more), the handle can be positioned 100 to 150 mm from the leading edge of the door, allowing the user to pull the door open without their hand hitting the frame of the adjacent door.

In the Hennur bedroom example, each door is 800 mm wide. The handle is specified at 950 mm above the floor and 120 mm from the leading edge (the edge that moves first when the door slides). This places the handle in a comfortable reach zone and ensures that the user's hand does not collide with the overlapping door behind it.

Verification at first operation

At handover, the architect or interior designer should verify the handle height and overlap tolerance by operating the doors. Open the first door fully. Slide it back to the closed position. Listen for any grinding or catching noise. Repeat with the second and third doors. If the doors slide smoothly and close flush to the frame, the tolerance stack-up is correct. If there is binding or a gap larger than 2 to 3 mm at the overlap joint, the doors may need field adjustment.

Field adjustment typically involves loosening the floor guide and sliding the door laterally by 1 to 3 mm, then re-tightening. This is a one-time operation and should be documented in the handover checklist. The atelier provides a tolerance adjustment kit with the wardrobe, usually consisting of shims and a torque wrench for the guide fasteners.

Cauvery hard water and monsoon humidity: long-term tolerance performance

Bangalore's Cauvery water has a TDS of approximately 200 to 300 ppm, making it moderately hard. If the wardrobe is cleaned with tap water and a microfibre cloth, mineral deposits can accumulate on the track and guide over time, increasing friction. The atelier recommends a quarterly cleaning with distilled water and a dry cloth, particularly in the monsoon months (June to September) when humidity in Hennur and surrounding areas rises to 70 to 85 per cent.

High humidity can cause timber frames to swell slightly, reducing the tolerance gap. Aluminium frames are unaffected by moisture, but the track can corrode if not anodised to at least 15 microns. The atelier specifies a hard-anodised (Type III) aluminium track for all Bangalore installations, which resists corrosion and maintains dimensional stability over the life of the wardrobe.

The overlap tolerance specified at manufacture remains valid for 10 to 15 years with routine maintenance. If the doors begin to bind after this period, the atelier can supply replacement trolleys or floor guides, which are wear items.

Specification checklist for the architect

When specifying a sliding wardrobe shutter system, include the following in the RCP and specification notes:

• Cabinet opening width and height, to the millimetre
• Number of doors and their individual widths, accounting for overlap tolerance
• Panel material (glass thickness and type) and frame material (aluminium or timber)
• Total door thickness and track clearance required
• Handle height (mm above floor) and position (mm from leading edge)
• Track type (aluminium profile and anodising specification) and floor guide type
• Tolerance stack-up diagram in the shop drawing, showing overlap and clearance
• Field adjustment procedure and tolerance limits (±2 mm at overlap joint)
• Maintenance schedule (quarterly cleaning, annual lubrication of track)

The atelier will prepare a detailed shop drawing from these notes, showing each door width, the track profile in section, and the handle position in elevation. This drawing is issued for architect approval before fabrication begins.

Material choice and overlap tolerance: patterned glass vs. clear

If the wardrobe doors are specified in patterned glass—such as Azure Blossom or Botanical Harmony—the overlap tolerance remains the same. The pattern is printed or etched on the surface and does not affect the dimensional tolerance. However, patterned glass can mask the overlap joint visually, making it less noticeable when the doors are closed. Clear glass, by contrast, shows the overlap joint as a thin shadow line. Some architects prefer patterned designs in bedrooms to obscure the view into the wardrobe while maintaining the overlap tolerance at 14 mm per door.

If the design calls for a timber frame with a decorative veneer or lacquer finish, the frame thickness may increase by 2 to 4 mm compared to an aluminium frame. This affects the total door thickness and the track clearance. The atelier will specify the track clearance based on the final frame thickness, accounting for any veneer or finish.

Questions we get asked

Can the overlap tolerance be reduced below 12 mm to make the doors wider?

Not reliably. An overlap below 12 mm creates a light gap and increases the risk of the door frames touching as they slide. The tolerance stack-up includes manufacturing tolerances on the door width (±1 mm), track straightness (±2 mm over 2400 mm), and floor-guide alignment (±1 mm). If the overlap is 10 mm and the manufacturing tolerance is 1 mm, the actual overlap could be as low as 8 mm, leaving insufficient clearance. The atelier specifies a minimum overlap of 12 mm for a 2400 mm cabinet and 14 mm for wider cabinets.

What happens if the doors bind after installation?

Binding usually indicates that the floor guide is not aligned with the track, or the track has been bent during installation. The atelier provides a field-adjustment procedure: loosen the guide fasteners, slide the door laterally by 1 to 2 mm, and re-tighten. This is a one-time operation and should resolve the binding. If binding persists after adjustment, the track may need to be replaced, which requires removing the doors. This is rare and is covered under the atelier's one-year warranty.

Is the handle height the same for all door widths?

The vertical handle height (950 mm above the floor) is standard across all door widths. However, the horizontal position of the handle (distance from the leading edge) varies. For doors narrower than 600 mm, the handle is positioned closer to the centre of the door width. For doors 600 to 1000 mm wide, the handle is positioned 100 to 150 mm from the leading edge. For doors wider than 1000 mm (which are rare in bedrooms), the handle position is specified in consultation with the architect, as wider doors may require two handles or a handle positioned differently to balance the door visually.

Does the Bangalore monsoon humidity affect the overlap tolerance?

Monsoon humidity (June to September) can cause timber frames to swell by up to 1 to 2 mm. Aluminium frames are unaffected. If the wardrobe frame is timber, the overlap tolerance may tighten slightly during the monsoon. This is normal and typically not noticeable in operation. After the monsoon, as humidity drops, the frame shrinks back to its original dimension. The atelier specifies hard-anodised aluminium frames for all Bangalore installations to avoid this seasonal variation. If a timber frame is specified, the atelier accounts for seasonal swelling in the tolerance stack-up by adding 1 mm to the track clearance.

Can the overlap tolerance be adjusted after handover?

Yes, within limits. If the doors are binding slightly at the overlap joint, the floor guide can be adjusted laterally by up to 3 mm. This is a reversible operation and does not affect the warranty. If the overlap needs to be increased beyond 3 mm, the doors must be removed and adjusted at the atelier, which involves a service call. The atelier recommends verifying the tolerance at first operation and documenting any adjustments in the handover checklist to avoid disputes later.

Commissioning your sliding wardrobe specification

The overlap tolerance and handle-height spec are not afterthoughts; they are foundational to a wardrobe that operates smoothly for the life of the project. When you are ready to commission a sliding wardrobe shutter system for your Bangalore project, bring the RCP, the opening dimensions, and any material preferences to the atelier. We will prepare a shop drawing that specifies the overlap tolerance, track clearance, and handle position to the millimetre, and we will issue it for your approval before fabrication. Talk to the atelier to begin the specification process.