How to assemble a shoe cabinet
Slim shoe cabinets with tilting compartments are very shallow, which makes them easy to tip. The fold-out flaps turn on hinges or pivot fittings that must be fitted on the correct side, and the wall fixing is not optional.
- Time
- about 1 h
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- People
- 1 person
- Steps
- 6
Tools needed
- Allen key (supplied)
- Cross-head screwdriver
- Small hammer
- Drill and wall fixings to suit your wall
Parts to check first
Before you start, lay everything out on a soft surface (the flattened box works) and check it against the parts list in your manual.
- Top, sides, base and back panel
- Tilting flap fronts and inner compartments
- Pivot fittings or hinges and stops
- Cam locks, dowels and screws
- Wall fixing bracket
Step by step
Step 1: Fit the pivot fittings or hinges to the side panels while they lie flat, checking the manual for which way they face.
Step 2: Build the carcass on its back and square it by measuring the diagonals.
Step 3: Fix the back panel along every edge, since it is what keeps the tall, shallow carcass rigid.
Step 4: Build each tilting compartment and fit it onto its pivot fittings.
Step 5: Fit the stops that limit how far each flap opens, and check each one opens and closes smoothly.
Step 6: Stand the cabinet in place and fix it to the wall at the height the manual shows, before putting shoes in.
Common mistakes
- Leaving out the opening stops, so the flaps swing too far and the shoes fall out.
- Standing the cabinet against a skirting board so it leans forward.
- Using the cabinet before it is fixed to the wall.
Safety notes
- Shoe cabinets are shallow and top-heavy when flaps are open; always fix them to the wall.
- Keep fingers out of the pivot area when a flap closes.
This is general guidance for this type of product. Your product's own manual comes first: follow its order, fittings and torque values where they differ from this page.
Updated 2026-09-30