NEW Ikea PAX Closet Design: What You Need to Know About Latest Updates to the PAX 2.0
Updated August 9, 2024
In this post, we’re sharing the brand new changes to the Ikea PAX wardrobe design that you’ll want to know!
Over the years, we’ve purchased the Ikea PAX wardrobe system many times and have found this affordable closet system to be of great quality at a low price.
After our successful Ikea PAX closet project for our previous primary bedroom (where we shared everything we learned and tips for assembly), we set out to do a DIY Ikea PAX hack for a custom built-in look for our new primary closet in 2024.
While assembling our new PAX system, we were surprised to find a few latest updates to the PAX 2.0 design.
1. Toolless Design
The frame can now be assembled with almost NO tools at all! Most of the instruction steps involve securing parts by sliding or pushing pieces into place.
This is a significant change from the older frames, which required a Philips screwdriver for the supports and a hammer for nailing the backing.
The only exception would be mounting the frame to the wall which still requires tools for locating studs and driving screws.
Initially, I was skeptical about the frame’s strength due to this new design, but once assembled, it seemed just as sturdy as the old model.
We’ll see if this holds up once our entire closet project is complete.
2. Quicker and Easier Assembly
The newly designed PAX frames are significantly much quicker and easier to assemble. It took us around 12 minutes to build one frame!
Note that this didn’t include the time needed to mount the frame to the wall, as we planned to do some custom built-in DIY looks for the PAX frames.
In contrast, the previous PAX units took us around 30 minutes to assemble and it included many more assembly steps to complete.
3. Pre-installed Backing
On the old frame, you needed to manually nail the MDF board backing onto the back with about 40 nails. I remember this step being tedious and taking quite a while during assembly.
On the PAX 2.0 units, the backer board comes pre-installed, which saves time and removes the potential for assembly errors.
However, I noticed that on a few frames, the backer started detaching from the top of the frame during assembly.
This might have happened because I was pushing the backer a bit while installing the top shelf.
We won’t be using the included backs for our closet, but if you are, be careful around the top and bottom of the backing.
4. Assemble Frame In Place
Since the backer board comes pre-installed, the frame is actually able to be assembled standing up in place.
There’s no longer a need to build the frame lying down and then struggle to stand it up. This allows a single person to build the frames.
For our previous closet, two people were needed to stand up the frames during assembly.
Building the frame in place is also a huge benefit in smaller rooms or closets where the space is tight and difficult to maneuver.
5. Improved Leveling Feet
The new PAX frames have leveling feet on all four corners, while the original frames only had leveling feet on the front two corners.
This addresses issues when the PAX frames are installed on floors that are pitched toward the rear of the frames.
Level adjustments are done with the supplied Allen key, inserted at the top of each foot.
The bottom shelf is also not bolted to the side panels, allowing for easy level adjustments at any time. You just simply slide the bottom shelf in, and it results in a cleaner look with fewer screw holes.
6. Better Wall Mounting System
The way the PAX unit mounts to the wall is completely different on the new frames. Instead of having two metal right-angle brackets, there is now a single long metal brace mounted to the wall that secures to the frame.
Mounting the rail to the wall is one of the first steps in assembly. Since the frame is not yet assembled, there is ample working space, making this much easier than the old design.
The metal rail also has a 2.5-inch horizontal hole on each end, providing more flexibility in mounting. This increases the chance of hitting at least one stud.
7. No More Corner Frame?
When designing our new closet in the PAX Planner, we couldn’t find the PAX corner unit when searching on the Ikea website.
It seems that currently (at least in the U.S.) Ikea has temporarily discontinued the corner units, possibly due to the new assembly process not accommodating them.
Update: I found the PAX corner units sold on Ikea again! Looks like they are now back.
Our corner PAX solution was to design our closet with a 22″ deep frame on the left next to a 13″ deep frame on the right.
This worked well for our closet design and fit the best in our space anyway.
Conclusion
We hope you found this post helpful if you are planning out your Ikea PAX closet design.
Note that there are a few changes (good ones) but the main one to be aware of is the backer board update where it already comes attached to the frames.
This change in particular threw us off a little bit when trying to DIY a custom built-in look and installing our own plywood backer board and we had to adjust our plan during the project.
We are still in the middle of our new PAX built-in closet project and will definitely share the end results when it’s done!
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Hi! We just visited IKEA in hopes of finding the corner unit. An associate said they are no longer available, something about them not lining up correctly and needing a new redesign, but should be back by the end of September. 🥲
Ahh I see, Good to know! Thanks for commenting!