Improvised Appliance Sled
Strips of smooth laminate make sliding a new appliance into tight spot a quick and easy job.
When I need to slide an appliance into a tight space, I take two pieces of plastic laminate—the kind used for kitchen counters—about 4 in. wide and 6 ft. long. Usually I turn the shiny, slippery side up. I place the strips so that they line up with the appliance’s feet, creating two tracks into the appliance space. Then I put the feet on the strips and slide the appliance into place. I tilt the appliance slightly to the right or left to free one of the laminate pieces, and then I do the same on the other side. Recently I had to slide a 24-in.-wide stacked washer/dryer into a 241⁄2-in. space. This unit had rubber pads on the steel feet that would not slide on the finished oak floor, so I put the shiny side down and positioned the two strips directly under the appliance feet. The laminate slid easily on the clean floor, and I removed the strips as usual.
—Stephen Beese, Winston-Salem, N.C.
Edited and Illustrated by Charles Miller
From Fine Homebuilding #281
View Comments
I find that UHMW or HDPE plastic makes for a great slide for small and large appliances. The industrial supply company that I get supplies from has this stock in film, sheets, bars and strips. I recently bought a new coffee maker whose height was just a couple inches less than the upper kitchen cabinet was above the counter. It has rubber feet that don't slide very well and it requires flipping up the top to fill the water reservoir. I cut a sheet of thin UHMW plastic slightly bigger that the maker's footprint, put the coffee maker on it, and when it's time to fill the reservoir I just tug on the plastic and pull it out so I can fill the reservoir. The rubber feet don't slid on the sheet, so pushing back against the wall works very well. I would expect that 1/8" thick strips would work just fine with any major appliance.