Free installation came with our dishwasher, which will arrive in a few weeks. I want to make sure that my adjustable-height cabinets are not adjusted too high for it, so I thought I would ask some of you.
At the wall, the top of the back of the cabinets (which doesn’t yet include the countertop) is set at 34 inches above the floor. But the floor in our kitchen slopes pretty badly, so the top at the front end is some 36 inches off the floor. (Which means that the countertop will be some 37-38 inches high.) Is this too high for a dishwasher, even one with adjustable legs?
I like the height of the cabinets now (tall people in our family), but I don’t want to have a huge gap at the top where the dishwasher is. Should I bring them down a hair or two?
Replies
You need to be sure the dishwahser will fit both front and back. Check the mfgr data sheet and see how tall the unit is ... probably made to fit in a 34" tall space. If you lower the top to reduce the gap in front, then it won't slide all the way under the counter.
Leave the counter as-is ... level I assume ... and when the unit is installed shim under the front legs with scraps of plywood or 1x4 until it is level. then install some type of decorative toe kick, maybe a piece of 1x4 painted black.
I have seen an installation (not my house) where the dishwasher is raised about 6-8 inches and a small drawer is under it. The HO (and my DW) think it's great cuz you don't have to bend over the load & unload, but it makes the counter oddly high.
I'm sorry, I thought you wanted it done the right way.
I just remodeled our kitchen and installed a new dishwasher. The adjustable legs don't give you more than an inch or so of adustment, which means you will have an inch or so gap at the top.
One solution would be to shim at the front under the legs. That would move the gap to the bottom of the toe kick, which would be a lot less noticeable. Besides, you need the dishwasher to be level.
If you know the model # of the machine you are getting, you can go online and print out the installation instructions, which would give you the pricise dimensions you need.
Good luck!
Burt
If need be, shim under the DW to raise it up, If there's not enough "play" in the bottom kick plate to close the bottom gap it's easy enough to kluge something up that does the job and looks nice. (Eg, get a sheet metal shop to cut you a new piece and bend it like the original, then paint it with black spray paint.) You don't want the gap at the top. (You also want the DW level, so shim to compensate for your sloping floor.)
If this is a standard Formica over flakeboard top, do yourself a favor and put 2-3 coats of shelac or varnish on the bottom surface of the front edge, where it sticks out over the DW door. Do the same in the area in front of and 6-12" either side of the sink. This will help keep these areas from bloating up due to the dampness.
If your toe kick material is sized to fit the front of your cabs, mount the DW (diswasher) up to the bottom of your cabs as has been suggested, shimming the feet. Make sure the 34 at the back is enough for your install. Take the toe kick material, cut it to DW size and Velcro it to the front of your normal DW toe kick cover. When you need to service the DW you can pull off the cabinet matching toe kick to get at the screws of the DW toe kick. Makes the DW appear to float in that cabinet opening.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
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