I’ve got a question about installing a dishwasher. I’m trying to make a cut out, the problem is that the cabinet is all one piece (entire cabinet is about 7 feet long). Do I just make a cut out by literally cutting out a piece of the cabinet or do I just “clear” the cabinet and set the dishwasher inside that? Everything I’ve seen\read has told me to “remove the cabinet”, but I can’t do that, obviously, since it’s all one piece running from the back door, under the sink, to the inside wall. I’m so confused! Any suggestions?
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Are you saying that your floor cabinets of which the kitchen sink sits in is actually one cabinet and is about 7 feet long? I’m referring to the cabinet upon which the counter top sits–which has a
cutout to fit the kitchen sink.
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The directions are correct. You must remove a 24″ section of the cabinet from the floor to the bottom of the countertop. It’s just a matter of perspective. You are removing “all” of the cabinet in the 24″ section in which you’re going to install the dishwasher. The hole left must be tall enough to slide the dw under the countertop and deep enough that the back doesn’t touch when slid all the way in.
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Think of the cabinet as a box. You have the top (counter top), the two sides and the front, back and bottom (floor). You will need to remove a 24″ section of the front. This leaves a hole in the cabinet into which you will slide the dishwasher, The sides, top, back and bottom will remain. Is there a section that has a set of doors that is 24″ wide? This would be the easiest to remove since all you would need to do is cut the cross pieces out and the floor of the cabinet.
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Yes, the cabinet, if you can believe it, is one piece. This is so hard to explain without a picture, but the cabinet is one long “base”. There are 4 total cabinet doors, 1 long false cabinet drawer, and 2 working cabinet drawers. The two far cabinets are separated from the under the sink cabinets by a piece of wood, but the “frame” (the pieces that make the openings for the
cabinets and drawers), are all one piece. The bottom shelf of the cabinets are a few inches off the floor forming the “lip” at the bottom, but I think that’s pretty typical.
None of the cabinets or frame openings are exactly 24″, they are about 20″. So, do I just literally cut the cabinets, try to yank out the bottom that’s attached to the floor in the 24″ section? The dishwasher would then be sitting on the floor itself. Or, do I just remove the cabinet door, cut the 24″ cut out in the frame and drop the dishwasher in, leaving it the front of the DW resting on the little lip? Also, would removing the cabinet to the floor compromise the integrity of the frame at all? I’ll obviously have a huge gap in the cabinets no matter how you look at it, but I can always have a custom cabinet door made so it looks nice I’m sure. You can see how this is so confusing! Then of course there’s trying to run the electrical, but that’s a whole other email entirely!
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I think you really need someone else whom you know and that has some experience around a house to come over there and take a look. You really want to put the dishwasher on the floor because that’s where it belongs,,electrical and plumbing are not separate issues- they have to be dealt with now.And this idea of having a custom door ade to make it all right seems over the edge. Perhaps you should just start out from scratch with a different countertop and sink in the right configuration that accepts a dishwasher, the plumbing and the electrical.
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Let’s start with, “it all depends”. Now that we have that out of the way, the simple answer is “yes”. In a number of older homes, they built the cabinets and shelving in place as one unit. What you now have to do is figure out, basically, how to cut approx 24 inches out of the middle of this cabinet while it is still attached to everything! Can’t say for sure without seeing it, but it would seem that you need to remove enough of the cabinet face to be able to slide in a dishwasher AND 2 cabinet end panels, one on each side to support the now 2 built in cabinets, yes the dishwasher is supposed to sit on the floor, (although, in my next remodel it will be on a 12 inch high base with cabinets all the way up over it). I would decide where I wanted the dishwasher, then plan my plumbing and electric before I was committed by cutting the cabinet front, make sure you can plumb and wire it where you want it put before you cut. Once you cut out the cabinet front, you will probably have to support the shelves while you remove a section of them, then you will need to either make, or use pre-made, cabinet end panels to support the face frame, the shelves, and the back of each of what would now become two cabinets.
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Does anyone here install dishwashers or just know a lot about them? We have a problem and I need advice! Our old under-counter dishwasher has died and we need to replace it. However, the space under our counter is only 33 5/8″ (from the tile floor, up to just under the counter) and most under-counter dishwashers start at 33 7/8″ height. I have been searching the Internet and I have tracked down a couple of shorter Amana models that are listed at a 33 1/2″ height. However, that only gives us 1/8″ clearance, which isn’t much! So here’s my question: is 1/8″ height clearance enough when installing an under-counter dishwasher? Anyone know? (The width is the standard 24″.)
Oh, and someone recommended an ADA compliant dishwasher, which is a great idea, except that they don’t seem to come in Bisque or Biscuit. And if I buy any color EXCEPT Bisque or Biscuit (or something similar — basically I need OFF-white instead of white-white), it will look very strange in my kitchen! If anyone has a link to a Bisque or Biscuit ADA compliant dishwasher, that would be great, but I am strenuously resisting buying white-white. I hate white-white. :) Thanks for any help/ideas on this!
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I had the same problem with I installed new hardwood flooring in my kitchen. I am assuming that you did not tile under the DW. I screwed the feet all the way into the DW; pushed it back in just passed the flooring and unscrewed the back feet; pushed it all the way in and did the same for the front feet. You need to measure the height of the DW before sliding it into place so you know how much to turn the feet in order to get it level.
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I see quite a few online that are 33-1/2, not just the Amana. And yes that should work just fine having that little of clearance, unless your floor is crooked :) The actual tub of the thing is a lot smaller than the opening, its just the door that will need to clear your countertop lip. Do you have a Lowes, or home depot or Menards? If so you could get one from there, and set it in to find out, if not return it. (just don’t ruin your ackaging. ) That’s what i would try. I’ve done quite a few dishwashers, and never even measured the openings, I just went and bought new ones, some are snug, some have leeway.