DIY Counter Over Washer & Dryer

10 years ago

This is for my laundry room, but figured someone in here would know.

My husband is going to build a counter over our front end washer and dryer that are currently on pedestals. He will use supports on both side walls and the back wall. We got a piece of p-laminate for $25 (heckuva deal) and he's going to cut it to size.

The area is 36 inches deep x 64 inches wide. Because of the width, do we also need support in the middle? The laminate will be approx. one inch above the washer/dryer (not lying on top of it).

Also, would you attach the laminate with screws or glue - or not attach it at all and just have it resting on the supports (for easy removal, if necessary)?

This is basically what we're trying to achieve...

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Comments (5)

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Joseph Corlett, LLC
10 years ago
You'll never make the 64" span without sagging without additional support. The support could be a panel or two next to the appliances or a piece of Unistrut mounted securely to each wall underneath the top behind the front edge. You could probably skip the cleats and have a custom steel frame fabricated for a hundred bucks or so; this certainly would be easiest.

You'll have a rattaleathon when those machines are operating if you don't secure the top.

This post was edited by Trebruchet on Thu, Apr 3, 14 at 14:16
greenhaven
10 years ago
I had an unsecured top over my w/d at our previous house, and no rattle...but it WAS a very tight fit and not even very practical for easy access because it would tear up the walls.

Whatever you do, I do recommend that you make any necessary access to the backs of the appliances easy to achieve. Life happens, and so do leaks and plugs. Also make sure you have somewhere for that top to go if you need to remove it.

Make sure it will lift fully off and out of the way and that you have the clearances to do so, or that there is enough room above it for it to flip up and out of the way.

I second the supports in the middle. If you have enough space between your washer and dryer for a cabinet (or something, like the photo,) I would do a support panel beside each appliance. If not, one thick panel would do.
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chicagoans
10 years ago
Remember that dryer vents need to be cleaned on occassion for your dryer to function efficiently, and you'll want to make it not too difficult to be able to reach the venting, unhook it, and blow out the wall vent. (I just cleaned the vents for my dryers last Sunday. A hard to reach dryer vent turned a simple thing into a half day project that required help from a neighbor.)

So I wouldn't make the shelf permanent or glued down. If it rattles when you run the machines, maybe you can somehow buffer it with padding or styrofoam on the under side. I'd actually be tempted to make it hinged on the back so you can raise it. ie have a 2x4 or similar on the back wall that the back of the counter rests on and is hinged to. similar supports on the side walls and support as explained above in the middle. Make it so you can lift up the front and secure by hooks or something so when needed you can access the machines for service, for cleaning, for retrieving dropped items that rolled back there, etc. (There's a bottle of dog shampoo behind my mudroom washer that will stay there until I have to replace the washer and dryer.)
Iowacommute
10 years ago
I'll admit DH is the one who is better with this sort of the stuff (I'm just the creative one who comes up with the projects). ;)

I have a W/D on pedestals and a shallow shelf above the back of them that was there previously. The one in the back just has a piece of wood on each side holding up the wood shelf (like you see in closets in older homes). I told DH I want a shelf in front of it that extends to the front of the machines so I can set things and not have them rattle like they do now sitting on the machines. He was talking about putting another piece of wood on each wall like the ones in the back and maybe some sort of metal strapping (like you see on plumbing or HVAC ducts. Although I think that is overkill.

There is no room between my machines for a leg or any kind of pedestal to support from the bottom. I was just looking at pictures, and I saw a couple support from the bottom.

I do agree with being able to remove the shelf easily though.

Edit: I just looked at the shelf above the machines and there is a metal bracket supporting the middle. I was going to say if you had a thick enough shelf you would not need a bracket in the middle as long as you didn't put a couple of the 96 load detergent containers in the middle of the shelf.

Hmmm I'm looking. Wish DH was here so we could find a solution.

This post was edited by IowaCommute on Thu, Apr 3, 14 at 17:04
Iowacommute
10 years ago
So I was thinking along the lines of what is in the link below. It talks about just adding a strip of wood (could be decorative) to the front of the shelf.

Here is a link that might be useful: How to fix a wide wood shelf

This post was edited by IowaCommute on Thu, Apr 3, 14 at 17:10