If you bought a built-in dishwasher, then now you are facing several difficult tasks. You probably already met some of them earlier, when installing the washing machine. Indeed, in many ways these household devices are similar - the same connection to the drain, connection to the mains. Nevertheless, a new task arises before you - fastening, installing the facade to the dishwasher. Many believe that this is an occupation for furniture assemblers, however, it is not difficult to install a facade with your own hands. In this article we will tell you what may come in handy for carrying out such work.
Facade appointments
The facade of the dishwasher is a decorative panel element made of furniture materials. The main goal of the facade is to hide the dishwasher in the kitchen furniture, making it part of the kitchen interior.
Dishwashers, which are fully built-in, are usually 450 mm or 650 mm deep. The hanging facade of such devices has the following advantages:
- there is no need to choose the right color for the machine, it fits perfectly into the interior, as it is a common part of the kitchen;
- the control panel buttons are almost invisible, children will not randomly press them;
- possesses soundproofing qualities, the sound of the dishwasher is not so audible.
The panels of the dishwashers are made of a finely divided fraction, this is a medium-density wood-fiber plate. The thickness of the plate is usually standard 16 mm (furniture thickness) and is covered with a film that completely repeats the texture, texture and color of the furniture.
In some dishwasher models, the open door can only be locked after the appliance plate has been installed.
Dishwasher Front Size
The dimensions of the side panels of the dishwashers naturally depend on the dimensions of the dishwashers. These are mainly 450 mm machines. or 600 mm. The height of many dishwashers is 820 mm. However, there are compact models with a height of 600 mm. and even 500 mm. They are much cheaper, but their capacity is much less.
If we are talking about fitting the device into the interior, then the designers advise not to rush with the choice of kitchen accessories.
Oleg Volkov, interior designer, Moscow:
“Personally, I never believed that washing and dishwashers, microwave ovens and other household appliances could look corny in their natural technological form. If the appliances are selected with taste, the furniture is of high quality and pleasant, then the interior will be what you need, even if you can see the “naked” facades of washing machines, dishwashers, etc. However, often, people want a one-piece design to make everything look as one. Our client recently wanted a long marble, undulating countertop, which, curving, passes through almost half of the kitchen, turning into a bar counter. It’s great that you can say that and the project turned out to be what we need. But I was surprised by his question: What to choose a dishwasher? He wanted a dishwasher Ariston, Hansa, Siemens or Bosch, but he thought about the dimensions at the last moment. After all, he first assembled the kitchen, left a niche for the car, and, of course, not one fit in size. I had to cut the marble. I advise you to always select the equipment first, and only then choose the kitchen. Otherwise, you are tormented to fit one under the other. All household appliances are fixed in size, and you can play with furniture fittings.Do everything in the right order. ”
Indeed, you need to understand that the device may not have a width of 60, but 59.1 cm. This will lead to backlashes and gaps. Remember that a facade that is not made correctly cannot be trimmed, because its ends are laminated and glued with film.
The height of the side of the machine is no exception, it must also be carefully measured and calculated. It has a height slightly greater than the door, so in order to be on the same level as the kitchen panel, it is necessary to adjust not the facade, as many do, but the legs of the machine itself. It turns out that the height of the device depends on the width of the keypad of the machine, which is located on the door. Attaching such a facade to the dishwasher is a bit simpler than in machines that require full integration.
Self-installation of facades
The facade can only be installed on the dishwasher when the device is already connected to the water supply line and the drainage system. Built-in dishwasher must already be installed into the niche reserved for her. For high-quality fastening of the facade, you will need:
- a long ruler or tape measure (for accuracy, a ruler is more suitable);
- flat and Phillips screwdrivers;
- fasteners;
- handle for the car door;
- front panel.
In order to attach the facade, it is necessary to mount the device to the side cabinets and from above, to the kitchen panel. Then, on the front of the facade you need to attach a handle to the door. Use a drill to create a hole for the screw. Drill with a thin screw and on the main side of the facade.
Then you need to calculate the distance at which the front panel mounts are located. It is simply necessary that the facade of the machine and the facades of the cabinets are on the same level. Using a ruler, evaluate the clearance between the kitchen panel and the facades of the cabinets. After that, measure the distance between the upper fixture and the countertop, subtract one parameter from the other and the result will be the distance between the fixture point and the edge of the facade of the dishwasher.
When all measurements are done, you will need to get a template stencil from the set and fix it from the inside of the facade panel. This can be done with adhesive tape, it is better not to use double-sided tape, at first glance it will seem convenient, but after it there will be traces of the adhesive base.
We advise you to practice with the template on an unnecessary piece of the board with a thickness of about 16 mm., This will help to avoid mistakes. Remember that errors on the façade panel may be critical.
The template will help you outline the correct points for future holes for fasteners. Drill carefully, it is better to drill less than take risks and get a through hole. Three quarters of the thickness of the front panel is enough.
The process of fixing the facade is completed by fixing the panel with screws. If it so happens that the panel rests on the base, you will have to make a small clearance in the base itself. The width of the gap will be the thickness of the panel (add 2 mm on top, this will not affect anything). If the facades are not flush, then increasing the clearance of the base is the most correct and optimal solution to the problem. Especially if you cannot make adjustments by adjusting the legs of the machine (of course, because you fixed it to the side cabinets and countertops).
