Washer/Dryer Stands
Monday, February 15, 2010
And now for the first in what's sure to be a long series of new home ownership posts. This particular post is about a set of homemade washer and dryer stands.
The problem started when I bought a new washer and dryer to go in my house. Being a home of modest size, the downstairs half-bathroom also doubles as the laundry room. Well, despite the measurements that I carefully took, I neglected, when purchasing the washer and dryer, to think about both the space the dryer door needed to open and the space behind the dryer for the ducting. Imagine, then, my dismay at the installation when I found that the dryer door opened about two inches before slamming into the side of the toilet.
The solution had two parts: first, change from solid ducting to flexible ducting, which would allow the dryer to scoot back a couple inches. This allowed me to use the dryer temporarily, but there was the the issue of hitting the toilet and further clearance. Clearly the dryer need to be elevated... but at what cost? The associated pedestals for the washer and dryer were over $200 each.
But a quick Google search yielded the result I needed. I found a site called Instructables.com which had an entry for exactly what I was looking for: a do-it-yourself washer and dryer stand.
I set about building this set of stands (with my dad's help.) Along the way, we lightly customized the instructions, but the essence of what we built is featured there. For about $60 in wood and screws from Home Depot, we built a set of strong platforms featuring 1 1/8" plywood, a bunch of 2"x4" supports, and a couple coats of primer with a finish of high-gloss, shiny white paint. (I'd like to thank the Home Depot for cutting the plywood for me, too.)
Getting the stands in place was no easy task, but upon completion, the finished product looks... finished. It looks good. The washing machine still shakes with the vibration of cleaning, but I monitored it and it didn't actually move at all. If I were building it again, I might add an extra half-inch to both the length and width, just to provide a little wiggle room. However, I'm satisfied at how they're working... for now.
The problem started when I bought a new washer and dryer to go in my house. Being a home of modest size, the downstairs half-bathroom also doubles as the laundry room. Well, despite the measurements that I carefully took, I neglected, when purchasing the washer and dryer, to think about both the space the dryer door needed to open and the space behind the dryer for the ducting. Imagine, then, my dismay at the installation when I found that the dryer door opened about two inches before slamming into the side of the toilet.
The solution had two parts: first, change from solid ducting to flexible ducting, which would allow the dryer to scoot back a couple inches. This allowed me to use the dryer temporarily, but there was the the issue of hitting the toilet and further clearance. Clearly the dryer need to be elevated... but at what cost? The associated pedestals for the washer and dryer were over $200 each.
But a quick Google search yielded the result I needed. I found a site called Instructables.com which had an entry for exactly what I was looking for: a do-it-yourself washer and dryer stand.
I set about building this set of stands (with my dad's help.) Along the way, we lightly customized the instructions, but the essence of what we built is featured there. For about $60 in wood and screws from Home Depot, we built a set of strong platforms featuring 1 1/8" plywood, a bunch of 2"x4" supports, and a couple coats of primer with a finish of high-gloss, shiny white paint. (I'd like to thank the Home Depot for cutting the plywood for me, too.)
Getting the stands in place was no easy task, but upon completion, the finished product looks... finished. It looks good. The washing machine still shakes with the vibration of cleaning, but I monitored it and it didn't actually move at all. If I were building it again, I might add an extra half-inch to both the length and width, just to provide a little wiggle room. However, I'm satisfied at how they're working... for now.
posted by Burton at 3:23 PM
4 Comments:
Those look REALLY good. Well played sir!
I'm impressed! The pedestals look good. Now if you can find bins that will fit underneath them, you can use that space for storage. Take more pictures of the house and email them. I care! Love, Aunt Chris
Yours is the best looking Washer/Dryer stand I've seen in all my searching.
I want my DIY pedestals to look like they were sold with the appliances...and your design does just that. Plus you have allowed for storage space.
Thank you so much.
-Andy
I'm copying this, you did awesome and this is just what I need!!!! I only need it so I can readily vacuum under them, cuz I have dogs, and my laundry room is the "catch-all" for all the "dogbunnies". (my version of dust bunnies hahaa)I hope I can do this justice. Thanks for posting this. :) :) ~Kathie
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