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Question about Miele DW and custom panels

theclose
11 years ago

Hello All,

I have been doing a bit of research on dishwashers and have decided on a Miele. Problem is I want white. This is going into an existing kitchen of a home we are buying and I will be unable to match the cabs with a custom panel. I also really like the features of the Dimension, which does not come in white.

I read on the kitchens forum that someone attached an IKEA appliance front to a Miele dishwasher. Can anyone confirm that this is possible? They sell white fronts and if this would work, I would be very happy!

Thanks!

Maggie

Comments (14)

  • shadow700
    11 years ago

    I just installed a Miele G5775 in our Adel Medium Brown IKEA kitchen using a standard IKEA cabinet door (24x30").

    For me, it was part number 401.159.85 ($114).

  • doug_gb
    11 years ago

    The Miele DW comes with a bracket and a template.

    You can attach anything to the front of the DW - just so it's the correct height/width.

  • theclose
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thank you both so much!

    @doug, I wasn't sure about that and I saw someone used IKEA. Figured that might be the easiest since they are pre-made. But good to know I can use something else - though not sure what else I would use!

    @shadow, thank you!! One question - why did you go with the door and not the IKEA appliance front? Was there less work involved?

  • doug_gb
    11 years ago

    "though not sure what else I would use!"

    All it is, is a wooden panel. Maybe an Ikea door will fit.

    Alternatively you can take the Miele panel specifications to Home Depot / Lowes / etc and see what kind of kitchen cabinet fronts they have, and they can make you a panel.

  • theclose
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thanks, doug!! Appreciate the help. I have never purchased a DW, nor a home for that matter!, and I just want to make sure I am not creating a big hassle by getting the Miele that requires a custom panel.

  • shadow700
    11 years ago

    It's not really a question of work (although there is less work with a cabinet door since it is already the right size).

    I never considered the appliance front since it is just a flat panel.

    In our kitchen, using the door makes the DW looks just like the cabinets that flank it.

  • theclose
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thanks, shadow. That makes sense. Hmmm..maybe I should try it with one of their plain white cabinet fronts if there would be no cutting involved. Food for thought!

  • kaseki
    11 years ago

    Since we are on the subject, I have a comment about paneled door panels used on the Miele. If the panel simulates a lower cabinet look of a drawer at the top and door below it, and the style is Shaker or similar, a 3/4-inch panel will be rather thin where the "drawer" and "door" "rails" meet. Warping there can be a problem, mounted or just set aside waiting for the dishwasher install. The Miele structure for grasping the panel is too flimsey to correct the warp. I had to do some aggressive bending and reinforcing on my panel.

    In hindsight, I would suggest a stiff (0.080 maybe) sheet of stainless that the Miele mount is attached to onto which the panel is screwed (preferably as soon as it is fabricated). Then the dishwasher would have to be mounted a bit further back to make the panel front flush with the other cabinets. To not see a stainless steel edge, the door outer rails and stiles could be thicker and an undersized stainless sheet embedded within it. Various variations on this concept may be considered to improve upon it given some cooperation by the cabinet maker.

    kas

  • doug_gb
    11 years ago

    @kaseki: "a 3/4-inch panel will be rather thin where the "drawer" and "door" "rails" meet. "

    Our Miele has a SS control panel where the drawer front would be. The control panel is not as deep as a drawer, and under the control panel are three SS spring loaded spacers. These spacers can be adjusted so the control panel is the same depth as your drawer front.

    The panel on our Miele is just the height of a door.

  • SparklingWater
    11 years ago

    "If the panel simulates a lower cabinet look of a drawer at the top and door below it, and the style is Shaker or similar, a 3/4-inch panel will be rather thin where the "drawer" and "door" "rails" meet."

    I'm thinking about the 3/4" full custom wood panel, not with drawer. Are there any problems in its acceptance you could give me a heads up on? I understand I need a 4" toe kick for optimal door opening/dropping down and that with the wood panel, the door is heavy? Are the hinges stressed? What about spills from countertop and warp, any advise? Thanks.

  • caliente63
    11 years ago

    @kaseki: "a 3/4-inch panel will be rather thin where the "drawer" and "door" "rails" meet. "

    I can think of two approaches.

    1. One panel, with a single wide rail between the "drawer" and "door", and a 1/8" routed groove to give the appearance of two separate pieces. The routed channel would only need to be 1/4" deep; leaving 1/2" structural "meat".

    2. Separate drawer and door panels, routed on the back to accommodate a stout metal joining plate.

    How is your panel made?

  • Davis Janowski
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    We had an Ikea panel added to our Miele dishwasher (model G 5675 SCVi) to match all the rest of our Ikea cabinetry. Looks great but after a few months it now keeps falling off. It is only held in place by hooks on the top and bottom of the Miele-provided mounting bracket but no screws keeping it on. Anyone else have this problem? I saved the Miele mounting instructions but they are entirely visual, and the single panel that seems to relate to this issue is nonsensical. There are these four star bolts, 2 on each side of the door that look as though they would go through matching nubs on the bracket but the screws don't unscrew i.e. don't come out. They seem to somehow move a plastic piece under the door cover and NOT actually for holding the panel. Neither our architect or contractor can figure it out and I've been unable to get anyone to help at Miele or Ikea. Anyone else encounter this issue? Fixes??? My wife almost broke her foot the last time this fell off.

  • kaseki
    7 years ago

    I think I missed some responses to one of my comments. Sorry for the late response.

    xedos

    My Miele overlay panel was made by my cabinet maker, Tedd Wood. It was not warped when delivered. It became warped over time at the intersection between the upper "drawer" panel and the lower "cabinet" panel. In my panel style, there is a gap there that has to look like wood. The Miele mounting frame is too wimpy to restrain warping.

    The interface was a thin piece of wood, and perhaps could have been veneer plywood.

    I tried training the door back into shape using weights, but eventually fractured the thin panel at the intersection. This I re-glued and I added some some stainless steel supports on the back, bonded when the door was flat. In hindsight, a stainless steel back plate with a thin red birch veneer covering the intersection would have been better if used from the beginning. Note that any stainless steel used has to be shape-compatible with the Miele mounting frame.

    Davis Janowski

    In my Optima, the door screws somehow capture the tabs on the door mounting frame so one cannot just lift it out without loosening them. It has been too long since I installed the door panel to recall the exact "feel" of the screws. The door frame tabs have to be fully in place.

    I "think" that the screws are turned CCW to loosen the door frame, and CW to tighten it. It is probably necessary that they be in their loose position before the door frame is settled in place and the screws tightened.

    kas