Take Out Dishwasher to Retile Floor?

15 years ago

My tile installer is here now, ripping out my old tile, and will be laying down a new tile floor. I asked him whether he should retile under the dishwasher -- I don't want it getting "tiled in" in case it needs to be replaced. He said that wasn't necessary...that when they remove an old DW, they cut off the legs, drop it down and pull it out. Then a new machine would have to be minimally smaller to slot in there.

Can anyone weigh in on whether this is good advice...or do I need to call in an electrician to disconnect my present DW, pull it out, then reconnect it later? I'm also concerned that with the new subflooring that is going in, it might not fit back in. Thoughts anyone?

Featured Answer

weissman

15 years ago

What is under your dishwasher now - tile, plywood, etc.? The goal is to make sure that the new floor is level with the flooring under the dishwasher so that the DW isn't tiled in and can be slid out in the future. If you have tile now and are just replacing the tiling outside the DW and it's the same thickness you should be fine. Some people put plywood under the DW to save the cost of the tile. In any case, you don't want to cut off any feet - a new DW should be able to be slid in.

Comments (7)

igloochic
15 years ago
Your dishwasher should be a plug in appliance...no electrician necessary. They do not cut off the legs, drop it down and pull it out...they screw down the legs if necessary (they're adjustable) and pull the stupid thing out then unplug it. It also then can be unhooked from the water. My DH (the least handy man in america) can do it with his eyes closed. I can do it with one eye open, and a decent tile guy should be able to do it in seconds...or have your GC do it.

You would NOT need a smaller machine in the future if you tile it right now with the same tile you are using on the kitchen floor. I fear for the quality of your tile job...the guy is full of ummm well something smelly. This is BASIC stuff! He may need to unscrew a couple of screws if it's an old DW in a laminate counter...but that's it! Honestly...I've done it!
edlakin
15 years ago
yup. not hard. your tile guy is trying to give you the business so he can avoid a bit of extra work.
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pcjs
15 years ago
I mostly agree with igloochic and edlakin... he's trying to get out of doing the work bottomline... that makes no sense what he is saying and he needs to do the job. Ours is hardwired (DIY so we did it) - you can either hardwire your dishwasher or plug it in - but either way it isn't a big deal and an easy install. Finding a smaller dishwasher in the future might be a nightmare so make him do the job right.
lascatx
15 years ago
I would absolutely pull the DW and tile under it. The DW that came with this house was not only behind tile at the floor level, but also behind a tile countertop and because of the way they tiled in that edge onthe counter, their was no way to pull the DW and tile under it until we were ready to rip out the counters.

Even more unsettling -- we thought the DW was the one appliance that might have been replaced wince the house was built, but we then realized that it could not have been. We had a DW approaching 18 years old that we couldn't pull out -- and we had to hope and pray it didn't die full of dirty, smelly water before we got to the remodel point. We did get lucky on that one.
live_wire_oak
15 years ago
Beware of the overall height of your tile installation vs. the average height of most DWs. If you are doing a mud bed installation or have to install cement backer board over your plywood, then that may be high enough that tiling over the DW alcove will result in being unable to find a DW that will fit in the slot. Using a uncoupling membrane rather than backer board may work better in that situation. But, if you don't tile under your DW, you will trap it in it's location.

Really, unfortunately, the best solution is to tile the floor first, and then install the cabinets. Or, put in plywood under the base cabinets to mimic the overall height of the finished tile floor. Not practical in a remodel where cabs aren't being replaced, but that's the way to do it right when gutting everything.
anzac
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks for all your speedy responses.

In the meantime, I called my friendly appliance company who will be delivering a new range (they also took away the old one) after the floor is done. They also spoke to the tile installer (who's a decent guy --I've used him before, BTW)...the upshot is he WILL tile under the DW. Appliance co. told me to get a plumber to disconnect DW, so I have a call in to my all-purpose handyman to do that. There's space enough for the new 1/4" subfloor, so the old DW will slide back in, and I won't have problems if/when it needs replacing.

Thanks again. You guys are terrific!