Dishwasher installation cabinet removal

We also checked the side-to-side opening for the dishwasher, which needed to be 24 inches, then leveled the cabinet with the rest of the base cabinets, anchored it to the wall and to the floor. We made the bar countertop two full tiles wide. My son, Tim, found some inch floor tiles to use for the countertop.

We used a router with a guide attached to the base to cut a small rabbet in the inside, upper corner of the wood self-edge. We used a two-part, epoxy-based, stain-resistant grout for the tiles. Shown here, the colored sand is being added to the liquid portion of the mix.

This type of grout is too sticky to grout the tile by smearing it entirely across the face of the tile so we tried to keep the grout close to the grout lines and pressed them into place using a window squeegee. We had plans to use a backsplash that went from the countertop up to the wall cabinet.

This allowed plenty of room for accessing the stud bay next to an existing electrical J-box for running a new circuit for both the dishwasher and a disposal. A T-connection was installed at the water stop on the hot side to supply water to the dishwasher and to the sink.

We threaded the proper size connector into the bottom of the dishwasher that would fit both the threads on the dishwasher and the threads on the end of the hot water supply line. We connected the dishwasher drain line to the exhaust port on the dishwasher before bringing it into the house. A pair of channel-lock style pliers works well to put the hose clamp spring into place for the dishwasher drain. With the supply line fitting in place on the dishwasher and the drain hose connected, we brought the dishwasher into the kitchen.

We placed the dishwasher in the opening, routed the drain line into the sink opening and attached the exhaust end of the drain line to the proper pipe at the top of the disposal. Here, Tim is connecting the drain lines for the disposal and the sink.

We decided to wait until we had the dishwasher in position to see how much clearance we would need before changing the size of the drawers. We disassembled the drawers and cut down each drawer face, the back of each drawer box and floor of each drawer and nailed them back together. Tim added a block of wood to the inside of the sink cabinet to position the J-box that housed the switch for the disposal.

From there, attach the drainpipes to either the garbage disposal or the water trap under the sink, then connect the supply lines to the cold or hot water lines according to the manufacturer's instructions. Smaller, portable dishwashers will include optional plugs so they can be plugged into an outlet, but a traditional dishwasher requires its own circuit breaker.

This means running cable from the breaker box of your home to the location of the dishwasher. You need to install a breaker size and type as recommended by manufacturer in a free space at the box, attach the wires and run the cable to the dishwasher, where you can attach the wires there. Follow the colors to attach wires together. For example, connect black to black, white to white and green to green. Tim Anderson has been freelance writing since For proper leveling, lift or lower the rear of the dishwasher first using a Phillips head screwdriver by turning the single screw located at the bottom center of the unit clockwise or counterclockwise.

To lift the front of the unit up or down use a flat blade screwdriver to turn the front legs as shown. Make sure the gap between the door and the tub is equal on both the left and right sides.

With the dishwasher in place set your leveling tool on top front center of the unit. Then level it from the inside wall of the tub interior. Adjust as needed until the unit is completely leveled. Now use the bracket screws provided to drill into the underside of the wood countertop.

Be sure to cover the filter with towels to prevent screws from falling down into the pump. For countertops made of granite, marble, or other materials that can be damaged by drilling use the wood screws to attach the dishwasher to the side of the cabinet by removing the plastic caps from the mounting bracket and into the cabinet frame. Once leveled and securely in place remove any remaining package materials.

Turn on the circuit breaker that connects to the dishwasher along with the water valve. Remove the screws that anchor the dishwasher to the underside of the countertop or left and right cabinets. Home depot does not charge you any extra to remove an old dishwasher to install the one you just purchased.

Place a drop cloth or piece of cardboard on the floor in front of the appliance to avoid marring the floor. Remove the old dishwasher, clean the floor and inspect the cabinetry for damage. Disconnect your old dishwasher by turning off the water and power, unplugging the hoses and cables, and removing any screws securing the dishwasher to the cabinetry. Before you touch your dishwasher, start by cutting off the electricity and water supply to the kitchen.