Granite counter top support over a dishwasher

16 years ago

Good morning everyone. I am new to the forum so I hope I am doing this right.

I am in the process of updating my counter tops in my kitchen. I have a question regarding what options I have to support the stone while it goes over my dishwasher. Saddly our dishwasher is at the end of the counter so the granite cant be supported on the other end because the stove is adjacent to it.

Is there some sort of bracket I can mount to the back wall or am I going to have to go with some sort of sheet metal that will span the entire length of the counter top to support the stone.

I appreciate your help and time on this.

Cheer,

Ricardo Gomez

Featured Answer

shelayne

16 years ago

We had to put brackets over our dishwasher because we have a farm sink to the right, and an oven cabinet to the left of the dishwasher and not enough room to add extra side panels. DH screwed 2 x 4s into the studs (level with the tops of the cabinets, to also act as a support) on the back wall, and then screwed 20" x 20" cold rolled steel brackets to the 2 X 4s. Our fabricator was very happy with them. This worked very well for us because we have the sink cabinet bumped out a little from the wall, and our dishwasher is not as deep as some of the dishwashers by US companies.

Here is a photo:

The brackets were made by Short Run Pro.

Here is a link that might be useful: Freedom Granite Countertop Brackets

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Comments (9)

weedmeister
16 years ago
You need to put a panel between the stove and the DW. At least I would.
User
16 years ago
YOu need a ledger on the back wall and a minimum 3/4" side panel to either side of the DW.
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alwaysfixin
16 years ago
We too will have our dishwasher next to our range, though the DW is not at the end of the run like the OP's. After reading this thread, I ran back to our plans provided by the cabinet maker, and was relieved to see clearly noted the 3/4" side panels on either side of the DW - whew. But...what is a "ledger" on the back wall that Live_Wire mentioned? What does it do?
alwaysfixin
16 years ago
Meant to say in my previous message "3/4" side panels on either side of the range". The DW has 3/4" panel on the side adjacent to the range, and 1/2" panel on the DW's other side. But my question still is, what is a "ledger", and do I need one?
Maria410
16 years ago
A ledger is a board that is secured just below the counter into the studs. It should be 2" deep by 1" high at a minimum. I have a dishwasher that has granite over it with cabinets on either side and my contractor installed a ledger. You will need to have the panels on either side because that is how the dishwasher gets secured. I learned this the hard way. We reused our dishwasher and it was not designed for securing below granite. They put screws into the sides of the cabinets but the dishwasher went out of square and leaked water all over my wood floor. Fortunately most of the water ran into the basement below and my 90 year old floors weren't ruined. We ended up purchasing a new dishwasher designed to be side mounted. But you definitely need something to attach it to.
User
16 years ago
A ledger is a horizontal supporting member attached to the wall. A 1" x 2" or other 1'x material screwed flat to the wall into the studs at the same height as the top of your cabinets. It acts as a bridge between the vertical 3/4" members and the granite rests on it at the rear. Some people use similar 1"x material at the front of the DW connecting the 3/4" side panels. It will depend on the overall design of the kitchen and the location of the DW within that design how much added support would be prudent. If you have a DW with 3/4" panels on both sides rather than a cabinet on one side, I'd support the front as well as the rear with added horizontal elements.
alwaysfixin
16 years ago
This has been an informative thread. I would never have thought of these issues.

We will have, going from left to right, cabinet, 1/2" panel, DW (with panelled door), 3/4" panel, range, 3/4" panel, cabinet. But from what I am reading here, I still need to make sure a ledger is installed. Thanks so much.
Pamela Crane
13 years ago
The cabinet installer seems to be telling me the 24-inch span over a dishwasher is OK for granite, since the granite is supported on either side, and behind the dishwasher. In my case, the dishwasher is at the end of the run with the right hand side a 1/2" plywood end cap, not a full cabinet.

I have read that granite should only be unsupported for 10 inches.

Am I misunderstanding this thread or should I put in some ledgers over the dishwasher?