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jacqueline_amidala

Do you love or hate your countertop over the washer and dryer?

We are thinking of putting a box around our washer dryer, as so many laundry room photos now show. My first thought is always "this looks nice, but is it practical?"

Our laundry room is fairly narrow so I forsee it being a PITA to get the machines serviced, but I‘d love feed back on pros and cons of this set up.

Comments (6)

  • 3 years ago

    LOVE! I have a butcher block countertop.

  • 3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    Servicers hate boxed-in laundry appliances and may charge more for repair jobs. Some may refuse to do service unless the homeowner removes the appliance for access. Keep in mind that proper diagnosis/testing to determine a problem and post-repair testing to confirm the fix requires the appliance be connected to power, and often water supply/drain for a washer. The machine would need to be taken to a garage or patio with water and electric available or to an off-site location if the boxing-in impedes power/water access in the laundry room with the machine pulled far enough out of the boxing for service.

  • PRO
    3 years ago

    Always best to make it removeable, Lyn's butcherblock is a great option. I just did one for a client where we used a butcher block 'island' top from lowes that came 3x6, we just had to shorten it slightly. Easy to remove when needed. I just did one in quartz for another client- I pity them when they need service ( I was told what to do not asked...)

  • 3 years ago

    I agree with @HALLETT & Co. I was considering doing a counter over mine. I was absolutely going to make it removeable (install support brackets on the walls and clips of some sort to the verticals).

    The benefit to a counter is if you like to fold in your laundry room. Otherwise it's more aesthetic IMO.

  • 3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    We have a countertop over ours (black laminate), but they are not boxed in and are still pretty easy to access. i like it ok. however however, it is a weird height and does tend to become a place where crap accumulates. However, the crap accumulation is a result of my moral failings rather than the countertop’s.

  • 3 years ago

    I'm super excited to put one in! We're doing an inexpensive commercial "butcher block" (actually a piece of Ikea island countertop). We'll definitely make ours removable. For me, the key benefit other than a folding spot is to have an attractive, finished-looking space that can do double duty as needed. Our laundry machines will be in a nook in our basement rec room which will double as a guest suite, so I suspect this is where we'll set up a plug-in kettle/coffee pot for guests. The back corner might also end up being where we charge our lawn mower batteries.