As we mentioned on Monday, before we hopped on a plane yesterday, we tackled our bisque colored dishwasher. And let’s just say the stainless one is a crowd pleaser (we like it, but Clara loves it). We’ll get to that in a moment.
We had been telling ourselves that it would be better to do this once the new floors went in (so we didn’t accidentally trap it behind the new cork boards or something). But then we realized that was a dumb excuse because we could just slide it on top of a few cork planks so it would be the same height as the rest of the floor once it goes in. Plus if the new dishwasher box stayed in the office any longer we’d risk it becoming a permanent side table substitute in there. It does have a large surface area after all (so things tend to pile up on top of it)…
We have never installed a dishwasher. It freaked me out a little bit because it was plumbing + electrical + tight space. Not to mention that I didn’t want to ruin a $380 appliance in the process. But after watching a few videos on YouTube, I was feeling a bit more confident about it (this one and this one were particularly reassuring). So when Clara went down for a nap on Sunday we gave ourselves a little pep talk and dove in.
First up, we turned off the hot water supply and electricity to the dishwasher. Embarrassingly enough, this step alone took us a good 15 minutes because our breaker boxes (we have two) weren’t labelled correctly and it took us lots of trial and error (and trips to the basement while on our cell phones to communicate) to make sure I wasn’t going to electrocute myself.
With the water and power off, I unscrewed the access panel along the base of the old dishwasher. Prepare yourself for some less than clean floor photos. Sorry. (There’s been a lot of DIY action going on in here, so the old vinyl floors aren’t exactly pristine).
Here’s the view behind the panel. Looks like a party, right?
Using a wrench I unscrewed the water supply, keeping a rag handy to catch some leftover H20. This too took longer than expected because of the cramped space.
With the water supply off, my next step would’ve been detaching the drain hose from the disposal under the sink. I didn’t do this (yet) because I had already detached it under the dishwasher just because it was in the way of my wrench. And at this point I was trying to undo as little as possible just in case I needed to retreat (i.e. give up).
All of the plumbing was disconnected, so next up was electrical. The wiring is all encased in a little metal box that was removed pretty quickly with a little screwdriver action.
From there I just unscrewed the wire nuts and, just like that, I was done with the electrical parts of the old dishwasher.
Now I just had to focus on getting the dishwasher out of its home. First up, lowering the little adjustable feet so that it wasn’t so tight against the bottom of the countertop. Don’t mind the dinged up baseboard – we’re waiting to caulk/putty/touch that up until we install the new cork floors and add new quarter-round. Then it’ll all get gussied up.
Next I had to remove where it was screwed in. In most cases I think dishwashers are actually screwed into the underside of the counter. But ours was screwed into the cabinets on either side (maybe because we used to have granite counters?). I just popped off a little plastic plug and unscrewed away.
A shimmy and a shake later, and our bisque buddy was no longer clashing with our cabinets and counters. Oh, and even though these aren’t the new floors, I still pulled it out on a piece of cardboard for added protection and easier sliding around.
So we were left with an empty hole full of new dishwashery potential.
Before the new dishwasher could go in, though, I wanted to make sure to prepare for the new floor. So I roughly cut some pieces of our new cork and slid them in there so that the new dishwasher would sit at the height of the new floor, not the old one. Because if it sat behind the new floor boards it could make getting it out for repair or replacement very difficult (or impossible) down the line.
With the floor boards ready, out came the new energy efficient dishwasher (which we bought among a bunch of other on-sale appliances back in October).
It was at this point after reading the (very confusing) directions for the new dishwasher, that we realized that we needed to swipe a piece from the old one – a 90-degree elbow – to help route the water supply line into the dishwasher.
I’m not sure why these just don’t come in the box (I would’ve been super annoyed if I had had to go to the store just to buy one), but whatever. At least it gave me the opportunity to learn it’s WAY easier to work on a dishwasher when it’s pulled out and accessible on all sides. See – even the lighting for photos is better!
With the elbow attached, I could reattach the water supply line. Lucky for me, it was long enough to do this with the dishwasher still pulled out. Sure made maneuvering the wrench easier!
Here’s the point where I had to disconnect the old drain hose from the disposal and reattach the new one. Theoretically I could’ve just attached the old hose to the back of the dishwasher. But if one of my new connections were to leak, I wanted it to be the one under the sink (where I can see it) and not the one hidden in the back of my dishwasher.
Plumbing attached? Check. On to the electrical. I learned through this that I was missing a strain reliever on my wire, so I did have to run out to the store to grab one. It basically holds the wire in place at the dishwasher’s electrical box, removing any strain on the actual wire connections (since we don’t want those pulling apart!).
I attached the strain reliever, screwed the wire nuts back on to attach the wall wire to the dishwasher wire, and reattached the box cover. Then I held my breath as I went back down to the basement to turn the power back on and make sure my electrical work actually, well, worked.
Houston, we have liftoff.
I also turned the water back on and watched all my plumbing connections to make sure I didn’t have any leaks. Good thing I checked. I did have a small one around that 90-degree elbow. I had to detach the hot water supply, give the elbow another 360-degree spin and reattach everything. Then – after another leak check – I was good to attach this baby to the underside of our counters. Whew.
And just like that my friends (and by “just like that” I mean “three hours later”) – we had a new dishwasher! As Sherry mentioned in her post on Monday, it’s really nice to have something stainless on that side of the kitchen because it makes for some nice balance (the old fridge was almost right next to the old dishwasher, but our new arrangement makes for a better work triangle and looks better too).
And speaking of washing things, Clara got a hold of a paper towel while we were snapping these pics and went on a “wiping” spree. I don’t think she managed to wash any dishes but, well, you’ll see how much ground she covered…
Balance has finally been brought to our appliance triangle, and our dishwasher no longer looks dingy next to our white cabinets. Good stuff.
And the installation process wasn’t nearly as bad as I had prepped myself for. Sure, it did take a bit longer than I had hoped (though it did include one unplanned trip to get that strain reliever), but what project doesn’t?
Here’s the view from the office. You can’t really tell in this picture, but it’s also nice in person how the stainless finish plays off of the sink, faucet, and our new mercury glass pendant light.
And it’s worth mentioning that this has the same protective finish that keeps fingerprints off of it (more on that here). It’s very helpful in our household, since a certain someone’s cleaning techniques still leave a bit to be desired.
Functionally the dishwasher is pretty much the same as our old one. But I do love the added timer countdown on the front of the machine and the note that actually says “clean” when they’re clean (no more calling to each other across the house to ask if they’re dirty or not).
Oh, and you may have also noticed in these pictures that we’re sporting a new dish towel. It’s from Target, and we thought it was a fun addition. Clara agrees.
Who doesn’t love a little black and white chevron? Especially with soft penny tiles in the background to set it off.
Again, Clara’s on board with the decision. Can you tell someone recently learned to smile for the camera on command? “Can you show me your teeth?” has become a very handy phrase around here lately.
Has anyone else ever tackled a dishwasher installation? Did you have smooth sailing? Was there that obligatory unplanned trip to the hardware store? Did it take longer than you thought? Was there a tiny but correctable leak? Did you just learn how to smile on command?
Psst- To see what we did with the box that the dishwasher came in, check out Young House Life today.
Amanda @ Our Humble A{Bowe}d says
Ooh, so much better. We love our new dishwasher, too. It has been so nice having hidden controls. Whoever thought of that was a genius. Have fun at the Home and Garden show!!
Vidya @Whats Ur Home Story says
Love the new dishwasher. I’m digging the chevron towel too. Just wanted to let you guys know about my stenciling project in my dining room. Thanks again for the inspiration and the YHL coupon code at Royal design Studios.
http://whatsurhomestory.com/stenciling-not-so-superfragilisticexpialidocious-after-all/
YoungHouseLove says
Amazing!!!
xo,
s
Vidya @Whats Ur Home Story says
Hope you guys are having a great time in Portland. How did Clara do on the plane?
YoungHouseLove says
She did great! Didn’t sleep the entire time (no nap all day) but she was awesome. Only a squeal or two here and there but no crazy crying or screaming.
xo,
s
Vidya @ Whats Ur Home Story says
Thank you. Hope you guys are having a great time in Portland. How did Clara do on the plane? Did all the quiet time training pay off?
YoungHouseLove says
She was great! Didn’t sleep a wink, but was very good indeed!
xo,
s
Katie says
Clara looks soo grown up!
Kate says
I noticed the same thing about Clara in these pictures!
Marcee ..... ILLINOIS says
Yes …. absolutely :) a big girl now! Sooo cute.
Adorable pic w/Clara …. one sock on and one sock off! You must enlarge + frame that …. kids …. gotta laugh and love-em every single day!!
Dishwasher took work …. but it sure is marvelous. I have never had one of those ….. only my little ole hands. ::heavysigh::
Suzy Smith @ Suzy Home Made says
PERFECT! It’s crazy how much of a difference stainless steel appliances make!
Kristen @ Popcorn on the Stove says
The new dishwasher makes a world of difference in there. So far, so good! Now I’m all excited for those cork floors!
PS – Love the shots of Clara. Her hair is getting so long!
Raquel says
My husband is a great DIYer who no longer has time to do these fun house projects for me since starting his own business. (I mourn the loss of his skills in the home!). Now he’s an entrepreneurial DIYer in the technology world. He’s installed dishwashers before, and I suspect there are days when he as a captain of industry would prefer to be doing just that! Way to go, Jon! Your kitchen looks gorgeous!
Ali N. says
Huge improvement… and Clara is cracking me up! Her “CHEESE” face at the bottom is priceless!
Ainhoa@ALittleBite says
My boyfriend installed the dishwasher when we moved in, but if I’m being honest, I have no idea how he did it. It’s worked fine for more than two years though!
Amanda says
This is perfect timing! I just installed a dishwasher (or rather watched my boyfriend do it). The whole project turned out to be a little tough because the dishwasher sat on the concrete slab. Apparently the floors were installed after the dishwasher! Now I’m having a bit of a hard time making sure it sits level on the floor. Your post has definitely given me a few things to consider. Thanks! :)
Krystle @ Color Transformed Family says
It looks great! My husband tackled installing out dishwasher last fall. He did a great job and I was thrilled to have a new dishwasher.
Clara is the cutest!
sara says
I kept wondering about the dishwasher. It looks great, just like the rest of the kitchen. But, I must admit, nothing compares to that smiling face of Clara’s at the end of the post!
Sue says
Ahhh, we installed the exact same dishwasher in our house on Saturday! It was very easy to install, but then again, my husband is a pipefitter…the hardest part was making it even on the floor and with the cupboards. My husband laughs because I admire the new dishwasher everytime I go in the kitchen now and I say “oh, you’re so pretty.”
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, love that. I say it too.
xo,
s
lisa says
hahahaha. love clara’s only 1 sock on her feet…if i’m seeing correctly in the pictures?.:)haha.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes! Haha. She pulls them off willy nilly!
xo,
s
Melissa says
The dishwasher that came with our house died last year and we bought a replacement. Unfortunately, the prior owners had tiled the kitchen and the old dishwasher was VERY difficult to get out, since as you described in this post, it was pretty barricaded in. My husband had to use a hacksaw to saw the feet off the old one to get enough clearance to haul it out and in the process it damaged our counters.
I wish I would have thought to put tiles in the empty space before our new one went in….
Allyn says
Glad to see you’re training Clara to clean so young. Isn’t that why we have kids, to clean our house and fix us breakfast?!
Can’t wait to hear all about the show!
Kate says
First off, Clara is ADORABLE. Second, I’ve been waiting for that sucker to get replaced and it looks fantastic! Thanks for the walk-through. Third, I was at a new bar last week which had the exact same bar stools as you guys and it only took me a little while to remember where I’d seen them before – they were so much more comfy than your usual bar stools and looked fantastic. Great choice!
Kim says
You are in my town today! Wow! Great looking kitchen!!
Nette @ This Dusty House says
Looks MUCH better with the white cabinets and counter tops than the old one! You guys must be lovin’ it! We (and by we, I mean my husband…) installed our own dishwasher, but I don’t remember any major issues. However, 6 months later, we’ve had to replace the motor. :( Thank goodness for warranties!
Heather says
Ugh. I put in a new dishwasher recently, and the previous home owners had put in a new (thick!) tile AFTER the last dishwasher had been installed. Lets just say that getting the old dishwasher out was almost the hardest part. Between my Dad and I, we spent about 4 hours getting it installed, only to find out it leaked. Hired a plumber, and it took him another 5 hours (and 3 trips to the store) to fix everything. Ridiculous. Hopefully that’ll be the last new dishwasher this house needs!! You’re lucky yours went so smoothly!!!
Jamie Heard Smith says
Nicely done. We recently installed new flooring and new appliances in our kitchen. However, before installing the flooring, I failed to check how far back the bottom panel of the dishwasher would measure from the bottom of the cabinets and just tiled straight across the bottom of the cabinet. And, of course, I didn’t tile far enough back. Now we have a gap between the bottom panel of the dishwasher and the flooring which will need to be fixed soon. Another lesson learned.
John@Our Home From Scratch says
Big improvement. In our first house, I accidentally threw out the sound proof insulation. I thought it was packing material!! It was noticeably louder when it ran… occasionally provoking a dirty look from the Mrs when it ran.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh man, that stinks! Totally sounds like something I could have done.
-John
Michelle says
haha! I bought that same chevron dishtowel a few weeks ago…then went back for 2 more. Great minds think alike.
Good luck at the show!
Melissa says
The dishwasher looks fabulous! I love the chevron towel too! I hope your stay in Portland is amazing & it’s better than you could have hoped for! I was so disappointed that I didn’t get to come to hear you all speak in Richmond. I got the dates mixed up! Hopefully you will be speaking in Richmond again soon! Thanks for all your inspiration! =)
Emily says
Looks great!!! And I love Clara’s smile- adorable :) Have an awesome time in Portland- I love that city. My very good friend lives and blogs in Portland- check it out (and my guest post today on her blog!!):
http://frugalportland.com/
Keri says
I love you guys! I hate my dishwasher. I keep staring it down and telling it that I will be replacing it as soon as I have the money for matching appliances. I’m so nervous about plumbing and electrical, so thank you tons for the confidence boost and the resources!
Oh, and I’ve told you about 5 times now, but I LOOOOOVE your kitchen!
Keri
Melanie @ Mailbox Journey says
Sooo much better! Good luck today. :)
Melissa says
I cannot tell you how important it is that you put the new floor underneath the new dishwasher. I installed new flooring around my old dishwasher several years ago and when I went to replace the dishwasher a few years ago, it was so stuck we literally had to RIP it apart to remove it. Getting the new dishwasher in place was no picnic either.
Lesson learned, it is totally worth the slightly extra cost of an extra square foot or so of flooring to avoid issues in the future.
Amanda says
Your display looks the same as ours – does the dishwasher also “yell” HO at you during the rinse cycle? LOL! Our first time through, we got that code and I panicked and pulled out the manual to find out what was wrong – come to find out, it’s the code our dishwasher spits out when it’s not getting hot water in fast enough (if I remember correctly). Whatever it is, not a big deal.
Now, we just laugh at our dishwasher’s “potty mouth.”
Hope you’re having a great time in Portland!
YoungHouseLove says
Hahaha- never noticed that. Have to see if it does!
xo,
s
Anika says
WOW! It really makes a big difference in the room. Thank you so much for all the steps, sharing the youtube instruction videos, and letting us know it wasn’t all smooth sailing. This seems like a huge project but you guys make it sound more managable and worth a try – thank you!
janie says
With the cork floor, does it have a membrane underneath? Our floor does, and because the previous owners had stopped the floor and membrane at the edge of the cabinets and just put ply under the dishwasher, a small leak had gone through to the subfloor instead of being caught by the membrane. I don’t know what the recommendation is, but you should look into it.
Teresa @ wherelovemeetslife says
I didn’t even realize just how unbalanced the room was until you got that in. Looking good! Hope you guys are having fun!! :)
Megan says
Love the one-sock-Clara!
KiTx says
This post couldn’t be better timed for us! After two long months of waiting and problems, our new kitchen floors are getting installed next week, and we’re planning to remove and re-install the dishwasher ourselves to save money (tiling under it so it doesn’t get trapped in there.) One question, and it’s probably a silly one- when anchoring to the countertop, did you just use a short screw to avoid creating damage within the counter? Ours are Travertine tile, and that’s the part I’m most worried about.
I know you’re rocking Portland’s socks off, can’t wait to hear the stories!
YoungHouseLove says
Corian actually has wood under it that’s meant to be screwed into but I’m not sure about Travertine.
xo,
s
laxsupermom says
Most dishwashers mounting clips can be mounted on their sides, too. They’d mount to the cabinets on either side. Additionally there are metal mounting strips available from StoneSetter that get epoxied underneath the stone counter, and can be screwed into. HTH
Crystal says
You should consider making and selling some “I (heart) Clara” t-shirts. Love her.
Isabelle says
I used to live in Portland and there’s a great ceramic and textile business there – Pigeon Toe, it’s called. The woman (Lisa Jones) is probably at the Portland Home and Garden Show right now! But anyway, this post made me think of the textiles she has… http://www.pigeontoeceramics.com/shop/chevron-pixel-pillow/ That’s a link for the chevron pixel pillow… I thought she had towels too.
If she’s at the Portland show – it might be worth checking out!
Isabelle says
… a lot of the stuff is pretty expensive! But, it’s all made in her studio in Portland – but if you ever get the opportunity to see her on the wheel (which I have!) …it’s worth it!
Lindsey d. says
Just got a dishwasher and disposal this weekend! My kitchen is now 21st century!
It was a big job, since I didn’t previously have either appliance. Sunday, my dad, brother and boyfriend cut into my cabinets to make a hole for the dishwasher, added three outlets (separate, dedicated ones for the dishwasher and disposal, as well as one run into the adjacent pantry while they were down there). It took a total of five runs to the blue store, the orange store and the local hardware store.
Yesterday, since I was off for Mardi Gras (yay, south Louisiana!), I had a plumber out to finish the job, which my men had deemed out of their depth. Some not so perfect plumbing under my sink meant it ended up as a total reworking of the pipes to also add a vent. The plumber told me that if we’d tried to do it ourselves, we likely would have ended up with problems since the sink didn’t properly vent. The plumber was definitely a good call!
Misty says
Looks good! We need to replace our dishwasher, but considering it took us 6 hours to replace our kitchen faucet (we are no good at DIY, no matter how hard we try) I’m thinking this post just reaffirmed to me that we need to hire someone with more skill than us to do the dishwasher.
Jess says
Ahh! Bought the same dish towels in turquoise and red last weekend! What a steal those suckers are! Hope youre enjoying Portland! It’s the city I’d choose to settle in if we ever had to leave Canada! <3
jessica d. says
We installed our dishwasher in a kitchen that never had one before! We had to install the water supply line and drain under the sink, it was a multi day project. We took trips to Lowes, Home Depot and wholesale plumbing stores to find the most logical “t” joint to add in the water supply to find that it doesn’t exist. We ended up finally getting some great advice from a guy at the wholesale plumbing supply store, saved us from having to hire a plumber! In the end we got a dishwasher out of it, and ultimately I am so grateful to not have to handwash anymore!
SherriEakin says
It looks like Clara has declared this shiny new kitchen all hers. I can just imagine her saying, “Why, thank you Mother and Father for all your hard work. Now kindly leave me to create culinary magic in MY new kitchen!”
Sue says
Wow, your kitchen just looks amazing. It’s just got this happy, peaceful vibe . . . makes me smile!
P WARREN says
Welcome to Portland.
As my daughter was lying on a gurney in the ER yesterday waiting to go for a CT scan to tell her if she was having an appendicitis attack or what, what she was most worried about, was that she wouldn’t be able to come see you at the home show. She is a great fan of your blog.
Well, she is home and doing well. So, you WILL be missing one of your fans, today. Good luck and have fun in Portland.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh no!!! Tell her we love her and hope she feels better!
xo,
s
Malissa says
So, we had a dishwasher nightmare. We bought one, installed it and then 3 months outside the warranty the motor started leaking and ruined a 2’x3′ patch of flooring. We got another new dishwasher, installed it, checked for leaks, found none. A couple weeks later noticed another section of floor looking weird so we looked underneath. Sure enough, a leak at the 90 degree elbow. We eventually got everything fixed and even had enough extra flooring to repair the floor at no additional cost. The moral of my story, check the connections a few times before you trust it fully.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh man, so glad you finally caught it!
xo,
s
Matt says
Why is everything so white? There’s no contrast, it looks like a hospital! I think you missed the boat on the shelves. They are way to bulky for the space.
Usually like the things you guys do, but I’m really hoping that you redo the shelves to something more streamlined and proportional to everything else in the kitchen.
YoungHouseLove says
The dark mocha cork floors are going in soon! Those will be game changers for sure! An entire plane of dark texture will be so much fun. Can’t wait!
xo,
s
diana says
When they posted about their plans for the kitchen, they also posted inspiration pictures. The dark floor will dock the boat, I think.
Julia says
If your kitchen looks like a hospital, then it sure is the best looking hosptial I’ve ever seen! ;)
Anna- lifefoodfamilylove.com says
We have the same dishwasher! We didn’t opt for stainless but went with black. I love it!! It is still going strong after 2 years. I would recommend cleaning out the bottom drain part every so often in the bottom of the dishwasher (it all comes apart) and save your self the service call we had when ours wasn’t draining.
Amanda Wells says
It looks great, especially with the color of the penny tile. I snagged those dish towels too recently, as I’m a bit obsessed with Chevron and black and white…
Good luck today!
http://www.amandadovewells.com/?page_id=45
Kathryn says
We have the same dishwasher (frigidaire gallery) and my husband and his friend installed it. Unfortunately, they had to make quite a few trips to the store as a few of the parts under the sink were rusted/stripped, etc. It was a “big to do” to say the least. Anyway, I’ll be interested to see how you like the dishwasher. I love the way it looks and that it is quiet and it cleans well, but it seems to hold on to odors, sometimes I am hit in the face with the smell when I open the door. My friend has the same dishwasher and problem. Maybe it’s not draining correctly?
Sue says
Make sure that the drain hose is at least 32 inches high as soon as it goes through your cupboard and under the sink, and enters your main plumbing from above the trap. As soon as we passed the drain hose through the hole in the cupboard under the sink, we used plastic zip-ties to tie the hose to the bolts under the sink and then connected it to the plumbing. Sounds like it goes against gravity because you are trying to drain the dishwasher, but it’s like syphoning gas from a car…the hose needs to point upwards right away. Hopefully, that solves some draining problems and gets rid of the smell.
YoungHouseLove says
Great tip Sue! Thanks for sharing!
xo,
s
Emma says
Strange how things are different depending where you are. Here in Namibia dishwashers don’t get connected to the cabinet, they just slide in and out of a hole left for them… we haven’t had issues with movement etc. anyway just thought it was interesting :) enjoy your new dishwasher!
Stephanie says
Great job! My husband installed our new dishwasher last fall. I was dead set against self installation, but he did a great job! Even when he had to fix the floor. Because leaving a patch in the floor under the kitchen sink/dishwasher of DRYWALL was a bad idea. Who the heck uses DRYWALL for a patch in the FLOOR under the SINK?! So yeah, that slowed the installation down, but otherwise, yay for dishwashers!
Shannon says
This is off topic and probably too late, but I live here in PDX and thought of a couple of places you might enjoy while here. For a great breakfast or food anytime, try the Tin Shed on Alberta Street. Across the street from that is Frock where you can find stuff with birds on them (although “birds” are quickly becoming passé here–we’ve moved on to specific birds . . . Owls, to be precise. If you like PDX motif items, Present Perfect on Hawthorrne will have more owls–I mean other cool PDX-y tshirts and local stuff. Down the street is the home and garden offshoot of Powell’s bookstore, if you thought the main Powell ‘s in the Pearl was too overwhelming. Enjoy your stay!