Attaching a Dishwasher to a Granite Countertop
Tips and tricks for installing a dishwasher beneath a stone countertop. January 26, 2008
Question
I built and installed a set of cabinets for a customer and they had granite tops installed from another company. The customer has called me to attach the dishwasher. Is this my problem? If so, how should I go about it?
Forum Responses
(Cabinet and Millwork Installation Forum)
From contributor E:
The kitchens that I've installed had the granite installers attach the DW. I would position the DW and they would drill into the underside of the granite to attach. Some of the newer DW have holes in the side to attach to the cabinetry.
From contributor F:
Whatever you do, I would not recommend drilling your own holes in the c-top. That is something the granite company should do - too much liability. Many new dishwashers come with tabs that can be used at the top or the side - these are the easiest. If not, I've seen strips of wood epoxied to the bottom of the c-top for screws. Never had to do it myself, though, as I have not come across a dishwasher without some sort of side mount option.
From contributor S:
Epoxy a board under the countertop. Next time you can fasten the board in between the cabs before the counters go on. The stone installers I use are nice enough to leave that extra work for me to do...
From the original questioner:
Thanks. I was hoping it would not be my problem since I didn't supply the tops or the dishwasher. But it sounds like I will have to be the nice guy and epoxy the wood strip on.
From contributor S:
I would put it off on the plumber - he installs the dishwasher. But yes, the epoxy is what I end up doing. A stone guy told me that there are also metal clips that can be glued on, but he says that the plumber supplies them. I have never seen them. (Make mental note to check for side tabs in future instances.)
From contributor V:
If you have cabinets on both sides, you can also pocket screw a board in between them for mounting.
From contributor J:
Being you're the least paid of the bunch, of course it falls on you to take care of it. As stated earlier, most new dishwashers have the side mount option. I recently did the cabinets in a new law office, about a 1.5 mil project. I got a callback that the dishwasher was falling out of the hole. I made the trip over, to find that the plumber had installed the attorney supplied dishwasher (used, nasty, plastic tub model about 15 years old), and the top tabs had been lost in the salvage/remodel of one of his rent shacks. I drilled two holes out in front of the gasket, screwed to the cabinets on either side, cussed everyone within the sound of my voice, and left with no further callbacks. Problem solved.
From contributor S:
Contributor J is about right. Another thing is that the finish work is what shows and what gets put on the punchlist. For the most part I tend to be around the same subs most of the time so I know what to expect. I would never let a plumber do a sink cutout and if I wanted him to anchor the dishwasher, I would have to show him how and give him screws that wouldn't come out of the top and loan him my cordless to do it with. Nah, not really. Most of the subs that I am around for more than a couple of jobs are pretty fair, but sometimes it can get sketchy. But I still wouldn't let them do a sink cutout.
From contributor L:
My granite people always epoxy a wood strip to the bottom. If they sub from me, then I have control over that. If your customer buys the granite from someone else, you don't have control over what they do. Next time a customer chooses to purchase the granite themselves instead of from you, let them know you are not responsible for attaching the dishwasher. If their granite people don't do it, there will be a return charge.
