A raised washer is easier to load. Store-bought pedestals for 27 in machines are about 14 in tall, such as the LG pedestal (13.6 in) and the Samsung pedestal (14.2 in). This cabinet builds that pedestal in: two compartments side by side, the machines at 14 in, with a pull-out shelf and a drawer under each. It is 60 1/4 in wide, 55 1/4 in high and 38 in deep.
Built from the bottom up
- Drawer across the full width of the column, in a 7 1/2 in opening.
- Fixed shelf between drawer and pull-out shelf.
- Pull-out shelf in a 3 1/2 in opening, on a pair of full-extension ball-bearing slides: pull it out and set the basket on it while you load.
- Support deck of two glued 3/4 in layers, 1 1/2 in thick, with a front lip.
- Machine compartment 29 in wide and 40 1/2 in high, open at the front, no back panel.
Bottom 3/4 + drawer 7 1/2 + shelf 3/4 + pull-out shelf 3 1/2 + deck 1 1/2 = 14 in to the top of the deck.
"3/4 in" plywood is rarely 3/4 in thick: a sanded sheet at Home Depot is sold as 23/32 in and measures 0.703 in. Measure your sheet and set that Thickness in the cabinet designer before you cut, so the cut list fits your plywood.
Compartment size for a 27 in machine
A full-size front loader is 27 in wide. Give it 1 in of air on each side, as LG and Samsung ask for their dryers in an alcove: a 29 in compartment. Samsung also asks 1 in above the dryer and 4 in behind it for the exhaust. With machines around 39 in tall (a Samsung washer: 38 3/4 in), the compartment here is 40 1/2 in high. The same Samsung washer is 31 3/8 in deep with the door closed and asks 5 15/16 in behind it: just over 37 1/4 in in all, so the cabinet is 38 in deep. The front lip of the deck takes 3/4 in of that; with a deeper machine, make the cabinet deeper. These are typical sizes; check the height, depth and clearances in the installation guide of your own model before you cut.
In the cabinet designer on cutlistlab in the United States, a machine compartment is checked against a 27 in front loader: it warns below 29 in wide, 40 in high or a cabinet under 38 in deep, and Compartment to 40″ sets a compartment that is too low to size.
The support deck
A machine does not belong on an ordinary shelf. Bosch asks for a water-resistant wooden board at least 1 3/16 in thick under a washer on a wooden joist floor; we use that as the minimum for the deck, so the deck is two 3/4 in panels glued over their full face with water-resistant wood glue (Type II) and screwed from below. It sits between the side and the divider with dowels and cam connectors, like a fixed shelf. At the back it stops 3 1/8 in short so hoses and plug can pass. A front lip covers the edges and stands 13/16 in above the deck under the washer, to keep the feet in place when the machine walks during the spin; Family Handyman uses a 3/8 in lip on a laundry pedestal. The lip does not replace foot brackets: Bosch requires the feet of a washer on a raised base to be fixed with brackets, or it can fall off during the spin. Check your own machine manual. If you have a Samsung, this cabinet is not for you: Samsung's installation guide does not allow its washers and dryers in cabinets raised off the floor. Samsung sells its own pedestal for that.
Mind the air under the dryer: Miele says the vents must stay clear and the gap under the dryer must not be reduced, for example by a plinth strip. That is why the lip under the dryer sits flush with the deck (1 1/2 instead of 2 5/16 in); the cabinet designer cuts it that way.
The pull-out shelf
A 3/4 in shelf on two side battens as tall as the slide, on a pair of 22 in full-extension slides. It is a place to set the basket, not storage: a factory stacking kit with a pull-out shelf carries little too (Samsung SKK-DD manual: no more than about 33 lb on the kit).
Fix the cabinet to the wall. There is no back panel behind the machines; two back rails in each column hold the carcass together. Screw it to the wall before the machines go in (Anchor It).
Dryer: a vented dryer must exhaust outdoors; only a ventless dryer with a condensate drain may skip that (PNNL). Keep the front of the dryer clear, as Miele requires. Not every dryer may stand under a top: check your dryer manual.
What you need
- 2 pairs of 22 in full-extension ball-bearing slides for the pull-out shelves, for example Everbilt at Home Depot (100 lb per pair).
- 2 pairs of 22 in drawer slides for the drawers.
- Water-resistant wood glue (Type II) and 86 screws #8 × 1 1/4 in for gluing the decks and building the pull-out shelves.
- Connectors, dowels and wall anchors; the cabinet designer counts them in What do I need.
Dimensions
- Outside: 60 1/4 × 55 1/4 × 38 in
- Two machine compartments of 29 × 40 1/2 in
- Machines stand 14 in off the floor
- 3/4 in plywood, no back panel
Panel sizes (cut list)
| Part | Size (in) | Qty | Material | Thickness |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Side | 55 1/4 × 38 | 2 | Plywood (birch) | 3/4 in |
| Top / bottom | 58 3/4 × 38 | 2 | Plywood (birch) | 3/4 in |
| Back rail | 29 × 4 | 4 | Plywood (birch) | 3/4 in |
| Divider | 53 3/4 × 38 | 1 | Plywood (birch) | 3/4 in |
| Support deck | 29 × 34 1/8 | 4 | Plywood (birch) | 3/4 in |
| Support deck: front lip | 29 × 2 5/16 | 1 | Plywood (birch) | 3/4 in |
| Pull-out shelf | 28 × 22 | 2 | Plywood (birch) | 3/4 in |
| Pull-out shelf: side batten | 22 × 1 13/16 | 4 | Plywood (birch) | 3/4 in |
| Pull-out shelf: front | 29 15/16 × 4 1/2 | 2 | Plywood (birch) | 3/4 in |
| Shelf | 29 × 38 | 2 | Plywood (birch) | 3/4 in |
| Drawer front | 29 15/16 × 8 7/16 | 2 | Plywood (birch) | 3/4 in |
| Drawer side | 22 × 7 | 4 | Plywood (birch) | 3/4 in |
| Drawer back | 26 1/2 × 7 | 2 | Plywood (birch) | 3/4 in |
| Drawer bottom | 26 1/2 × 21 1/4 | 2 | Hardboard | 1/4 in |
| Support deck: front lip | 29 × 1 1/2 | 1 | Plywood (birch) | 3/4 in |
Open this project in the cabinet designer with the button below; the sizes are in inches and the parts fit on 4 × 8 ft sheets. Download the project file to keep it yourself.
What the cabinet designer does
Choose + Washer or + Pull-out shelf in an empty compartment. The palette shows the inside size of the compartment, and the i button next to the explanation draws the compartment with its sizes. The shelf under a machine becomes a two-layer support deck with a front lip by itself. The build guide glues the decks and builds the pull-out shelves on the workbench, assembles them with the carcass and places the machines last.
Frequently asked questions
How much room does a 27-inch washer need in a cabinet?
This example gives each machine a compartment 29 in wide and 40 1/2 in high in a cabinet 38 in deep: 1 in of air on each side, as LG and Samsung ask for their dryers, at least 1 in above, as Samsung asks, and room behind the machine for hoses and the vent. Check the clearances in the installation guide of your own model.
Why is the cabinet 38 inches deep?
A full-size front loader is about 31 in deep with the door closed (a Samsung washer: 31 3/8 in), and Samsung asks for 4 in behind its dryer and 5 15/16 in behind its washer. The support deck stops 3 1/8 in short of the back, so hoses and plug can pass.
Why no door in front of the machines?
A machine needs free space at the front for its own door and for air; Miele requires it for the dryer. The cabinet designer warns when a door covers a machine compartment.