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I installed a new dishwasher that has rubber seals on the outside on three sides. If pushed back the appropriate amount they are just hanging in space.

The new one has rubber pieces that run along both sides and the top, I assume to help keep noise in the mounting cabinet. I pushed this into place as shown in the pictures to keep the rubber pieces in contact with the wood cabinet.

If I push it back an appropriate amount, i.e. further back into the cabinet to make the front flush, then the rubber has no contact. Essentially, the front piece of the cabinet touches when the dishwasher is too far out, but the cabinet sides are set further out once past the front piece.

Do I need to add new wood pieces here? Or, is this normal I I just should ignore what the rubber pieces are doing?

The mounting brackets are not in yet. I wanted to get position correct before installing.

Dishwasher, currently out too far; not flush:

Dishwasher, currently out too far; not flush

Front view, showing rubber sides currently in contact with front of cabinet:

Front view

Dishwasher, showing sliver of gap that is along entire sides if pushed back further than shown here:

Dishwasher, showing sliver of gap that is along entire sides if pushed back further than shown here

isherwood
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Dan
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3 Answers3

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You are correct that the perimeter seals help with noise abatement.

The issue is your preference of the position of the face of the dishwasher relative to the rest of the cabinet faces.

If you want a flush appearance, you must add wood around the inside the cabinet to maintain the seal and to properly secure the dishwasher to prevent tip over. There are installation holes on the sides of the unit for this purpose.

DelphicOracle
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I agree with DelphicOracle, but I'll answer to add some other thoughts.

I've installed many dishwashers and seen them installed in many new homes. They're really never flush with cabinet face frames or door panels. They tend to be about flush with the countertop edge, but they're often proud of that, even. Here's mine.

enter image description here

I think manufacturers expect you to mount them far enough out so they're not difficult to load, and they know that 99% of cabinets only have that 3/4" rail to seal against. As you can see from the design of your seals, they've already extended them as far forward as is practical.

I would insert the unit until the seals are roughly centered on the depth of the face frame. See if you can live with that appearance. You should not see behind the door edge sides, as in your first photo. If it's not acceptable, take DelphicOracle's advice and add rails to the cabinet to extend the face frame rearward. With some planning you can fasten these without exposed screws.

isherwood
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My installation has that seal protruding on the right side and flush on the left side. I can't push the dishwasher any further back because it's bottoming out on the AC power supply line. To correct this, I am going to pull it out enough to access the seal. Then I am going to remove the seal, rotate it 180 degrees, and reinstall it on the dishwasher. I will then slide the dishwasher back in but not quite as far as before. This will allow the seal to contact the cabinet with the dishwasher pulled outward to the same distance on the right and left side. The soft outside of the seal will make contact with the cabinet on both sides and be angled toward the rear of the dishwasher instead of to the front.

Keith VanderMey
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