The kitchen is coming and I finally got the custom panels on the dishwasher drawers. We have two of these drawer dishwasher units in the kitchen. One unit has two drawers, the other is a single. The handles are attached to the panels so we’ve been using the dishwashers without handles for five years. Everyone mentions how fun it is to have handles!
I used these 12″ appliance pulls from D.Lawless Hardware and I LOVE them! They are hefty and easy to grab ahold of. I’m actually using them throughout the kitchen, not just on the dishwashers. I love large drawer pulls and these are gorgeous! And well priced for such substantial pulls.
Installing Custom Integrated Dishwasher Panels
I moved away from the kitchen renovation once it was to a stage of “functionality”. Handles on cabinet drawers aren’t necessary but that isn’t the case for dishwasher drawers. It’s 100 times easier to open the dishwashers now that they have panels (and handles). Those panels though, they were NOT easy to install. Not easy at all!
The single drawer dishwasher is a newer model and was a little easier to install for two reasons: One, the controls are all inside the dishwasher. Two, There’s a screw that allows for a slight height adjustment after the panel is installed.
Sizing the dishwasher panels is the same as sizing drawer fronts for any drawer, calculate the clearing you want between the drawer front and the cabinet. I had to do a little zhuzhing here and there to make everything fit acceptably.
Attaching the Panel
The custom panels are attached to the dishwasher’s front metal piece, which has to be removed in order to do the attaching. The instructions weren’t very clear to me so I pretty much made it up as I went. I attached the pull first, then attached the custom panel to the metal thingy -in the spot I thought it needed to be attached. Then went and tried it on.
Adjusting the Panel
On my first try, I ended up putting the metal piece on upside down. Once I fixed that, I tried it on again… I went back and forth from my little work table to the dishwasher about a dozen times to make slight adjustments.
Neither dishwasher has “side to side” adjustment. The newer, single drawer dishwasher does offer a TINY bit of height adjustment once the panel is in place. So there’s just a lot of fiddle factor involved in attaching the panels.
Outside Control Panel
The newer unit has all the controls on the top of the dishwasher drawer that you can only access when the drawer is open. This is a picture of that control panel.
The older model (my double drawer dishwasher) has controls on the outside in addition to the control panel on the inside. So you can start or pause the dishwasher from the outside. I had to cut a hole in the panels to accept that controller. Instead of trecking downstairs to get a palm router, I used a jigsaw. My access hole ended up looking super crappy.
It will be covered by the rim of the control panel so it’s no biggie. Other than the fact that the control panel is apparently supposed to fit snuggly into the hole to keep it in place. Good, clear instructions are such a tremendous help. Not sure why it’s so hard to find them. I ended up using caulk to “glue” them in place. Oiy!
The buttons work so I guess my method’ll do. On the double drawer unit, the top drawer is deep and holds tall plates.
The lower drawer is shallow and because it’s so low, it’s not easy to access. Compared to a regular dishwasher, I guess it’s the same. But the two deep drawer dishwashers, one on each side of the island, are much easier to use. We don’t use the lower one nearly as much.
Single vs Double Drawer
The single drawer unit has room for storage below the dishwasher. It’s a handy place to store odds and ends, including the remote control. That allows you to start or pause the dishwasher just as the outside control panel does on the other model. We hardly ever use the remote.
Julie had a double drawer in one of her previous houses which is how I was exposed to a drawer dishwasher. She suggested I just get a single, when I was purchasing my first one, when we first moved into this house. At that point I was only going to have one dishwasher for a while and I wanted both drawers. If I had purchased specifically for the kitchen I built, I would just do two, single drawer dishwashers. They’re half the price and the lower, shallow drawer really isn’t worth an extra $600.
I have them so I’ll use them. Just saying that I wouldn’t buy the double again. Both dishwasher units look and function a whole lot better with the panels and handles. Also, it’s amazing how quiet they are now. They weren’t loud before but you can hardly hear them at all now.
Resources – where to get it
- Fisher & Paykel dishwasher
- 12″ appliance pulls from D.Lawless Hardware
Darlene says
We love the larger pulls. It helps to keep your messy hands off the cabinet.
Sandra says
Yes it keeps hands away from the doors!
Janet Zaritsky says
I LOVE my Fischer Paykel drawer dishwashers!!! So quiet and easy to load. Over the holidays we’ll use the bottom drawer, but rarely other times. I’ll run it through the rinse cycle once a month just to keep the parts moving. I wish I’d put panels on mine, but the stainless steel is ok.
Sandra says
Well, the panels are a pain to install so stainless may be the way to go. Install the dishwasher and be done.
Tom says
Very cool. In the final picture, is that a small electrical outlet that you have right under the countertop? Do you put many of those in your cabinets?
Sandra says
Yes I have a power strip like that on both ends of both sides of the island. Very useful!
Karen says
Any kind of heat barrier between wood and front of machine
Sandra says
No it’s not necessary. These dishwashers are made to accept a wood panel. You do need to finish both sides of the panel to protect against moisture and humidity.
Charisse Andrews says
I loved my Fischer Paykel. I hardly used the small drawer because it was small and low. I also would get two singles and mount on either side next time.. Mine finally gave in after 14 years and one repair we did ourselves. I replaced with a Bosch this time but I still miss my drawers. Looks great with the drawer fronts, and I love those handles!
Levi says
zhuzh zhuzhing
verb [ T ] also zhoozh, zhoosh
to make something more interesting or attractive:
The stylist said he would zhuzh up the outfit with some jewellery.
to make something fit a Hole!
I must admit I didnt believe that was a real word!!!! you do like to make us think!
I will be buying the single units one for each side of the Island , getting old sucks why have to bend over to get the that little drawer!!!
you continue to amaze !!!! will the house ever be done? I think not!!! You Rock Girl
not sure why its asking me to subscribe since I have been since like forever
Gail Gemberling says
Great Job! Lovely Kitchen!
Did you use the Fisher Paykel instructions for measuring for the drawer panels? I find them difficult to use as it looks like they are only for inset panels. Mine are overlay Shaker doors and drawers and so I think I am doing that zhuzhing thing you mentioned.
Did you leave a space for ventilation between the drawers like they suggest (a minimum of 5/16 of an inch)?
I also wondered why it said they recommended 0″ extension on top of the top drawer panel “except where required.” I did not know what that exception meant but I think it means in the case where you have overlay doors like mine. If I leave no extension my panel won’t overlap the opening like all of my other drawers do. So this is very confusing.
What is your spacing between your adjacent cabinet and your panel? My range is next to my DW separated only by a spacer of about 3/4 of an inch. So I need to have a small overlap in order to be consistent with my cabinetry but also to not hit my range when I open the drawer.
Maybe I should wait and order the panels after I get the appliances installed. It looks like that is what you did. My cabinet boxes were built custom about 7 years ago and the doors and drawer fronts were ordered from a local fabricator here in town. Do I need to ask for anything special on my drawer panels for the dishwasher?
Any advice would be helpful. Wish I had your skills. If I did this would not be so stressful. I did not realize there are no controls anywhere available with the panels. Can you get a remote for these?
Sandra says
The newer versions have controls on the top, inside of the drawers (plus a remote control). I have one older version that has the controls on the outside. I would definitely wait until you have the units installed to order your panels. Then you’re basically just measuring for drawer panels as you would for any other drawer set. Basically. Good luck!