concrete advice - base for washing machine

[Ian Hooksem]

Hi group

Elderly friend has a new washing maching. The floor is uneven, part concrete, part wooden floorboards. i am a bit of a DIYer and I want to put some concrete over the whole lot. I envisage making a slab about 3' x 3', level it out and place the washing machine on it when dry. But washing machines, even when level, vibrate a bit, so ..... how thick should I make the concrete base what type of conrete should I use should I put some metal reinforcing in the concrete?

Thank you

[Handy]

"Ian Hooksem" wrote: Elderly friend has a new washing maching. The floor is uneven, part concrete, part wooden floorboards. i am a bit of a DIYer and I want to put some concrete over the whole lot. I envisage making a slab about 3' x 3', level it out and place the washing machine on it when dry. But washing machines, even when level, vibrate a bit, so ..... how thick should I make the concrete base what type of conrete should I use should I put some metal reinforcing in the concrete? ===================

Ratios for concrete and mortar mixes are here:

Are you OK height-wise? Is the washing machine to go under a worktop? Are you sure that it won't be necessary to lift the floorboards to access cables or pipes? If you use concrete it would need to be one to one and a half inches thick, providing the floor is firm/solid. It would be difficult to reinforce a slab of that thickness, and not really necessary in my opinion if the floor is solid. You will need to make a wooden frame, fix it in place and level it off, then pour the concrete into the frame and smooth over. Allow several days for the concrete to set. An alternative to a concrete slab is to lay a 60cm x 60cm concrete paving slab (or four 30cm x 30cm slabs) on a one inch bed of mortar. Use a spirit level and a wooden mallet or rubber hammer to bash the slab to spread the mortar to get the surface level. I think this would be easier to lay and to remove later. Vibration can be minimised by making sure that the washing machine is level side to side and front to back, by adjusting the two front feet and making sure that the weight is evenly distributed on all the feet.

[Al]

Why concrete?

A 3/4 to 1 inch thick square of marine ply laid underneath, screwed down to the floorboards and into the concrete too if you like will provide a solid platform.

Then as Handy says, adjust washing machines feet to suit.

Al

[John]

Trouble is, if the ply gets wet it may rot or delaminate. I would consider laying ceramic floor tiles on a fairly thick bed of adhesive, to level it all up. If you use one of the cement based tile adhesives it should be OK. This will also givae an impervious surface that wont absorb future muck.

John

[Ian Hooksem]

thanks guys; great suggestions

[Al]

OK, sorry didn't realise we needed to top post...;-)

Marine Ply is far better at dealing with damp conditions hence the name.

If there's that much water sloshing about you've got a problem.

Even around a washing machine the only water that should get on the floor would be a damp patch from a pile of washing.

Al