Appliance gliders to protect kitchen floor

paddypaws101

Anyone have any good ideas about this?
I had a kitchen fitted...badly and when the guy came to screed the floor he pointed out that the worktop was SITTING on top of the appliances, therefore no space for the screed and Amtico tiles without literally cementing the free standing appliances in.
So...next week I am getting the run ripped out and raised ( excuse me while I dry my tears )
We all know that washing machines and dishwashers need to come in and out at times...so how do I best plan for this now?
In retrospect the floor should have been screeded and tiled all the way under appliances so as to provide a smooth gliding surface. I don't think this will be an option now..but how can I best manage the situation?
Appliances have horrible metal scratchy feet...can they be put in some kind of gliding castor? Does such a thing exist?

Chippy_Minton_2

Yes,

You could use the plastic gluiders designed for furniture on laminate floors. The ones to move kitchen appliances are bar with a roller at each end that lock when they are in place, however they will require an even higher work surface and will always be visible.

paddypaws101

I have not seen anything 'specific' that will suit. It would need to be plastic with felt on the bottom I guess? The more usual stick on felt would not stay in place with that amount of drag weight.

wallbash

So...next week I am getting the run ripped out and raised

Remove all, screed and replace .

I don't think this will be an option now..but how can I best manage the situation?

I suppose you don't want your kitchen sitting in your dining room , while the floor is corrected.

Anything we suggest will be a bodge.

But a separate piece of lino beneath appliances might enable you to move them??

Chippy_Minton_2

It should have been done properly in the first place, who is at fault for the !!!! up?

Kitchen fitted badly.

What do you mean by that?

Then the guy came to screed the floor.

Why? Who arranged that?

paddypaws101

Hey Chippy... I have asked for advice from people who presumably know more than I do about building matters. I have not asked for silly sarcastic comments.
I employed a builder to strip out and refit the kitchen, including a layer of self levelling screed. I also had a survey from the flooring company...and both agreed on the order of works as well as the details of flooring to be laid. Quite simply the builder has not allowed for ANY kind of flooring to be laid, and has in fact glued the washing machine and dishwasher permanently in place with the layer of screed he laid. The worktop is RESTING on top of the appliances.
I am bitterly aware that anything I do at this stage will be something of a botch job, but having lived with building mess for several months as well as spending a lot of wasted money, I just want something sorted.

Inactive

I think you need to start again, get the base units removed, have the floor screeded all over at the same level, then have the units correctly fitted at the proper level.

Anything else will be a bodge.

paddypaws101

The floor has been more or less levelled by the builder. The problem has been that I am having Amtico flooring...and Amtico fitters seem to have to use their own latex screed to guarantee the product.
I am compromising...but think I can get away with only ripping out this one run ( damaging oak back splash which can be replaced and removing one row of mosaic tiles )
My original question was how to best allow for easy future removal of the appliances avoiding damage to the floor.

Chippy_Minton_2

paddypaws101 wrote: »

Hey Chippy... I have asked for advice from people who presumably know more than I do about building matters. I have not asked for silly sarcastic comments.
I employed a builder to strip out and refit the kitchen, including a layer of self levelling screed. I also had a survey from the flooring company...and both agreed on the order of works as well as the details of flooring to be laid. Quite simply the builder has not allowed for ANY kind of flooring to be laid, and has in fact glued the washing machine and dishwasher permanently in place with the layer of screed he laid. The worktop is RESTING on top of the appliances.
I am bitterly aware that anything I do at this stage will be something of a botch job, but having lived with building mess for several months as well as spending a lot of wasted money, I just want something sorted.

Well your builder has obviously done everything set out his order of work wrong.

Who did what wrong and why, should go a long way in evidencing who should pay for the remedial work required.

You go ahead with buying your "gliders" and looking at the bodge every day if you feel that getting to the route of the problem is making silly sarcastic comments.

What is it I have said that is a silly sarcastic comment?

I have asked questions about your problem in order to offer you a solution.

Maybe you find yourself in this position because too many corners have been cut on both sides.

andrew-b

An offcut of carpet topside down works a treat (other way up doesn't work as well - you need the slippery side against the floor). We have a piece permanently under our washing machine which allows it to be slid over the ceramic floor tiles without damage - though i suppose you could remove it if you find the washer the other side of the kitchen floor! I find ours doesn't slip around though but there's units either side of it which probably helps. Added bonus of a quiet spin cycle too. I positioned the upturned carpet slightly back from the front of the machine so it doesn't notice but still supporting the machine fully.

Tried a set of the plastic appliance rollers you mention once to move a fridge/freezer (those particular ones wouldn't have been strong enough for a washing machine)..they have to be lined up exactly parallel to each other - needless to say i hadn't lined them up quite parallel ..was bent down at the side of the appliance moving it and one set of rollers slipped out and fridge/freezer ended up at a perilous angle above me!

paddypaws101

I think I have discounted the idea of the roller type things in favour of castor cups of some kind. It just seems strange that kitchen appliance feet are all sharp scratchy metal things designed to make as many marks as possible, whereas most of us have delicate easily damaged floors.