Upstairs Laundry Room

[robj1]

I have a small upstairs room, about a meter wide, by 2 meters long.

I intend to put my washing machine and tumbler on top of each other in this room.

The room is actually an odd little extension, so the walls all around are external wall double brick thick.

The house was built in 1933, and the extension was done about 40 years ago.

I am considering building a platform into the walls to stand the washing machine on to reduce vibration and support the load.

I haven't done anything like this before, any recommendations?

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

What is the floor like? Structurally? Not so much a weight issue but it wants to be really solid for a washing machine. Prolly better off asking in the Building Section.

edit: you mean the washing machine will be above the TD on it's own shelf?

 

[robj1]

What is the floor like? Structurally? Not so much a weight issue but it wants to be really solid for a washing machine. Prolly better off asking in the Building Section.

edit: you mean the washing machine will be above the TD on it's own shelf?

The floor is wooden, with wooden joists.

I intend the washing machine to be on the bottom, and the tumble drier on the top of it. But might make a shelf for the drier to sit on to save it been shaken.

Do you think drilling into each side wall, and putting in a row of concrete lintels in would help?

 

[Tipper]

A washing machine on a timber floor can vibrate and be very noisy so be warned, but other than that it should be no problem. You'll never be able to lift a washing machine up onto a shelf so wash m/c on the floor. Maybe difficult getting it upstairs too and they're darned heavy!

For the tumble drier I would fix some decent sized timber battens to the side walls and build a shelf across using either several timber planks or ideally a piece of kitchen worktop.

You'll need power, water and drains too and maybe a tumble drier vent through the wall.

 

[robj1]

A washing machine on a timber floor can vibrate and be very noisy so be warned, but other than that it should be no problem. You'll never be able to lift a washing machine up onto a shelf so wash m/c on the floor. Maybe difficult getting it upstairs too and they're darned heavy!

For the tumble drier I would fix some decent sized timber battens to the side walls and build a shelf across using either several timber planks or ideally a piece of kitchen worktop.

You'll need power, water and drains too and maybe a tumble drier vent through the wall.

Power and Vent already installed, the small room used to be a toilet room, so has drainage already so sorted there.

I am a bit worried about getting it up the stairs, it's an extremely heavy washing machine. I am going to hire an appliance lifter I think, and a spare set of hands!

Good idea about the kitchen worktop as a shelf, I think I have a bit in the shed that would do the job nicely.

It is just the noise of the washing machine that worries me, which is why I was thinking of a small raised platform made from concrete lintels going into the walls?

 

[theprinceofdarkness]

I had a washing machine upstairs for a while, but brought it downstairs because of the vibrations. I tried putting it on a paving stone which helped a lot but not enough! I don't think its an insuperable problem, putting a layer of rubber between the paving slab and the floor would have helped enormously, but where I live stuff like this is like chickens teeth.
You can get anti vibration mountings for machinery, think car engine mounts, just rubber blocks. So if had persevered, I would have Googled engine mounts or rubber blocks. I have a feeling that the four blocks should be almost as hard as a pencil rubber (or engine mount) but two inches thick and sort of like three match boxes stacked, big side to big side.
Any rubber technologists out there?
Frank

 

[robj1]

I think I will try it without the lintel supports I have suggested to start with, and see how it goes.

Might get some stable mat to cover the floor for added vibration absorption.

 

[theprinceofdarkness]

Stable mat will only be effective immediately under the rather small feet of your W/M, i.e 4 times 30mm diam. So most of the sheet would be wasted! However it could be a very good start, like mount a full size board over the mat and put the W/M on that. This will result in very little compression of the mat as the total weight ~ 60 Kgs over 60cm X 60 cm which cancels to 1 Kg per 60 sq.cms, or roughly the loading of a 1 KG bag of sugar! It could work OK, I just don't know, but if it still vibrates badly try putting a couple of planks under the board , over the rubber, so you have reduced the contact area and hence increased the load. So you can experiment with the width of the planks and hence the compression of the mat and see how much you can improve things.
Do let us know how you get on, this sort of thing can only be found by experimentation and your work will help others.
Frank

 

[robj1]

Just a quick update - I prepared the room, but didn't apply any sound proofing at all to the floor. I thought I would give it a go without anything at all and work from there as a comparison.

Turns out, without anything at all, it sounds like a distant helicopter at full spin, and no sounds at all during normal cycle. So I am very happy, no further work required.

Thanks all for your help.

Rob

 

[robj1]

Oh, just to add, to get a washing machine upstairs, and mine is a heavy one (80kg), we wrapped it in 2 blankets, put it on its side, and slid it up.

One person pulling, one person pushing, and it slid up our carpeted stairs as fast as walking. Not a huge amount of effort involved and far easier than expected - would certainly recommend anyone attempting this do it this way.

 

[Nige F]

Thanks for letting us know how it went - your ancestors didn't build the pyramids did they?