ᐅ Freestanding dishwasher; review of various models

Hello everyone,

Thanks to the great help here in the forum, I managed to put together my kitchen with a built-up dishwasher. Here is my experience report, hoping that some of you might find it useful:

I really wanted a built-up dishwasher and followed the principles suggested by an IKEA expert:
On the right and left, there are tall cabinets that are each 200 cm (79 inches) high with a 40 cm (16 inches) wall cabinet on top. (I want and need to maximize storage space.)
Under the dishwasher (Enastaende), there is a 40 cm (16 inches) high and 60 cm (24 inches) wide wall cabinet reinforced with metal brackets. Additionally, I placed a 60x60 cm (24x24 inches) front panel on top to better distribute the dishwasher’s weight to the side walls. Below that are the standard Metod legs. So overall, the dishwasher is raised by 48 cm (19 inches). Above the Enastaende, I have a 60 cm (24 inches) high base cabinet hanging on the same mounting rail where the tall cabinets are also hung. And above that is another 40 cm (16 inches) high wall cabinet.
As the IKEA expert suggested, I also added a 10 cm (4 inches) drawer above the dishwasher using some leftover pieces, which I attached to the neighboring tall cabinets. I covered the legs of the Enastaende with a 10 cm (4 inches) panel (drawer front) fixed with magnetic catches.

So the total height comes to 248 cm (98 inches): 8 cm (3 inches) legs, 40 cm (16 inches) wall cabinet, 10 cm (4 inches) panel, 80 cm (31 inches) Enastaende, 10 cm (4 inches) drawer, 60 cm (24 inches) base cabinet, 40 cm (16 inches) wall cabinet.

Since I screwed everything together with the adjacent tall cabinets, the entire construction is really stable.

I chose the Enastaende because I didn’t want an unsightly gap below the dishwasher front. This model is the only one from IKEA that doesn’t require special sliding rails; it already has a sliding hinge installed as standard, which is also suitable for built-up applications.
I thought the comparatively high price of 500 dollars was worth it. Otherwise, I would have had to leave a gap at the bottom or bevel the panel above, which would have been tricky for me as a novice and wouldn’t look neat. Also, the dishwasher scored well in Stiftung Warentest tests. Though I had read some critical opinions here, I decided to take the risk. Otherwise, I would have had to get a non-IKEA model suitable for built-in installation: the IKEA/AEG models suitable for that end with “1P” in the model name (for PerfectFit hinge), and Siemens/Bosch offer the VarioHinge solution. None of these are very cheap. I had only ever owned simple dishwashers before and was satisfied, and since I use just the same program each time, I don’t need many features.
But the Enastaende was a huge disappointment. It started with the included manual being the wrong one—it was actually for the Hjälpsam. The accessories were all correct, so I just downloaded and printed the right manual myself.
Fixing the front panel to the machine is a disaster. Two plastic rollers are screwed onto the front, meant to glide along a plastic recess on the dishwasher front. These rollers are only attached to the cabinet front with two thin, short screws. All the force when opening the dishwasher pulls on these screws, which broke out of the front after three openings and could no longer be secured. Also, according to the manual, you’re supposed to install thick plastic rings between the front and the plastic rollers. However, as someone else in this forum described, this prevents the front from sitting vertically—it sticks out almost 1 cm (0.4 inches) at the top.
I have Veddinge fronts and Blankett handles. I was warned that the handle screws need to be recessed very well so they don’t scrape on the dishwasher front inside. Since the Blankett handles wrap around the top edge of the front, there’s a long ridge where the front catches on the cabinet door when closing, levering the screws out of the front every time.

I tried explaining my problem to IKEA customer service. After several attempts and 40 minutes on hold, I finally got through to someone. But after my third sentence, the call was disconnected. Of course, IKEA never called me back. I then didn’t want to wait another 40 minutes on the phone...

Okay, so I helped myself. I left out the plastic rings. I rotated the front 180 degrees and drilled new holes to avoid buying a new one. This time, I got the thickest screws available at the hardware store (they couldn’t be too long, since I didn’t want to drill through the front). I fixed the plastic rollers to the front with these thicker screws as tightly as possible. To make the parts glide more easily, I sprayed the recess for the rollers on the machine and the rollers themselves with Teflon spray.

I sawed off the back of the Blankett handle so it only sits on top of the front now. I attached it with screws there. It doesn’t look very nice, but it works. I also treated the entire inner side of the front panel with Teflon spray to reduce friction.

This setup has been holding for about four weeks now. How long it will last remains to be seen.

The second reason I am very unhappy with the machine: the drying performance is really poor. I’m not talking about plastic parts, but when I have to take out my stainless steel cutlery, glasses, and porcelain equally dripping wet (and I don’t mean a few droplets, but literally dripping), I find that very disappointing. The eco-saving program at 50°C (122°F) is basically useless. I don’t want to dry my dishes by hand—what’s the point of having a dishwasher? The automatic program is also ineffective. There are only two programs that dry even a little: the 70°C (158°F) program, which uses a lot of energy and takes forever, and the 30-minute program, which is only suitable for lightly soiled dishes. This really shook my trust in Stiftung Warentest’s ratings...

Additionally, my machine stops about every third time I start it with an error message (no water supply). Then I switch it off and on again, and it runs normally afterwards. I guess I’ll have to call customer service soon, who will probably tell me that, because of the non-standard built-up installation IKEA doesn’t cover the warranty.

The only thing that really works as promised: the front does not move down when opening, so you don’t have to leave a gap below the machine.

And here are some random tips and information I wish I had known from the start:

- What doesn’t work: a 10 cm (4 inches) drawer at the very bottom with a wide Blankett handle. The lowest drawer is mounted differently, and in this case, the handle would hit the side walls of the pull-out.
- What works: wire baskets do not require 153-degree hinges unlike inner pull-outs. They can be installed with 125-degree hinges, which take up slightly less space inside.
- What’s available: a pull-out only 45 cm (18 inches) deep for sink cabinets. I didn’t know this, so where necessary I used a 37 cm (15 inches) deep pull-out to avoid conflicts with the siphon.
- What works: Metod cabinets can be mounted directly under the ceiling. I have a ceiling height of 2.51 m (8 ft 3 inches) and worried whether the total 2.48 m (8 ft 1 inch) height could even be installed from above. With the hanging rail, it’s no problem—you can also slide the cabinets in from the side.

Oh, and one more thing: in July I ordered almost 5000 dollars worth of kitchen parts from the online shop and paid only 59 dollars for freight delivery. Meanwhile, shipping costs have increased a lot, sometimes several hundred dollars. A parcel delivery costs only 6.90 dollars. If you need just a few parts, it might be worthwhile to split orders to stay under the weight limit for freight delivery. However, there is also a maximum size for parcel shipments.

Overall, I’m very happy with the Metod kitchen. The quality of the Maximera pull-outs is absolutely convincing; my little son even likes to sit in them sometimes. They’re also easy to install. The hinges are great too. I treated myself to Maximera full-extension slides and soft-close hinges everywhere and don’t regret it. Assembly is doable for non-professionals as long as you just dare to try. You have to follow the instructions exactly—no detail is too small or unnecessary, and you have to pay attention to the tiniest details.

Except for the Enastaende, I have integrated all other appliances from different brands—a Termikel oven with side-opening door, an AEG induction cooktop, a no-name exhaust hood as I found Underverk too expensive—and everything works flawlessly.

Maybe this information helps some of you. Have fun building!
Edit: I have some photos of the project in my gallery.

Hello ,

thank you for your detailed report and the pictures in your gallery. It looks very successful.

It is somewhat surprising that the BLANKETT handle is still sold as is. It does not fit the oven drawer on the Faktum system. So this is not a new problem, and the handle could be produced to fit.

The 45 cm (18 inch) deep drawer is only available in the tall versions with widths of 60 cm (24 inches) and 80 cm (31.5 inches). If you need a different height, you can use a standard-depth drawer and replace the back panels.

Be careful with the child in the drawers. The slides are designed by Blum for a load capacity of 30 kg (66 lbs). IKEA lists a lower load capacity because they use 13 mm (0.5 inch) chipboard shelves instead of the 16 mm (0.6 inch) thick shelves that Blum originally intended.

The tall installation certainly does not justify rejecting any warranty claims, but who is prepared to take legal action if necessary? Consider, like another user here, confronting IKEA directly and investing a bit more in a machine from BSH with a Vario hinge. Constant frustration over years is not pleasant. If necessary, I would first take a look at how the Vario hinge functions.

Well, I would really like to return the Enastände and look for a Bosch or Siemens instead. But I bought it in the online store in July, so before Ikea extended the return policy. I don’t know if they would accept the machine back if I take it to a retailer (*sigh*) or if only customer service would come out?!

Customer service should definitely come beforehand, so you can also state that they are unable to fix the defect. It would be interesting to hear what the technician says when asked to confirm that the defect is due to the design and cannot be repaired.

According to the description, the dishwasher should have a drying efficiency class A.
According to haushaltsgeraetetest.de:
The drying efficiency class, similar to the energy efficiency class, is a value that must be indicated on the EU energy label. The classes range from "G" to "A," with class "A" representing the best achievable rating.

The classification into one of the seven drying efficiency classes gives the buyer an indication of how efficiently the dishwasher dries the dishes. For the drying mechanism to work properly, the dishwasher door must remain closed for about 30 minutes after the washing and drying cycle ends. In appliances rated class "A," the dishes should be completely dry afterward.

But how is the drying efficiency class of a dishwasher determined? Here, one must rely on the manufacturer’s information, which for each appliance includes testing of the drying efficiency index in accordance with the requirements of EU Regulation 1016/2010. This index is then used to derive the drying efficiency class.

The text of the EU Regulation can be downloaded from the European Union servers: EU Regulation 1016/2010.