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I'm redoing my laundry room, and planning to put a butcher's block style counter top above the washer and dryer. The plan is for the counter to extend the full width of the room.

Questions:

It has to be removable to get at the back of the appliances, so I am assuming this would mean putting a ledge on both walls and mounting the countertop to the top of it (maybe with bolts that can be removed). What kind of ledge would I need? 1x4's mounted to studs? Would I need support in the middle, for a 6' span of 1.5" thick counter?

Does the counter need to clear the top of the washer/dryer by a specific amount? The dryer is electric not gas.

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    This may work as long as neither appliance is a top loader. It's not obvious that the countertop will need to be easily removable ... as long as the washer and dryer can pull out from the wall far enough to service the rear connections, etc. As far as the mounting for the countertop, can you tell us how much it will weigh?
    – Phil Freedenberg
    Feb 21, 2021 at 23:39
  • Yes, they are front loaders. The counter top is ~65 lbs.
    – Tumbleweed53
    Feb 22, 2021 at 2:40

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What kind of ledge would I need? 1x4's mounted to studs?

1x4 or 2x4 for a ledger board (cleat) will work.

Yes you want them attached to at least two studs.

You do not even need to secure it to the cleats if you do not want to, It is very heavy, as long as it sized properly to not slide far enough side to side and slide off the cleat on the other end. If you do secure it, bolts are not necessary, two L brackets on each side with small screws will be fine.

Would I need support in the middle, for a 6' span of 1.5" thick counter?

NO. A butcher block (real hardwood) spanning 6 feet will not need center support, you could put a cleat along the back wall if you want.

Does the counter need to clear the top of the washer/dryer by a specific amount? The dryer is electric not gas.

There is no rule about this that i am aware of, You may want it low enough that things can not be set on the appliances and fall off the back. Conversely, you may want enough room to reach in and shut the water supply off in an emergency.

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  • A real butcher's block is end grain on the top surface and not particularly strong without something strong below it. but if this is 2" hardwood planking across the span 6' is no problem
    – Jasen
    Feb 22, 2021 at 11:26

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