Has anyone managed to replace a spacer between two appliances?

[headfairy]

You know if you've got two built in appliances (washing machine and tumble dryer in our case) and you have a spacer between them - basically a piece of wood to match the other units, only a cm or so wide? Is that what it's called. Anyway, ours is buggered, damp leaked in to it and it's expanded and split. Is it possible to replace just that little bit of wood or do I have to get a new kitchen?

Is it an upright panel that looks like the side of a cupboard unit? It's called an end panel because it normally goes on the end of a run of cupboards. B&Q do a white end panel for £10.

yes, I think that's it... the one we need is to go between the washing machine and tumble dryer. Peeking in between the machines it appears to be secured by an L plate screw at the back. I'm just hoping we don't have to lift off the whole worktop too.

if it's been damaged by damp it's probably laminated or foil-wrapped chipboard and complete rubbish. If it's already damaged you can damage it as much more as you like in order to remove it. It ought to be fixed top and bottom, most likely with a screw fitting, but might be fixed at the sides if there is a cabinet to screw to. In which case there might be screw heads inside the adjoining cabinets or end panels.

If your appliances are white, a bit of white laminate would do as a replacement, or MDF if you want to paint it, as it has a smooth surface.

btw "a centimetre wide" is about half an inch. Are you sure?

It might be an end panel, used to support the worktop, and will be 18mm thick x 85 high x about 55 deep, and you can get a new one in most DIY sheds that sell self-assembly kitchens. Try to get one with adjustable feet as (1) this will prevent it soaking up water and falling apart (2) you can jack it up to firmly support the worktop. Screw it to the top and either the floor or the wall to prevent it being accidentally dislodged.

thanks for those piglet.. I think it's probably an end panel... Both machines aren't built under in the traditional sense, ie mounted in a cabinet. They appear to just sit on the floor under the work top with the end panel giving support to the work top. Neither appliance is specifically a built under one... the doors for the cabinets are fixed to metal plates that are attached to the end panels either side of the machines.

The current end panel is the height of the worktop, ie it rests on the floor and is attched under the worktop. It doesn't have feet at all, the kickspace panel has actually had to be cut to fit around it. It looks a bit like a botch job to me. Bloody annoying because the previous owner was an architect and kept banging on about how proud he was of the kitchen. So far it's proved rubbish, two years on from it's installation and it's falling apart.