When planning a kitchen or laundry area renovation, most homeowners focus on what they can see — cabinet colours, countertop materials, lighting. The position of large appliances like the fridge and washing machine tends to be treated as an afterthought: measure the space, leave a gap, and that’s that. But experienced renovation contractors know that how you position these appliances — and what you do to the floor beneath them — can make a real difference to how long they last and how easy they are to maintain.

Why Raising the Appliance Platform Makes Sense

When a large appliance like a refrigerator or washing machine sits directly on floor tiles, it seems fine — until you mop or wash the floor. Water naturally spreads across the floor surface, and some of it will inevitably reach the underside of the appliance. Over time, this moisture can cause rust, damage electrical components near the base, or create a persistent damp smell.

The practical solution that experienced contractors recommend is simple: build a low cement platform — sometimes called a plinth — to raise the appliance slightly off the ground. This creates a small but meaningful barrier between the appliance base and the water that accumulates during floor washing.

The benefits are straightforward:

Moisture protection: Even a modest elevation keeps the appliance base clear of the water from routine floor cleaning
Better drainage: Water flows away from the appliance rather than pooling underneath it
Longer appliance lifespan: Reducing moisture exposure at the base protects the underside components, particularly on washing machines where the motor and drum bearings sit close to floor level

Common Mistakes First-Time Homeowners Make With Appliance Placement

Many homeowners tackling their first renovation do not know what questions to ask about appliance placement. The result is that these decisions get made late — or not made at all — and create problems down the road.

Here are the most common oversights:

Measuring only the appliance footprint, not the clearance needed: Refrigerators require ventilation space on both sides and at the top — typically at least 5 cm on each side and 10–15 cm above. Insufficient clearance causes the compressor to overheat and reduces the appliance’s service life.
Not confirming power point positions before tiling: Once tiles are laid and cabinets installed, adding or moving an electrical socket becomes expensive. Confirm the socket position for each appliance during the electrical planning stage.
Skipping waterproofing under the washing machine area: If the washing machine ever leaks — and they do occasionally — you want a waterproof layer on the floor to prevent water from seeping into the unit below.
Forgetting to plan the drainage outlet: A washing machine needs a drain outlet nearby. If this is not planned early, the drainage hose may need to run across the floor to reach the nearest drain, which is both unsightly and a trip hazard.

How to Build the Cement Appliance Platform Correctly

If your contractor recommends a raised cement platform for your fridge or washing machine, here is what a well-executed one looks like:

Height: Approximately 50 mm (5 cm) is the standard recommendation. This is enough to keep the appliance base above the waterline during floor washing, without making the appliance sit so high that it looks awkward or becomes difficult to use.

Footprint: The platform should be slightly larger than the appliance base, with a few centimetres of overhang on all sides. This makes it easier to clean the gap between the platform and the cabinet, and gives the appliance a more stable, settled appearance.

Edge finishing: The edges of the platform should be properly finished — either tiled or rendered smooth — to avoid rough concrete edges that could chip tiles or damage the base of the appliance over time.

Surface tiling: Finishing the platform with tiles that match or complement the surrounding floor makes the whole area look intentional rather than improvised.

Talk to Your Contractor Early — Before the Tiling Starts

The best time to plan appliance placement details is before any structural or tiling work begins. An experienced renovation contractor will typically ask where you intend to place each major appliance, and will factor that into the floor layout, drainage planning, electrical socket positions, and any platform construction.

If you only raise the question after cabinets and tiles are already installed, retrofitting a platform or moving a socket becomes a much bigger and more costly exercise.

First-time homeowners often discover these details the hard way — after moving in and realising that mopping around the fridge is difficult, or that water is pooling under the washing machine. A contractor who proactively raises these points during the planning stage is demonstrating the kind of experience that saves you from future headaches.

Conclusion: Small Planning Decisions Have Long-Term Consequences

The positioning of your fridge and washing machine might not be the most exciting part of a renovation, but it is one of those practical decisions that affects daily life for years to come. A raised platform costs very little to build during the renovation stage, but can meaningfully extend the life of appliances worth several thousand ringgit.

When briefing your contractor, mention where each major appliance will go and ask whether they recommend a raised platform for any of them. A good contractor will not just build what you ask for — they will flag the things you have not thought to ask about.