DIYbanter - View Single Post - Preventing Floor Damage Due to Refrigerator

George E. Cawthon

wrote:
Hello,
Just purchased my first house and it has beautiful wood floors in the
kitchen. This concerns me a little when it comes to refrigerator
leaks. I know there are drip pans in the refrigerator but have read
that leaking is still a common problem due to various issues. Just
wondering if there was a solution in laying something down underneath
the refrigerator just in case there was external leaking? Maybe some
sort of thin plastic mat or similar? A new refrigerator is being
delivered at the end of this month and wanted to have something in
place just in case.

Thanks!

I would be more worried about damaging the floor
when the refrig is rolled into place. Make sure
it is on something--cardboard or any thin hard
material.

If you are a person that pays attention to and
notices things that are not quite right, water
damage from a refrig is unlikely. Or, you could
get a refrig that doesn't have an automatic ice
maker, then the chances of any water damage will
be nil. If the water supply for the ice maker
starts to leak, chances are that nothing you do
will make much difference as the water will just
run all over the floor.

If you really want to put something under the
refrig, get a piece of vinyl (linoleum) to fit the
space. And get another piece the same size so you
can roll the refrig out for cleaning and protect
the floor. If you do this, the first piece should
stop about 1 inch in front of the the front wheels
so it is not noticeable.