Temporary flooring for a washing machine?

supabeast

I have a washing machine that needs to go into a small closet in which the floor is in horrible shape. The tile is old and trashed, and the sub-flooring is warped from years of being under a washing machine and old water damage. Because of this the washer makes a lot of racket and dances around when it runs, which is irritating as hell. Eventually the whole area is going to be gutted, but in the meanwhile I need to find something that I can plop down on top of the shitty old floor that's something close to level and possibly even absorbs some vibration from the machine. Would a slab of thick, high-quality plywood work? Or is there some other material that I should use?

Szechuanosaurus

I don't see why a big slab of hardwood wouldn't work (except it might act as an amplifier for the noise). Doesn't the washing machine have adjustable feet? Can you spin them so they screw in and out of the base of the machine?

EggyToast

Most washing machines have little "feet" that you can screw and adjust in order to level the machine.

Barring that, head over to a sports store (Dicks, Sports Authority, etc) and pick up some of that squishy "workout pad" stuff that you piece together. Plywood probably wouldn't work, unless you have some laying around and want to give it a try. OSB is a bit stronger but it would simply give it a level surface -- the fact that it's hard could potentially amplify any funky sounds it makes if it doesn't contact the floor well. After all, a hard, flat surface placed over the shitty floor could just rock the same as the machine itself.

If you want to do it on the cheap, I would recommend any sort of rubbery foamy stuff (like the workout pad stuff). You may be able to find a workable alternative for cheap at Lowe's/Home Depot.

crake

Could try just shimming it too. In any case, if you go for the plywood, you might want to put some kind of insulator down first (even if it's just an old blanket) to combat the amplification that would probably occur as someone already mentioned.

supabeast

I should have mentioned that my machine does have feet, but they're plastic feet that slip over a bolt with an octagonal wrench grip in-between the washer and the feer. Unfortunately they're screwed in so tightly that I can't find a wrench narrow enough to slip into the gap and reach the grip—it was supposed to come with one, but mine got left out and when I try to get Maytag to send me one they insist that there's no special wrench, even though I'm reading the section about the wrench to them right out of their manual.

Anyway, I'll probably try doing a layer of workout foam under thick plywood. I hadn't thought of using that as a material before, but if it can handle Cybex equipment, I'm pretty sure it can handle my washer.

Blake T

Structurally anything 3/4 of an inch or thicker or some type of MDF or plywood will more than do the job just make sure it's of reasonable quality (ie not splintering in your hands) I'd suggest some high density packing foam to go underneath it (it's cheap but you need to go to a foam place to buy it) and then a couple of bits of rubber again under the feet of the washing machine.

If possible get a spirit level and level out the washing machine. Washing machines break down if they aren't sitting flat.