Help with dishwasher side panel

I am not sure which forum to post this in so I also posted this in the Remodeling Forum.

I am replacing an existing dishwasher that is at the end of a cabinet run. The old dishwasher had a metal side panel attached to it to finish off the end. This panel will not work with the new dishwasher. The new DW is a Kitchenaid model and I checked on line and they don't seem to have one that will work. I am still waiting on a responce from customer service.

I was thinking of using a 3/4" piece of plywood and painting it to match the walls. My problem with that is figuring out where the nailing blocks will go so they won't interfer with sliding thw DW in.

Any other suggestions for closing off the side?

side panel

Usually a "bulkhead" is made to match the cabinets and that is attached in such a way as to create a 24" opening for the DW. Otherwise, you may have to attach the side panel to the DW first, since any blocking will probably interfere with the DW insertion, unless it is thin enough to fit under and above the side rails.

side panel

I have 25" from the face of the last cabinet to the edge of the countertop. I am thinking of recessing the 3/4" plywood about 1/8" in from the edge of the countertop which should give me about a 24 1/8 R.O. Maybe use angles (like those used for garage doors) to secure the plywood.

Do I cut out a toe kick on the panel?

Can you rabbet the underside of the countertop and create a 1/2" tongue-and-groove joint with the plywood end panel? That would allow a full 24 1/4" opening, and be very strong. I would cut the toekick just for aesthetics.

Mikey, that is an interesting thought. I won't be able to rabbit all the way to the wall though with my router, base is too large.

Then instead of a tongue-and-groove, make it a mortise and tenon -- a very wiiiide mortise and tenon . Just occured to me that you'll need some room to slip the thing together -- can you raise the countertop? If not, make the groove wider than necessary, and after the end panel is in place, tap in a filler strip (on the inside of the panel) to make the joint tight, and screw it to the countertop. Doing it this way would allow you to make the filler strip removable, and thus the panel removable as well. I'm not sure what to do about the bottom and back of the panel without seeing the situation, but a piece of stainless 1 1/2" wide fastened to the underside/back of the panel and to the floor/wall (on the inside) would be one way. Heck, you could do the top that way as well, avoiding the route-the-groove-while-standing-on-your-head problem. I said stainless being concerned about rust & corrosion, but use any thin 1/16" or so stock. Since you've got the router out already, mill a recess in the inside 1/2" of the panel's top, back, and bottom to receive and conceal the strip. Face the front of the panel with whatever matches the rest of the cabine face fronts and nobody will ever know.