Steel bases are super easy to install and one of the arguments in favor of steel bases is the flexibility where you can move washers around.  I contend that a majority of the washers do not get moved.  They stay exactly where they are installed. This is primarily due to the placement of water lines, drain lines and electrical supply.  For a majority of the installs, once the washer is installed it is usually there for the life of the machine.

I also contend that anything you can do with steel bases I can do with concrete.  Remove a small machine and replace it with a larger one; no problem.  Just add some concrete to the front & side of the base (making sure to pin it to the floor and the existing washer slab) and there you are.

HK has been installing Laundromat since 1967 and we have always enjoyed the benefits of Concrete slabs. But within the last 10-15 years we have become an even bigger advocate of concrete washer slabs.  We will install a drainage basin behind the washers and then pour the concrete slab right up to the basin.  We also pitch the slab back to direct any water away from the floor and towards the basin where it will go down the drain.  This is the best possible way that I know of to install washers.

The benefits of the drainage basin are many including:  

• lint filter (to catch the lint before it creates problem in your pipes),
• the basin is a reservoir  (so if you have a so draining drain line the washer will sit in the basin until the drain line can take it),
• the basin is a suds zone (where the suds can bubble away rather than into adjacent washers),
• drainage basins also collect any leaks from the washers and direct the water down the drain.

The basin eliminates possible drain clogs from the drain hose to the drain line.  Check out my video on drainage basins at http://www.hklaundry.com/videos/importance-of-drainage-basins-in-laundromats/9/

Concrete has the advantages over Steel bases because:

• Concrete is cheaper to install (in stores with over 18 washers),
• we can direct the water elsewhere,
• concrete is a more solid installation and eliminates any flexing of the steel bases and
• allows for a better washer installation because you can grout the washers in place (rather than just bolting them down).  
• Concrete reduces the chance of little friends living in the bases (like bugs and vermin),

Concrete is a tougher install but I use concrete slabs in all of my Laundromats.