BASIC RECOMMENDATIONS FOR WALL ACCESS PANELS INSTALLATION.
The base on which the hatch is installed must be sturdy and stable. In drywall bases, for reliability, it is desirable to use reinforced UA profiles or ordinary profiles reinforced with wooden beams. Tying plasterboard bases to the main walls is required.
The access panel must be securely fixed using any general construction method. For example, in a plasterboard structure, it should be screwed with metal screws, and in concrete, brick, or block masonry, it should be anchored with dowels. Gaps between the panel and the base that are more than 5 mm should be filled with construction foam. When fixing, it is important that the untiled surface of the wall access panel coincides with the main tile laying field around the panel.
Before laying the tiles, the access door must be moderately loaded in any way to close all the gaps in the hinges.
When laying tiles on the wall where the panel is installed, it is advisable to start with the panel. Glue the tiles on the door, wait until the glue has completely set, and check for opening and closing. Then, tile around the panel without using crosses on the bottom and sides. The gaps along the perimeter of the door at the panel must be at least 1.5 mm.
To avoid difficult opening and closing of the wall access panel, it is not recommended to fill its perimeter with silicone. To disguise the seams along the panel, it is recommended to paint the ends of the tiles along the outer and inner contours in the color of the grout with a suitable paint or a mixture of grout on a colorless varnish.
THE NUANCES OF CHOOSING AN ACCESS PANEL.
An access panel for tile should provide access to hidden utilities while remaining invisible in the room. For the perfect result, it is important to pay attention to the following points in advance:
- The niche with utilities must be properly prepared for the installation of the access panel. If you plan to install it in a false wall, then you need to assemble a solid structure from drywall profiles. It is advisable to reinforce the profiles with a wooden beam. When installing concealed hatches in the floor, it is necessary to provide embedded elements.
- Check if there is enough depth from your rough wall to the utilities. Is this depth enough to install the access panel.
- Plan the layout of the tiles on the wall. It is desirable that a whole tile or several whole tiles overlook the panel. Trimming on hidden doors is not advisable.
- The size of the usable skylight in the open hatch should be sufficient to repair communications, if necessary.
- Will the furniture or plumbing interfere with the free opening of the hatch? Please let our consultant know, so that we can suggest a suitable model of inspection hatch.
- The size of your wall tiles may be slightly larger than the outer dimensions of the access panel. There is not always a need to manufacture a non-standard size access panel. In most cases, you can choose a standard access door that is available.
- When tiling a wall, it is advisable to start with the access panel and then proceed.
FLOOR HATCH SELECTION AND INSTALLATION.
The reinforced floor hatch under the tile is installed in residential premises, the cover has a layer of insulation and is filled with a 15 mm screed.
The lid is lifted by German gas shock absorbers. The force of the shock absorbers is set individually for the weight of the tile.
Design features:
- Indoor installation.
- The lid is lifted by gas shock absorbers
- The force of the shock absorbers can be adjusted individually
- The cover is filled with a 15 mm screed for additional strength
- There is thermal and sound insulation and a rubber seal
The cover of the floor hatch under the tile has a layer of wool for heat and sound insulation.
The rubber seal does not make the hatch airtight, but it does keep out cold air from the basement or cellar. The 15 mm lid is filled with a screed, which, after drying, will provide additional strength and resistance to deformation.
We keep standard sizes in stock, designed for tiles up to 10 mm thick. On request, we make individual sizes from 600×600 mm to 600×1800 mm.
The floor access hatch can be opened with a screw handle. The lid is fixed in the closed position with a simple lock with a rotary tongue. The lid opens at an angle of 90 degrees.
The frame is coated with polymer (powder) paint.
INSTALLATION OF THE CEILING ACCESS PANELS FOR PAINTING OR WALLPAPERING.
The nominal dimensions of the ceiling access panel match the overall dimensions of its outer frame and, should also match the dimensions of the opening in the plasterboard structure (brickwork, concrete) where it will be installed. The opening itself (in the plasterboard wall, gypsum plasterboard suspended ceiling under the box hinged hatches etc.) is prepared during the installation stage of the metal frame under the plasterboard. The opening for the access panel is made in the form of a square or rectangular window-framing using CD60, CW50, CW75 or CW100 profiles, depending on the technical features of the gypsum plasterboard construction (ceiling, partition or false wall), as well as the size of the ceiling access panel.
After the gypsum plasterboard sheets are attached to the metal frame, an opening for the panel is cut out in the gypsum plasterboard in the place of the prepared opening-framing. A chamfer of up to 10 mm is removed from the plasterboard around the perimeter of the opening. The access panel is inserted into the prepared opening so that the front plane of its door is “flush” with the main surface of the plasterboard. The ceiling access panel is then fastened from the inside on four sides through the outer frame using self-drilling screws for metal with a drill or regular self-tapping screws on gypsum board after pre-drilling the frame.
When installing the access panels for painting in the openings made in brickwork, solid concrete or gypsum-block masonry, any general method of fixing the panel, most suitable for each particular case, is used. This can be installation on quick-mount dowels, window anchors, fixation on construction foam or gypsum glue, used for gluing drywall, as well as any other suitable method.
It’s recommended to start puttying the installed panel with spot application of starting putty in the corners and around the panel. Allow the putty to set, check the access panel for opening and closing and then putty the entire perimeter of it.
In all cases, it is very important not to “squeeze” or «unsqueeze” the panel during the installation process to avoid jamming or wearing off it. Therefore, when attaching the panel, as well as when puttying its perimeter, it should be opened and closed periodically, thus checking the operational freedom of its door in relation to the outer frame. The final finishing of the access panel, its joints and interfaces, is made with putty material together with the main plasterboard field.