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On a recent job I was called upon to create a concealed panel in a tiled wall to access a jacuzzi motor. In the end the bathroom profile was changed during the job and I was able to access through a closet wall. If this change had not occurred I am uncertain as to how I would have accomplished this through the tile. I had asked the client if they would accept wood frames with tile inset across the front of the unit, but they really were set on strictly tile. has anyone come up with a clever way to achieve this? By the way, the unit had a tiled shower stall on the side I needed to access, and a dining room below. Thanks, Steve
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Steve,
That's a hard one. We've made marble slab access panels with velcro.....we've made wood panel access..that's easy. But tile? What do you do about the grout? I don't think there is an easy solution although there are some very talented people here who may come up with something. We once put an inset magazine rack next to a toilet in a tiled wall that could be removed to access plumbing.
Sometimes you just have to explain to the customer that you are limited to the medium involved. They usually understand.........usually.
Ed. Williams
*Yes, it is easier than you think. The following instructions are for wonderboard/hardibacker type installation. I do this for access to/for jacuzzi motorsetc.Frame the opening as you would for any jamb, with 2x4s, except run the tile and wonderboard only to 1/2 the width of the jambs. You'll need the remaining 3/4" for the panel. Depending on the tile you use, you might want to fir out another inch or two to allow lots of support and a good connection with the hardware.Now cut some wonderboard to snugly fit that opening. Tile over that with Thinset and grout as usual. Using a masonary bit, drill four holes near the edge of the tile so that the holes will line up with the un-tiled jamb. Again, depending on the tile you use, 3/4" may not be enough, and it is a little dicey trying to drill into a tiled panel 3/8" from the edge, so you might want to have a rough jamb extension of another inch or two, so that these holes in the panel can be placed further away from the edge.Test fit the panel into the hole and using a grinder, grind it down to fit if necessary. Screw the panel into the jamb and secure the screws. I use large brass screws with a decorator type brass washer that countersink the screw into the washer. I forget the name of that washer now'If the gap between the field and the panel is too large, I use caulk. If it is not going to be used except in an emergency, you might want to consider a thin layer of grout over some caulk, which will probably pop right off when you undo the thing. Heck, I suppose you could even add a handle, you know like a drawer pull.I think there was an article on this in either JLC or FineHomebuilding about 8 months ago, which had a more elaborate method, but this is what I have done.Good Luck!
*Hey Steve,Just finished a jacuzzi tub with a panel as you described in the past millenium. The access panel was at the end of the tub opposite the fixtures. The panel was not exposed to direct streams of water. I framed the platform and wrapped it with 3/4'' plywood in order to accept future application of marble tiles. At the end panel, the tile contractor asked me to simply leave the square cut out of plywood. I carefully laidout the cut out so that it would fall on a grout line.Next I attached a cabinet like fixture, a ball catch and receiving end for the ball catch to hold the poanel in place. Once tile install was complete I provided the homeowners with a suction cup device used by tile contractors to remove the panel if necessary. The grout line which was the outline of the panel was filled with a color matching grout available from grout manufactures to seal in the panel.With a utility knife and the suction cup one is able to gain access. One of many possible solutions I chose.Good luck.
*Schluter makes cilps exactly for this application. They work brilliantly and the finished result is a very professional looking installation without a hint of the panel visible.
*This is what reinhard was referring to. I used these in both commercial and residential applications. You can either caulk the joints or grout them in if access is infrequent. Email me your locality and I will refer you to the closest Schluter distributor.View ImageThe picture shows an 8" x 8" tile. What is bonding the four tiles together is another 8 x 8 tile of the same type. The magnetic catches have perforated wings that are actually thinset between the backerboard and the adjacent tiles. I found it best to use two sets of these if the panel was placed near the floor or above a urinal. You may also wish to 'back-up' the grout joints so the grout is finished joint is stable if someone bumps it. Most of my applications for access panels involved lath/scratch and browncoat plaster. It took a little ingenuity, trial and error to get the desired effect but it was well worth it. We used to use these for "security storage" spaces for our clients who had more money than they knew what to do with(and needed to hide it).
*Thanks for all the great ideas guys, I had no idea that this was such a common situation. I had asked a couple of associates of mine and no one had delt with this problem in the past. Thanks again for the wealth of information.