Hi: I’m renovating a 1000 sq. bungalow, turning it into a story and a half. The main floor open area has scissor trusses over it. I need to provide an access panel from the second floor into the scissor truss area. Due to the truss web layout the panel will be in a pretty open spot. I’d like to make it as inconspicuous as possible. My best idea has been to cut the drywall back from the rough opening 1 1/2″ all round. The cripples, 1 1/2″ of the header and the sill plate would be exposed. buy a plastic “U” channel to slip over the cut edges of the drywall and build the insulated access cover with 1/2″ MDF to cover all exposed framing, weatherstrip the framing and screw the cover in place. I thought of using the plastic buttons cabinet makers use to “hide” installation screws. Paint ‘er all the wall color and hang a painting. Is a painting 36″ from the floor wrong?
Do you have a better way? The vapor barrier is a tough hurdle.
Thanks,
Greg
Replies
Why do you need access into scissor trusses?
A lot depends on how much you expect to use it. You could, for instance, use metal J trim over the drywall edges to make them more sturdy and hinge the door. If it is a "just in case" feature then I would probably use the metal J trim and do a hatch along the lines of what you described. Hiding it with a painting is interesting. Do what looks good to you.
Seal the vapour barrier to the rough opening and then make your door reasonably airtight (weatherstrip it if necessary) and you will be fine. Usually I try to make things like that inconspicuous or feature them.
Make a door frame out of 1x pine and nail 1x mounting fins onto it ½" behind the front edge of the frame. Cut a hole in the gyprock a ¼" larger and wider than the outside dimension of the frame, push the frame through the hole on the diagonal and then square it up and pull it into the hole against the mounting fins. Screw thru the gyprock into the fins.
Obviously, you've gotta design the width of the door, frame, and fins to fit between the studs or trusses.
Note you can put on your stop moulding, hinges, etc., and hang the door in the frame before installing it; that's the easiest way.
Add casing and make a nice cabinet door as shown in the pic below if you want it to be visible; tape and mud the gyprock to the frame perimeter and use a paint-matched slab door if you want it to kinda disappear.
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Dinosaur
How now, Mighty Sauron, that thou art not brought
low by this? For thine evil pales before that which
foolish men call Justice....
We do "invisible" access panels with pieces of mdf and magnets with the opening taped with L bead about an eighth inch gap. Put a piece of light fishing line on the back of the mdf at the bottom and let it hang out and you have an invisible handle.
Mike
Small wheel turn by the fire and rod, big wheel turn by the grace of god.
Thanks to everyone for kind suggestions. Pretty sure our code requires access to all "attic" spaces, but I'll check. Looking at it last nite, there's no way I'm ever going in there again! R50 loose fill! Following the Energy Upgrade inspection, I may well mud over and leave a note about its location on the electrical panel. Thanks again.
You could use the system I used for an "invisible" medicine cabinet:I made a box -- in your case a four-piece jamb -- and mounted an MDF overlay door on it with euro hinges. I sized the door a fat 1/8" shy of the box size for a fat 1/16" gap all around, and held it closed with a touch latch.Then I stapled plastic muddable L-bead (actually 1 1/2" jamb-return bead) to the outside of the box, with the mud bead in plane with the door. I installed the box in the R.O. then tweaked the bead while stapling it to get a perfect reveal all around. I bedded the bead with Durabond 45 and finished it with E-Z Sand.So my "overlay" door turned into a full inset door.If the door ever sags, the euro hinges can be adjusted. In the meantime all you can see is the narrow crack in the wall around it.AitchKay
Heres another option for you.
Today I was in a house I renoed several years ago. Between a bedroom and the pumphouse we installed a custom shelf unit set into the wall between jack studs. It was trimmed on four sides and made to be easily lifted out to provide access to the pump etc. (The pump was normally accessed from the outside but I thought additional, snow free, always warm and dry access might prove useful.)