DOORS & JOINERY

Fit an access panel in boxing

Cut a neat opening in your boxing and fit an access panel so you can reach pipes or valves without removing panels again.

AP-01Choose the right access panelMeasure the space you need to reach and buy a panel at least 50mm bigger all round than the pipe, valve or joint behind it. A plastic-finish panel suits most boxing; a plasterboard-faced panel lets you skim and paint it flush so it disappears into the wall. Pick a hinged or lift-out style depending on how often you'll need to open it.
1 each · Access panel, 300x300mm plastic
1 each · Tape measure
AP-02Find your stopcock and check for buried servicesBefore you drill or cut anything, find your stopcock - usually under the kitchen sink - and check it turns easily, so you can shut the water off fast if you hit a pipe. Run a cable and pipe detector over the boxing, then still expect something to be there: detectors miss cables in metal conduit, behind metal-backed board, or outside the normal safe zones. If you're at all unsure, isolate the circuit at the consumer unit before drilling, and turn the water off at the stopcock before cutting into anything that could carry water.
1 each · Cable and pipe detector
AP-03Work out what's behind the boxingTap along the boxing - a dull thud means solid backing, a hollow sound means stud and board. Run a magnet or stud detector along the face: regular screw heads roughly 300-600mm apart show a timber or metal stud line. Drill a small 3mm pilot hole in an inconspicuous spot - timber dust means a wood stud, fine grey swarf means a metal stud, and hitting something solid straight away means brick, block, or dot-and-dab over masonry. Older boxing with a soft, crumbly plaster face over thin wood strips is lath and plaster - go gently, it's brittle.
1 each · Small magnet
1 each · 3mm drill bit
AP-04Mark and cut the openingMark the opening square with a pencil and spirit level, keeping at least 40mm clear of any corner or edge post. On plasterboard boxing over timber or metal studs, cut with a plasterboard saw or a jigsaw with a fine blade, staying just inside your line. On solid brick or block boxing, score the line with a diamond blade in an angle grinder, then break out the waste with a bolster and hammer. On lath and plaster, score the plaster face first to stop it cracking beyond your line, then cut through the laths with a fine-tooth saw.
1 each · Plasterboard saw
1 each · Jigsaw fine-tooth blade
1 each · Bolster chisel
1 each · Dust sheet
AP-05Fit support battens or noggins inside the openingA panel frame needs something solid to screw into at each edge, not just the cut board. On timber stud boxing, screw 34x25mm softwood battens flat against the inside face of the studs so they sit behind the cut edge. On metal stud boxing, fix a timber noggin between the studs using self-drilling metal-stud screws - never fix the frame to the thin stud face alone, it will pull straight through. On dot-and-dab or solid masonry boxing, drill and plug the masonry behind, using fixings long enough to pass through the dab and bite at least 25mm into the brick or block. On lath and plaster, screw a batten into the timber studs behind the laths, not the lath itself, or it will tear out.
1 each · Softwood batten, 34x25mm x 2.4m
1 pack · Self-drilling metal stud screws
1 pack · Wall plugs, mixed sizes
1 pack · Masonry screws, 60mm
AP-06Fix the panel frame in placeOffer the frame into the opening and check it sits flush and square. Screw through the frame into your battens or noggins with wood screws for timber, or use a toggle-type hollow-wall anchor where you're fixing into board between studs and can't reach a batten. Never use a plain plastic plug or an ordinary wood screw in a metal stud - it strips straight through 0.5mm steel. Wind each screw in evenly so the frame doesn't bow.
1 pack · Wood screws, 40mm
1 pack · Toggle-type hollow-wall anchors
AP-07Fit the door, hinges and catchFit the hinges to the frame first, then hang the door and check it swings or lifts out cleanly. Adjust the catch or turn-buttons so the door sits flush and doesn't rattle. Open and close it a few times before you finish to make sure it works smoothly.
1 each · Screwdriver
AP-08Finish the edgesRun a thin bead of decorator's caulk around the frame where it meets the boxing, and smooth it with a wet finger. Leave it to cure following the tube's instructions, then paint the frame and surrounding boxing to match. Skip painting if the panel has a self-coloured plastic finish.
1 tube · Decorator's caulk
1 each · Small paintbrush
1 each · Matching paint, tester pot
AP-09Clear up and check accessVacuum plaster or brick dust from the opening and surrounding floor, and wipe down the panel. Open the panel once more to confirm you can reach the pipe, valve or cable you built it for. Keep any offcut of boxing in case you need to patch nearby later.
1 each · Vacuum cleaner

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