Access panels, as the name suggests, allow you to access utilities hidden behind your walls. Kitchens, bathrooms, and laundry rooms are all familiar places for wall access doors and panels. By allowing routine access for maintenance or shutting off valves, adding an access panel to the wall saves money.
Installation in a tile wall takes a little longer and requires more patience than cutting painted drywall, but it also allows for better concealment. Cut between the grout joints instead of enclosing the hole, and the panel merges in with the surrounding wall.
Interesting Read: "Why Choose Best Access Doors for Your Next Project."
Step #1. Use a stud finder to detect any studs behind the planned access panel's position. Low-tack masking tape can mark the stud locations. By following faucets directly down to the floor and drawing their course with masking tape, you can approximate the location of pipes.
Step #2. Check for live wires behind the wall with a circuit tracer. To detect the current, plug the circuit tracer into the nearest outlet and hold the tester against the wall at various spots. Wires connecting the outlet to the switch usually go straight across the border. Masking tape must mark the wires' locations. Do the same with any other outlets in the vicinity.
Step #3. If feasible, relocate the panel to prevent cutting near to studs or wires. Even if you aren't trimming near wires, disconnect to the circuit at the main breaker box as a precaution.
Step #4. Using a reciprocating saw with a grout-cutting blade, cut through the grout. Cut through all of the grout lines around the panel's perimeter. With a utility knife, scrape the leftover out of the joint and off of the tiles.
Step #5. Switch to a drywall blade on the saw and cut through the drywall around the panel. If you have to cut close to wires, pipelines, or studs, make sure the blade does not come into touch with them. Turn the saw out and pull the panel into you as you finish cutting it out.
Step #6. Trim the panel's borders to make it fit inside the access panel frame's door. Then, use the reciprocating saw to cut the tiles, being cautious not to damage them.
Step #7. Apply a bead of adhesive and spread it to the hole in the wall's margins, and install the access panel frame. You can then place it in the hole and secure it as suggested by the manufacturer. Then put the frame together.
Step #8. As specified by the manufacturer, adhere the cut-out section to the access panel frame. To keep the panel in place, open any hinges and screw them to the back of the cut-out, or use adhesive. Utilizing magnets, you can adhere some frames to the frame and back of the panel. Close it when it's fixed, and allow any adhesive to dry according to the manufacturer's directions.
Step #9. If the panel will be used only seldom, use silicone to seal the edges. To gain access, remove the silicone and reapply it once you complete the servicing.
Final Thoughts
A guide on installing an access panel to a tile wall will ease some of the confusion and smooth out the process for those who are uncomfortable working with such projects. However, it is highly advisable to seek a professional when in doubt since doing a DIY has a higher chance of ruining the project and costing you more.
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