Access Panel Installation

The most common spot is the bathroom or the service core of a flat, where the water and waste risers sit behind plasterboard. Other typical places are boxed-in toilet frames, suspended ceilings with pipework above them and service ducts in houses. When something leaks, minutes count. If there is a panel in front of the stopcock, you turn the water off straight away. If there is not, you start breaking tiles.

In a block of flats, the riser usually belongs to the building as a whole, not just to your flat. Before you box it in, agree with the building management or the owners' association where the access openings should be and how large they need to be. Gas risers come with stricter rules, for example on ventilation of the enclosed space and access to the isolation valve. Check these with the building management and a qualified, registered gas engineer. If boxing in would affect the structure of the building, ask your local building authority what your local building regulations require.

This job covers two closely related tasks: fitting an access panel into any kind of wall or ceiling, and fitting a plasterboard access panel into riser boxing.

By material

• Plastic panels are light, do not rust and are perfectly adequate in a bathroom. They are the usual choice for places you only open now and then
• Metal panels made of galvanised or stainless steel are sturdier and suit cellars, garages and plant rooms. Fire-rated versions are also available
• Plasterboard panels have an aluminium or steel frame with a plasterboard insert. Once filled and painted, they blend into the wall
• Tile-ready concealed panels have a frame that takes the same tiles as the surrounding wall and open with a push catch or magnet

What to think about for a riser panel

Size depends on what sits behind the panel. A single valve needs only a small opening, but for a water meter that will be replaced one day, or for a drain rodding eye, you need room for both hands and a tool. Frame depth has to match the boarding: a frame for a single layer of plasterboard is different from one for a double layer. Height follows the position of the valves, so the panel should sit directly in front of them, not off to one side. Finish is usually paint or tiles. If you tile it, check with the manufacturer how much weight the door can carry. In a bathroom, the insert should be moisture-resistant plasterboard.

1. Locate the valves, joints and meters and use them to decide the position and size of the panel.
2. Mark the opening using the cut-out size given in the manufacturer's instructions, not the outside size of the panel.
3. Cut the opening: plasterboard with a knife or jab saw, masonry and concrete with a diamond blade and dust extraction.
4. In plasterboard, add studs or noggins around the opening so the frame is not held by the board alone.
5. Set the frame flush, check it with a spirit level and measure the diagonals, then fix it with screws, plugs or the manufacturer's own system.
6. Hang the door and test it before any filling.
7. Fill and tape the joint, sand, then paint or tile while protecting the catch and the gap around the door.

The simplest case is a new plasterboard wall or boxing that is still open. The frame is planned in together with the studs and nothing has to be patched afterwards. Fitting a panel into a finished wall takes more work: you have to find the studs, cut the opening without damaging the surroundings, sometimes add extra support and then make good the paint or tiles.

Concrete and hard masonry also take longer, as do large or non-standard sizes, tile-ready panels where everything has to line up to the millimetre, and cramped spots such as behind a toilet. On the other hand, several identical panels on one job go faster, because the routine repeats.

• Panel too small: it looks big enough, but you cannot get a spanner onto the valve
• Wrong position: the panel sits beside the valve, or behind a cabinet or washing machine added later
• No support around the opening: the frame is held only by the board and works loose over time
• Frame out of square: the door rubs or does not close properly, and on frameless models the unevenness shows even after painting
• Sealed-up gap: paint, filler or tile adhesive glues the door shut for good
• Standard plasterboard in a bathroom: it softens and warps in the damp

If you are boxing in a water or waste riser and have some experience with plasterboard, you can do this yourself. Leave gas risers and shared areas of the building to a professional and follow the building management's instructions.

1. Use a detector to find the studs and any pipes or cables behind the board.
2. Mark the opening to the cut-out size in the instructions and check it with a spirit level.
3. Drill the corners and cut out the opening with a plasterboard saw, slowly and in straight lines.
4. Add studs or noggins around the edges of the opening and fix them to the framework.
5. Insert the frame, bring it flush with the wall surface and screw it in place.
6. Hang the door and check that it opens without resistance.
7. Mask the gap and the catch with tape, fill the joint and sand it once dry.
8. Paint or tile, and remove the tape before the surface has fully dried.

• The panel sits directly in front of the valves and meters and you can work through it with both hands
• The frame is solid, does not move when pressed and the filler around it is not cracked
• The door opens and closes smoothly and the magnet or catch holds
• The door face is flush with the wall and the gap is even all the way round
• In a bathroom, moisture-resistant board has been used and any tiles on the door stay within the recommended weight
• There is no paint, filler or adhesive in the gap or the catch
• Nothing stands in front of the panel that would stop it opening