An access panel allows easy access to the wiring, electrical, and plumbing that may be hidden behind the finished walls of your home. These panels can be used in any room of the house, from bathrooms to kitchens to even inside closets. This can make maintenance easier and also save on labor costs when installing new fixtures—by providing easy access for inspections or repairs. Keep reading for instructions on how you can make an access panel for yourself at home
Opening a hole in a wall to access utilities can be messy and time-consuming.
Installing an access panel in a wall is a great way to make your home more functional and appealing. However, if you’re going to do it yourself, you’ll want to know how to make sure that the process goes smoothly.
Opening a hole in your wall can be messy and time-consuming. You can avoid this by using the right tools and following these tips:
- Use a saw rather than hammering or drilling through drywall. This will reduce the amount of dust created by your work and help keep things neat looking around where you’re working on installing an access panel in the wall.
- Draw out where exactly you want each piece of wood used for making an access panel fit before cutting them with any kind of tool because getting every measurement correct makes installation much easier than just guessing where everything should go before making any cuts at all
Using an access panel to cover up plumbing or electrical behind the walls of your home is a more professional look than simply drywalling over them.
Using an access panel to cover up plumbing or electrical behind the walls of your home is a more professional look than simply drywalling over them. Access panels are easy to install, secure and can be cleaned, repaired and replaced.
Access panel installation is typically done with a nail gun. Because it is easier to hide wiring in an access panel than it is behind drywall, this gives you more flexibility when planning how your wires will run through the wall space of your home.
Making Your Access Panel
Now that you’ve located the studs on either side of the hole, it’s time to drill holes in the wall. A stud finder will help you locate these points and a drill will make it easy to create an opening for your access panel.
To begin, place your tip of the drill bit against one of your marked studs and press down firmly until it goes through both layers of drywall. Make sure that there is no gap between how far into the wall you push your bit and how far up it comes out—at this point, if there is any space between those two levels, stop drilling immediately! You don’t want to accidentally cut through any wires or pipes inside of this special layer; just remember: less is more when working with power tools
Once all four holes have been drilled (two for each side), use a jigsaw blade saw to cut out around them until only about ¼ inch remains above each hole; then remove those pieces entirely by tapping them gently with a hammer until they fall free from their perch atop their respective studs. This should leave behind four perfectly sized openings within which we’ll soon insert our access panel pieces
Marking Your Access Panel
For this step, you will need:
- A pencil and tape measure
- Mark the location of your access panel on the wall with a pencil and then use a level to ensure that it is straight. Make sure that you are marking on drywall, studs (if there are any) or floor. You may also want to mark it on ceiling if you plan on putting lights in between floors. If there is an existing door or window frame at this location, make sure you don’t cover them up
- Once all of your measurements are done, remove excess drywall from around where you want your access panel installed using an oscillating tool or chisel with hammer attachment so that it’s easier for someone else to work inside once installation begins
Cutting Your Access Panel Hole
Cutting Your Access Panel Hole
Now that you’ve got all your materials and tools, it’s time to cut the actual access panel. Start by measuring the length and width of the hole in your wall. This will tell you how long and wide to make your access panel—it needs to fit snugly in there! If you don’t want any gaps between the wall and your access panel, make sure that both measurements are exactly equal.
Measure out those dimensions onto some 1/4″ plywood (or whatever thickness wood you’re using for this project). Then use a jigsaw or circular saw to cut out that shape from each piece of plywood (one for each side), making sure not to go too deep so that when stacked together they’ll form an even rectangle. Remember: corners are hard! So if possible avoid them by cutting a straight line across at one end then starting over again at another point; when done correctly this should create 90-degree angles on either side without having any visible evidence on top where they meet up (you’ll see what I mean later).
Next up is cutting out the top and bottom pieces of our box-like structure with two more jigsaw cuts; these will be used as spacers between all four sides once they’re stacked together later on. Now we need something big enough so that we can run our router bit through it while still allowing room around its perimeter so no part gets stuck while turning around inside our opening—a piece of 2×6 lumber works well here if available but anything similar will do just fine too (just measure first).
Getting The Right Fit
You will want to measure the access panel before you install it. This can be done by measuring the size of the hole and then comparing that to the dimensions of your new access panel. You may find that it is necessary to slightly enlarge either one or both of these items if they do not seem like a snug fit.
Once you have everything ready, attach the wall anchor screws into their respective holes and then place them on either side of where you want them installed (this should be near where they will meet). Next, drill through each one using a drill bit designed for concrete or masonry surfaces (this will ensure that they stay in place). Finally, remove any excess materials from around these points so that there are no sharp edges left behind when drilling begins further down below this point later on down in this process’s steps list later on down here at some point during today’s lesson
Making an access panel in your wall will make your home look more tidy.
Making an access panel in your wall will make your home look more tidy. Access panels are a great way to hide messy pipes and wires, keeping them out of sight so they don’t detract from the beauty of your home. An access panel can also be used to hide unsightly wires and pipes, making home maintenance easier and more efficient. Access panels are easy to install: simply cut through the drywall with a saw and install the panel using screws or nails as needed. You can even add an access panel to existing walls, making it easier for you to access wiring or plumbing when needed without having to tear down drywall whenever something needs fixing
Conclusion
All in all, making an access panel is a simple task that can make your home look more professional. It will give you easier access to your utilities, and it’s a quick job that won’t take long at all
