Access Doors

What an access door is used for

Karp has built access doors in the United States since the 1960s, and the range now covers twelve distinct categories because no single door suits every wall. A fire rated corridor needs a labelled assembly. A hospital clean room needs a gasketed seal. A tiled restroom wall needs a recessed panel that takes tile infill and disappears. Picking the wrong one means either a failed inspection or a visible patch in a finished surface.

How to choose by surface and by code requirement

Two questions narrow the field quickly. What is the door going into, and what does it have to do once it is there.

Surface decides the frame and flange. Drywall takes a flush or press-fit panel. Plaster and stucco need a plaster flange that keys into the coat. Tile needs a recessed panel deep enough for the tile thickness. Masonry takes masonry straps. Exterior walls and soffits need a weather-rated door.

Requirement decides the construction. Fire rated assemblies need a listed door. Clean rooms, operating rooms and laboratories need an air and water tight seal. Studios, hotels and mechanical rooms need sound resistance. Correctional and behavioral health areas need security or anti-ligature construction. Everything else is a standard door, and the standard range is where most projects land.

Sizes, finishes and USA manufacturing across the range

Doors are manufactured in the USA across 24 standard sizes on the widest models, from 6 x 6 through 48 x 48 depending on the model. Finishes use EPA approved paint systems, and products are available for LEED credit. Robotic production covers roughly 75 percent of fabrication, which is what makes the 72 hour turnaround on standard sizes possible.

If a project needs a size, finish or hardware configuration that is not in the standard tables, Karp builds to the drawing. Send the detail and the sales team will come back with a spec.