Concealed Access Doors

Where concealed access panels are specified

A concealed access door is specified when the client does not want to see a door. The panel takes the same finish as the surrounding surface, so once the wall is taped, skimmed and painted the only thing marking the opening is a hairline joint. Architects use them in lobbies, guest rooms, galleries and any ceiling where a row of visible panels would read as clutter.

Three ways a panel is concealed: recessed, GFRG and aluminum framed

Three approaches, depending on the finish being matched.

Recessed doors leave a rebate in the panel face that accepts drywall infill on site, so the panel is finished by the same trade that finishes the wall. The RDW covers drywall surfaces and the RDWPD arrives with the drywall already installed at the factory, which removes a step on site and guarantees the thickness is right.

Glass fiber reinforced gypsum panels are made of the same material family as the surrounding board. The GFRG and the hinged FGH suit ceilings where the panel should read as continuous plaster.

Aluminum framed drywall doors, the KAD, give a fine, stable frame with a drywall face, and the CDW all drywall ceiling access panel is the ceiling equivalent.

What to coordinate before the wall is closed up

Concealed doors need the finishing trade to know they are there. A recessed panel that gets skimmed shut is no longer an access door, so mark locations on the drawings and brief the finisher. Access frequency matters too: a concealed panel is the right answer for an opening reached once a year and the wrong one for a valve that gets checked monthly, where a visible latched door is faster.

All models are made in the USA. Sizes are listed per model on each product page.