Have you ever had the sensation of seeing a particular thing everywhere after noticing it for the first time? It often happens after you purchase a new car. You never noticed before, but now you see your car model everywhere. Much the same could be said for access doors and panels. Many of our team members, prior to working in the commercial building industry, took access doors for granted. Now, as industry professionals, they notice them in hotels, businesses, hospitals, universities, malls, and more—they’re everywhere! Even though they aren’t sexy like Renaissance architecture or beautiful like marble flooring, they are necessary components of buildings and in many cases, purposely intended to be part of a hidden design that blends seamlessly with the architecture.
In this blog, we’ll explore commercial wall and ceiling access doors and panels, their purposes, locations, and applications. We will also look at access door design considerations including fire-ratings, materials, hardware, building codes, compliances, and LEED requirements necessary for specification.
Note: Often used interchangeably, the terms ‘Access Doors’ and ‘Access Panels’ are distinctly different architectural assemblies. An Access Door swings open on a hinge to a limited angle while an Access Panel has no hinge and is removable, entirely allowing for complete access.
Here are the topics we will review while we take a deep dive into access doors and all their glory.
MasterSpec Division 08 (Openings), which includes two sections for Access Products:
While floor doors and hatches are sometimes included in section 08, we will not include them with this content. In most cases, a contractor such as mechanical, electrical, plumbing, drywall, or general contractor will self-perform access door and panel installation. Not all construction requires access doors, but most jobs do. Accounting for a building's construction and fire protection requirements is vital to preventing a simple door from turning into a hazard.
Here are some of the most common buildings that require access doors:
Access doors provide an unobstructed portal to mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) fixtures behind a structural or non-structural barrier. When it comes to something as simple as cutting a hole in a wall, there's a surprising amount at stake. Incorporating access doors into the building design and specification provides improved ability to schedule routine visual inspections and/or identify equipment failures. Design decisions for placement of access doors allows for improved navigation around structural systems and optimizes access to mechanical, electrical, and plumbing fixtures behind the wall or ceiling. One of the main design goals when it comes to the look and placement of access doors is to minimize their visibility to maintain the building’s aesthetics.
Access doors are designed in both a vertical or horizontal format and can be located inside or outside the building. In interior walls and ceilings, they are found in hallways, mechanical rooms, attics, bathrooms, etc. On the exterior of buildings, they are often located on walls and rooftops. Due to safety hazards, access doors should not be used on floors.
When it comes to outside, or exterior doors in areas such as parapet walls, dormers, mansards, canopies, and soffits, there are a few things to consider. The location of the door has an impact on the fire rating and door type. Fire-rated ceiling panels, for instance, must be insulated and rated for temperature rise. The location will also determine the visibility of the door and what material is best suited for its environment. For example, exterior doors must be able to withstand weather conditions.
The following very important resources to obtain from your access door supplier when specifying a project. Manufacturers routinely provide these to customers:
Ideally, designers should consider access doors in the planning stage of the project, which assures that your design intent is followed, the doors are located conveniently, and the proper door style is selected. Choosing doors during the design process also allows custom options to be made, ensuring the design professional has the room necessary to service the systems as well as to have the desired look.
If you leave choosing access doors to the MEPs at the end of the process, which often happens, you could end up with a wide variety of individuals making decisions that will likely stray from the original architectural design objectives. In addition, contacting the manufacturer and working close with their team will ensure the proper type of door is selected to integrate with the wall or ceiling system being used.
There are eleven factors to consider for specifying access doors:
Moisture could be a concern in locations like lavatories, laundry facilities, kitchens, and more, and could result in corrosion and a slow degradation of the product. If moisture or wet areas could affect the door, a material such as stainless steel, aluminum or galvanized steel should be specified. If the door needs to be water-tight because of moisture or wet surroundings, there are other certified products that can be used to ensure the access door is weather-tight.
Depending on the security required, higher material gauges or tamper-resistant latches will be required.
In regard to all of these conditions except temperature control, access doors should meet water, air, wind, and impact testing standards such as Florida-Approved.
Hardware and latching materials are also important. Design selection options to consider along with the tool needed to open each is as follows:
There are many options for color choice and application:
After determining if the application requires non-rated or fire-rated for a wall or ceiling, make sure to consider the product performance and durability when specifying access doors to determine the best option for your project. Here are some basic guidelines:
There are a wide range of access doors to fit most any construction specification, aesthetic, and code. Below is a list of door types, their common applications, and overall benefits.
Made to fit a variety of circumstances, this architectural door is the most widely used.
The standard door style typically features 14 or 16-gauge materials.
These doors come installed and have specific drywall application. The double-door design is for over-sized applications. This door comes with hinges can come as fixed-pin or removable.
This door is intended to be hidden, particularly used in high-impact locations like hotel lobbies and building atriums.
This door allows access to areas behind fire-rated walls and ceilings with temperature rise requirements. UL listed
This door offers a downward swinging design, is available in various sizes, and is Warnock-Hersey listed for 2- or 4-hour fire rating.
The self-closing insulated fire-rated door for ceilings is designed for fire-rated applications to provide ladder access to an attic or where a downward swinging ladder cannot be used. The door is Warnock-Hersey listed for 2- or 4-hour fire rating.
This door offers the same features as the insulated door, but can only be used in walls, not ceilings.
This door allows access to areas behind fire-rated walls when there is no temperature rise requirements. UL listed “B” label for 1.5 hours in walls. This door is available in one-inch flange, drywall bead, and plaster bead frame styles.
Self-closing and self-latching, this door is designed for fire-rated doors for tile applications.
A self-closing and self-latching door, this product separates attic spaces in multi-family dwellings.
There are four types of security doors.
Exterior access doors should feature insulated doors and gaskets for weather tightness and may be tested per
Exterior non-rated access doors for walls and ceilings in high velocity wind zones are used in areas where water and air penetration are an issue, like coastal floor zones and hurricane-prone states. These doors may be Florida-approved compliant for all states in common hurricane zones.
Generally used in residential plumbing applications, these doors are typically sold in retail outlets as a less expensive option.
There are seven primary codes and standards you must identify and understand when specifying access doors: IBC Codes, National Fire Protection Association, Florida-Approved, ASTM, Underwriter Laboratories, Intertek Warnock Hersey and LEED & HPD.
International Building Codes (IBC) reference fire-resistance and weight for wall and ceiling access panels. They are found under:
International Building Code 712.1.13: Access doors shall be permitted in ceilings of fire-resistance-rated floor/ceiling and roof/ceiling assemblies, provided that such doors are tested in accordance with ASTM E119 or UL 263 as horizontal assemblies and labeled by approved agency for such purpose.
The National Fire Protection Association® (NFPA) is the leading information and knowledge resource on fire and related hazards. Access doors fall under NFPA 80, which is the standard that regulates the installation and maintenance of assemblies and devices used to protect openings in walls, floors, and ceilings against the spread of fire and smoke within, into, or out of buildings. 16.1.1-16.1.2.5 Codes further divides access doors into two categories: Horizontal & Vertical.
One core feature of all fire-rated access panels is that they're designed and tested to withstand exposure to fire and heat. Because an open hole in a wall would allow fire to quickly move from one area to the next—not to mention let heat and smoke escape, delaying smoke detector or fire sprinkler activation—such doors must be self-closing and self-latching. The construction type of a building and placement determine a panel’s required fire resistance.
Florida-Approved products are sanctioned by the Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulation regarding impact tests conducted on building material products that are measured and tested via Testing Application Standard TAS201, TAS202 and TAS203. Florida-approved is the gold-standard in certification because of the regulations and guidelines regarding hurricane protection. Many other states reference the requirements set in Florida Building codes.
Search the Florida-Approved Products database
ASTM International, formerly known as American Society for Testing and Materials, is an international standards organization that develops and publishes voluntary consensus technical standards for a wide range of materials, products, systems, and services. Standard test methods for exterior access doors determine the rate of air leakage and water penetration resistance and are as follows:
Underwriter Laboratories (UL) provides testing, inspection, and certification services. UL certification test methods determine the compliance of door assemblies for use in locations where fire resistance of a specified duration is required. Temperature rating and fire-resistance certifications are:
Visit Intertek Warnock Hersey website
Access doors can contribute directly to a project’s ability to achieve United States Green Building Council (USGBC) LEED certification in:
An HPD is a Health Product Declaration that contains standardized, accurate, and consistent reporting of product contents and associated health information for products used in the built environment issued by the Health Product Declaration Collaborative organization. The HPD provides a chemical inventory of a building product and characterizes the level of concern about each ingredient. Most, if not all of the chemicals in the product are disclosed by the manufacturer, providing greater transparency in selecting products for buildings.
Visit Health Product Declaration Collaborative website
You should now be able to determine what type of access doors are right for your client. We’ve focused on locations, application design decisions, and door selection, plus the variety of code-regulated options that one may offer to clients based on their specific needs. As you can see, when considering access door and panel specifications or selections, there are many products that are available to meet these requirements. Be sure to work with a trusted manufacturer and its specification manager to obtain the best product and performance standards to guarantee quality results.