trap door

[mrcrow]

i need to put a trap opening in the floor to let a plumber fit a radiator.in my bathroom.
can you please let me know what special tools i may need to get through a board running over a joist (the joists are 14" centres and a bit tight for him to get down) and some advice on framing up the trap opening and cutting the floor joist..need it be supported until i get a cross member on..?
ps is this in the faq's
mrcrow...manchester.

 

[mrcrow]

bump..

 

[big-all]

helllooo mrcrow

i use a circular saw if coverd afterwards cutting off centre on the joist to avoid the nails if you are 100%shure there are no pipes or wires go 1mm deeper than the floorboard is thick or if unsure 0.5 mm short of the depth

you can also use a jigsaw on its nose with you kneeling facing the handle holding firmly with both hands and gradualy raising the handle untill the blade begins to slice throught the board[experiment on scrap first though]
there is quite a tecnique to this method but allows you to only cut the relivent wood with no cuts outside the area
again with due regards to pipes and wires ect

 

[Thermo]

are you looking at making a permannet hinged trap door, or just an acces point that can be lifted should you ever need to roll the carpet back and get to the pipes?

 

[mrcrow]

are you looking at making a permannet hinged trap door, or just an acces point that can be lifted should you ever need to roll the carpet back and get to the pipes?

hoopefully just this one off exercise...think maybe i am just thinking to remove a joist and boards to give access...then box it up for good...with some chance of reentry in the future..not permanent
thank you both..big all and thermo

 

[Thermo]

you shouldnt really need to cut the floor joist and you should try to avoid it if at all possible. If its for the pipes to go through the plumber will take care of drilling the holes through where he wants. If it does need to be cut out for him to physically crawl through, then a hand saw will suffice. You will need to brace it up after using a piece of timber of a similar size bolted along the side of the joist, across the whole and past it at each end a good 18 inces. I would bolt it through with three bolts either end to secure it. As for the floor boards all you really need to do is line around the whole with some batten screwd to the floor boards that are already in place so you have a lip for the boards you are putting back to rest on.

If its a long span that the boards are going back into then you can brace them up with a batten underneath. Put the first board back in place and then place a piece of batten underneath it so it covers the length of the hole and then screw it to the first board. You can then put the remaining boards back one at a time screwing them to the batten as you go. Finally you can then screw them at the edges to the batten at the perimeter to stop any movement.

It doesnt have to be anything fancy as it will be covered up agaian. Hope it makes sense

Thermo

 

[mrcrow]

you shouldnt really need to cut the floor joist and you should try to avoid it if at all possible. If its for the pipes to go through the plumber will take care of drilling the holes through where he wants. If it does need to be cut out for him to physically crawl through, then a hand saw will suffice. You will need to brace it up after using a piece of timber of a similar size bolted along the side of the joist, across the whole and past it at each end a good 18 inces. I would bolt it through with three bolts either end to secure it. As for the floor boards all you really need to do is line around the whole with some batten screwd to the floor boards that are already in place so you have a lip for the boards you are putting back to rest on.

If its a long span that the boards are going back into then you can brace them up with a batten underneath. Put the first board back in place and then place a piece of batten underneath it so it covers the length of the hole and then screw it to the first board. You can then put the remaining boards back one at a time screwing them to the batten as you go. Finally you can then screw them at the edges to the batten at the perimeter to stop any movement.

It doesnt have to be anything fancy as it will be covered up agaian. Hope it makes sense

Thermo

thanks thermo...that pretty well gives me the right approach now and i will get some floor joist and bolts in to bridge any gaps if necessary
i used to manage to squeeze past joists but..well i am getting on a bit and bigger as well...the centres are 16" and not 14" as i thought...
i better wait till the plumber say if he needs more room..mainly i know now what to do regarding the cutting and strengthening of the joist now..
and re fitting the floor boards...
cheers

 

[Thermo]

no problem. if your getting middle age spread then definetly use a handsaw, it will help you fit through the hole! Nice to get a thankyou too, seems all too rare at the moment