Replies

1. 
   DanH | Jun 03, 2004 05:22pm | #1

   It needs to have some weight. I took a piece of paneling (actually, the piece the builder already had there), stuck 1" foam behind it, then screwed the whole thing to a 2x4 frame. You can fill in the frame, if you want, with more foam. Use weather stripping around the lip.

   There are, of course, more exotic approaches. One would be to construct an actual door, with hinges and latch. Could open up or down. Or some of the wood butchers out there might construct the panel and opening with tapered sides so that the panel acts like a keystone. This will get a real good seal if carefully fitted, but it's a lot more work.

1. 
   tibbetts | Jun 03, 2004 07:33pm | #9

   I've been planning to do the same thing to my access cover, but in a slightly fancier way. I want to attach 1 x 4s or 2 x 4s around the top side of the cover, but ripped at an angle so that they splay outward. This means that the cover will self-seal from the weight.

   ======______/======= <-- ceiling line

1. 
   ripmeister | Jun 04, 2004 04:43pm | #10

   Thanks to everyone for the replies.  Yes this is simply an access cover that will rarely be used.  It seems like the critical factor is the seal around the perimeter.  I'm probably being too anal about this but I figure after going to all the trouble to seal all the penetrations into the attic such as the main stack etc. that this is the last point for potential air infiltration so I want to minimize it as well as possible.

1. 
   DanH | Jun 04, 2004 07:00pm | #11

   Just use foam rubber weatherstripping on the back top face of the frame that the door rests on. If the door weighs enough then the foam will seal well, but don't forget to seal the frame itself relative to the adjacent ceiling.

2. 
   BossHog | Jun 03, 2004 05:38pm | #2

   I've wondered why no one came up with a pre-fab unit for attic access holes.

   Something with a near airtight door, and insulation permenantly attached to it.

   Make it easy to install - Just a few screws.

   Maybe make it of from a paintable material, so it can be painted to match the ceiling, and be less obtrusive.

   Get busy living, or get busy dying. [The Shawshank Redemption]

1. 
   BillHartmann | Jun 03, 2004 06:10pm | #4

   They have.

   From time to time I see them. I have one for my whole house fan. It is vacum formed plastic with about 1" of foam insulation and a strip of weatherstripping foam around the edges.

   It is held in place with some snap buttons.

   I saw a display at the local HW store a few years ago. They showed other sizes and I had them order one for my fan.

   That is the last that I have seen them.

2. 
   csnow | Jun 03, 2004 06:40pm | #5

   Pre-fab:

   http://www.energyfederation.org/consumer/default.php/cPath/21_391_57

   View Image

1. 
   BossHog | Jun 03, 2004 06:53pm | #6

   The one you're showing is for covering an attic stair.

   I was thinking about a 2' square access hatch.I ain't a communist necessarily, but I been in the red all my life. [Woody Guthrie]

3. 
   joeh | Jun 03, 2004 05:41pm | #3

   FHB had a Mike Guertin how to  build one article within the last year or two.

   Joe H

4. 
   WorkshopJon | Jun 03, 2004 06:53pm | #7

   "anyone has a good method for constructing the panel that fits in the attic access hole in the ceiling of the floor below the attic."

   Rip,

   Will the attic be used for storage? or is this just an access panel?  Drywall/plywood/rigid foam resting on taped-in furring strips is the way to go for the latter.  Nearly invisible done right.

   Jon

5. 
   Varoom | Jun 03, 2004 07:28pm | #8

   DW and I visited a B&B in Walkerton, ON last summer.  Beautiful old victorian, original home of a governer general who had scrawled his initials into a window pane in a bedroom - original pane still in place.  Very neat.

   Anyway, kitchen was to the side of the house on the mail level with attic space above.  Original to the structure or addition shortly thereater.  Fully modern interior, ceiling flat and about 12' high.  In the ceiling was a full-on exterior metal door unit, installed flush with the ceiling.   Nearly sprained my neck doing the double-take.

   I offer this for your consideration ...

   Cheers, Paul