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Access doors and panels are a vital part of any establishment type, whether in the commercial, industrial, or house construction industry. However, deciding what’s the best fitting product to get, satisfying your needs and desires, can be a bit of a challenge as there’s a wide range of panel types available in the market.
Hence, this blog post is here to lend a hand and guide you in choosing the most appropriate access door that can address a specific purpose. Here are the five access panel types you’ll typically encounter as you explore various vendor stores:
1. Fire-rated access doors and panels
If you’re looking for an access door that best accompanies you in containing fire for quite some time, preventing massive spread out, the fire-rated panels are what you need. Experts designed this door type following the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) fire safety standards.
Hence, aside from the main purpose of providing easy and safe access to your hard-to-reach facility areas, this panel type also protects your establishment from widespread fire, lessening the damage of the incident. You can choose fire-rated access doors according to the wall or ceiling hour rating:
- 45-minute ceiling rating
- 90-minute ceiling rating
- 1-hour ceiling rating
- 2-hour ceiling rating
- 2.5-hour ceiling rating
- 3-hour ceiling rating
You can also pick fire-resistant doors that will match what your space particularly demands, including oversized openings, garbage and laundry chutes, grease ducts, floor hatches, surface mounts, or a recessed wall access panel.
What’s more amusing about installing fire-rated panels is that it directly contributes to your building achieving LEED certification, assuring that it’s economically and environmentally safe.
2. General-purpose access doors and panels
On the other hand, if your structure is searching for access doors granting optimum results rather than specific fire codes, the general-purpose access doors are much more ideal for you.
It’s a panel type that provides instant access to essential wires, pipes, or valves utilities, maximizes the property facilities’ functionality, and ensures the entire establishment’s lasting value. You can expect to see the following model kinds under the general-purpose access panels category:
- Access Cover
- Adjustable Magnetic FlexiSnap
- Air and Watertight
- Draft Stop
- Flush Door with Flange
- Gypsum
- Heavy Duty
- Hidden Flange
- Insulated
- Large Walk Through
- Plastic
- Recessed
- Removable Panel
- Security
- Surface Mounted
- Valve
3. Drywall access doors and panels
Meanwhile, if aesthetics and clean concealment are the primary features you’re seeking for an access door, the drywall panel types suit you best. It’s an access panel that can hide your messy cable, wires, and water valve features and elegantly cover it with a professional-looking door that can further boost the beauty of your wall.
Here’s the creative collection of drywall covers you can install:
- Behind Drywall Flange
- Exposed Flange
- Glass Fiber Reinforced Cement
- Glass Fiber Reinforced Gypsum
- Mud in Flange
4. Exterior access doors and panels
One factor you should consider when selecting the most fitting access panel for a specific area is its location for indoor or outdoor applications. If you observe, these two general locations have different requirements, especially with the nature of their environment.
If the facilities you’ll secure and protect are on the outside, the access panel you’ll pick must be able to withstand the drastic change of weather and temperature to avoid corrosion and moisture issues.
Fortunately, there’s a set of exterior access doors and panels that can adapt to the demands of the outside environment. These are some of the must-have outdoor products:
- Aluminum insulated
- Coastal Zone
- Plaster and Stucco
- Steel Insulated
5. Plaster bead access doors and panels
Lastly, suppose the environment you need to install is a unique plaster surface. It would be best to have an access panel supporting this specific facade element, like plaster bead access doors.
One of this door type’s many benefits is that it can blend seamlessly toward the rest of the surface while keeping the acoustics and original plaster texture. More importantly, it grants a paintable cover enabling you to match the door to the color of its wall or ceiling surroundings. Plaster bead panels are available in a variety of options:
- Fire-rated
- Flush
- Recessed
Pick the right panel for your needs!
When picking the suitable access door for your space, you should consider your budget, the right panel material, and the supplier you’ll rely on. You should take note of these factors as they are all significant indications if the product is perfect for you and the vendor can meet your demands. This way, the money you spend serves more as a cost-effective investment rather than a luxurious expense.
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