Choosing an Access Panel in Your Next Build

If you want to make your commercial building functional, you always have to consider the different features to help you achieve it. Some vital building features include duct systems for HVACs, electrical wires for appliances, lighting fixtures, and many more. However, building technicians can't work on building components effectively if they can't access them.

Workers can gain access if you install access panels on your building. An access panel can grant you safe and convenient access, no matter which area in your building. Contractors must include it in massive structures like commercial buildings due to the multiple systems installed everywhere.

Why Should You Use Access Panels?

Before learning how to choose an access panel, you have to learn how it can benefit people and the building. Examples of its benefits include:

• Provide Excellent Security

The first benefit of installing access panels is that it provides efficient security. Commercial buildings have components that need protection from many things, especially people who try to break them. If you have components placed on the building's exterior, install access panels to secure them.

• Protection from Harsh Weather

The weather can be a big problem for buildings because it can cause extensive damage. Luckily, your building components can stay safe from harsh weather elements by installing access panels. Some access panels have a gasket around the door, preventing smoke or moisture from entering the other side.

• Avoid Destroying Walls and Ceilings

The main reason to install access panels is that your contractors don't need to destroy the wall or surface to access the other side of it. Due to their placement, contractors, technicians, and maintenance personnel will find difficulty accessing hard-to-reach parts within your building. But with the help of access panels, they can do their jobs faster and better.

• Help Improve Building Aesthetics

Most people hate seeing exposed electrical wires, plumbing pipes, or anything behind the ceilings. It can ruin the building's appeal, and building owners never want that to happen. In some cases, you cannot get rid of those electrical or plumbing pipes because they're essential to the building.

Installing an access panel can cover exposed building components efficiently. You can find seamless access panels that can make it look almost invisible once installed. Some have inlays in front of the door if you place them on tiled wall surfaces.

Hopefully, the different benefits of access panels provided by Access Doors and Panels can help you better understand why your building needs them.

Expert Choosing Tips

Since you now have an idea about an access panel's benefits, the next would be the factors to consider when choosing one. Learning how to choose the right access panel is essential, especially when you want to oversee the construction or renovations of your building. Some things you have to take note of are as follows:

1. Material

What makes access panels excellent is that they have different purposes, which means they also have come in various materials. You have the option to choose from aluminum, steel, and plastic, depending on what your contractors need. Your contractors can also paint on aluminum and steel access panels to help it blend with the surface's color.

2. Weight

The next thing to consider when choosing an access panel is its weight. Note that some surfaces can't handle an access panel's extreme weight. Most drywall surfaces can't bear a large load, and they can break when given enough force. Over time, a heavy access panel installed on a drywall surface will cause the drywall to lose its integrity.

At one point, your contractors will see an extensively damaged drywall surface because of the access panel's weight. Always consider the weight to avoid damaging the surface. When you have a professional contractor, they can provide the best recommendations of which access panel to get with the right weight to fit perfectly on the surface.

3. Measurements

Here at Access Doors and Panels, we can provide standardized access panel measurements to ensure it meets your construction standards. Choose a contractor with a good eye and excellent skills in measuring the surface to determine the proper access panel size. If you're having trouble with the sizing, we can offer customizable sizes that will perfectly fit any opening.

Any professional contractor who follows the tips mentioned above will always get the perfect access panel to install on your building.

Finalizing the Decisions

Your contractors will make the final decisions on what types of access panels they need. Usually, they require access panels of different sizes, weights, and materials because of the various openings and places within the building. If you own a small commercial building and need access panels, consider consulting with an expert first. It's best to let a professional contractor guide you, especially if you lack the knowledge and experience.

Many small building owners think they don't need a contractor to help them choose an access panel. In most cases, they end up picking the wrong size or weight. They end up cutting out the opening by themselves without doing proper measurements, resulting in a large hole on the surface. They have no choice but to either replace the surface with a new one or return the access panel. Both tasks will waste your time, so you need a professional contractor to finish the job without a problem.

Construction is never an easy thing to do for some building owners. Choosing an access panel can be one of them, but you can improve your decision-making in the future with the help of this article made by Access Doors and Panels. Keep in mind that we can supply your project with high-quality access panels.

For more information about our products, call us at 1-800-609-2917 and order them right away! You can also visit our website at accessdoorsandpanels.com to check our wide array of quality access panels. Whether it's an airtight/watertight or recessed access panel, we're confident that you can find the right access panel for your construction project!