Laminate Floor Access

[The Medway Handyman]

Its quite common in same areas around here to have the stopcock under the hall floorboards (older houses). Someone asked me to move one t'other day so they could have laminate flooring in the hall.

Turned the job down because it was an iron pipe with no joins I could see, in a really inaccessible place. No doubt it could be done, but not a job for me.

It leads me to think however that it must be a common problem.

Has anyone seen an 'off the shelf' laminate floor access hatch?

I suppose I could build one, but a standard product would be easier.

[Lobster]

I can't imagine it would be a go-er, because it would need to be made from the same material as the laminate itself. Otherwise you'd end up with something along the lines of: (not suitable in itself, as that's for a wall).

I've made access hatches in T&G wall boards in bath panels, by planing off the tongue as appropriate and glueing boards together, and it looked fine, virtually undetectable. Would be easy to do similar with laminate flooring I'd have thought, although personally I've never fitted it.

David

[Owain]

You can get "stage floor boxes" for use in office floors to carry electrical wiring, they have a recessed panel in the lid where matching laminate or carpet can be slid in.

it's only a small hole that's needed and the cover need not be loadbearing, then teh cable access hatches used on desk tops could be adapted.

Owain