Customizing your Access Panels: from Tiny Tweaks to Special Solutions

ByAdmin
Of the 60,000+ access panels BAUCO manufactured last year, more than half of them were customized to solve a contractor’s problem. Here’s how it works:

Non-standard sizes

Non-standard framing is a frequent challenge with renovations and refits. BAUCO can provide custom sizes with no upcharge and no additional lead time, allowing contractors to work with what they’ve got, without running costly changes or losing time to rebuild non-standard framing.

“Some of the framing was done to odd measures like 29” or 58”. But the access panels could all be customized.” – Jim Ovady, Sea-Dar Construction, Boston

BAUCO worked alongside Fraser Mcintosh at Mcintosh Construction Group (MCG) on the Point Grey Private Hospital. We were able to accommodate the many custom sizes (8×36, 12×36, 12×44, 12×48, 18×36, etc.) along with the standard sizes that were needed. The project was running on a very tight schedule, and reframing openings was not an option. We also sent one door with a paint-ready finish in the initial order, to see if that would speed up the installation. It worked like a charm! All subsequent orders were customized with the paint-ready option, and the time saved kept things moving efficiently on site. 

Reconfiguring doors for non-standard applications

Sometimes you can’t avoid providing access in tricky places. Perhaps the area has a custom finish that needs to be continuous. Perhaps the location won’t work nicely with a standard size or shape. BAUCO works with contractors to customize the layout, the hardware, and in some cases the operation of our panels to meet these challenges. Custom inlays, finishes, hinging orientation, and hardware configurations allow for the access to work with the surrounding design rather than forcing the design to be compromised for the access. Prominent locations in particular deserve a virtually invisible access panel. Our products minimize the disruption to the finish and maximize the customization possibilities, so you don’t have to compromise the design or the function. 

Extreme sizes

Whether you need a panel that’s small enough for a hand to reach through to a shutoff valve, or big enough to remove an HVAC unit, BAUCO has you covered. We build access panels from 6 inches to 60 feet. Very large openings can be fitted with multiple leaves to provide crossbar-free access.

Unusual shapes

Our Rondo access panel is designed for circular access, but BAUCO has also built notched, angled, triangular, octagonal, rhomboid, T-shaped, L-shaped, and other non-standard shapes to match surrounding design details.

Custom substrates

BAUCO can configure panels to integrate into varied substrates and supply panels with custom inlays to match. For example: imperial blueboard for a plaster finish, plywood inlay for facing with wood veneer, tile backer for tile finishing, and double layer or acoustic board inlay for areas with sound transmission concerns.

We saved the day for Acentech, a firm that specializes in acoustic performing spaces: Construction was well underway on a unique music facility when it was determined that in some areas, access doors would be required for HVAC and fire safety systems (much to the dismay of the acoustic engineers). The contractors on site recommended two brands but these were rejected by Acentech’s Director of Architectural Acoustics, who stipulated that, “If access panels are unavoidable in these music rooms, they must be an acoustical product such as BAUCO Plus II. Use the version with two layers of gypsum board.” Custom size BAUCO Plus II access panels with a double drywall inlay were created for this very specific application.

And that’s not all. Consider these innovative solutions:

  • Panels with trimmed openings in the door for AV cables to pass through
  • Access panels with modified frames that allow installation abutting the adjacent wall or ceiling
  • Modified hinge and latch mechanisms to allow for extra-thick facing material
  • Custom backing to secure light fixtures or other material directly to the access panel
  • An internal release handle to allow the panel to be opened from the back. (We did this for one client to allow access from behind to a storefront display area.)

Customizing the product is only part of what we do. We can also customize our service to meet your needs.  

  • Need custom submittal drawings? We’ll provide them.
  • Running out of time? We’ll squeeze in a rush job to meet your deadline.
  • We’ll crate shipments by project floor and label them by building location.
  • We’ll stagger deliveries to minimize storage requirements and maximize your workflow

Name your problem, and we’ll help you solve it. We’ve got plenty of tricks up our sleeves

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