How to Camouflage an Access Door In Your Shower

Access doors are an important part of any building. They allow access to the underlying building construction for repairs, inspection, and upgrades. However, sometimes they are placed in less than ideal locations.

An access door in a shower area is not exactly desirable, but it is essential. As plumbing and water controls run behind a shower, access in case of emergency or repairs is essential. For example, if a pipe bursts or develops a leak behind the shower, you need a way to access it that doesn’t involve tearing down the shower or any adjacent walls.

The challenge is installing the access door in the shower area so that it doesn’t stand out or become an eyesore. Fortunately, with a little imagination and ingenuity, you can camouflage an access door in a bathroom so you’ll hardly notice it’s there.

Build A Cabinet Around The Access Door

One common approach to installing a hidden access door is placing it in back of a cabinet. The access door or panel is installed normally, and then a cabinet is built around it to camouflage it.

This doesn’t require much carpentry work either. It is entirely possible to take a pre-built cabinet with proper measurements and simply cut the back out before mounting it. Cabinets without shelving are readily available, making it easy to install a cabinet that won’t obstruct the access door itself when you need to open it.

It it also possible to install an access door or panel in back of an existing cabinet. However, you will have to remove shelving or stored items if you ever need to use the access door. Depending on how your shower and bathroom are set up, you may have a cabinet in a proper location already that isn’t being used that would make an ideal access point.

Blend The Access Door Into The Decoration So It Doesn’t Stand Out

Cabinets and small doors are not out of place in showers or bathrooms. Every bathroom has storage places for needed tools such as plungers, cleaning agents, and the like. Instead of hiding an access door away, another approach is to blend it into the existing decoration.

You can easily paint an access door or panel so that it fits the room’s colors. A plain metal door stands out in a room with earth tones, but it is much less noticeable if it is painted to match. You can also take an indirect approach and hang a picture over an access door if possible that compliments the room.

Read the rest of this article on the WB Doors blog here: http://www.wbdoors.com/blog-layout/how-to-camoflauge-your-access-door-for-your-shower