Making a betonplex floor door yourself
Floor hatches come in several varieties. They close off the crawl space to the ground floor and are often located directly behind the front door of a house. In many cases, the doormat is placed over the opening of the floor hatch. The floor hatch must be easy to use, but above all it must keep moisture and cold out of the ground. You can buy a ready-made floor hatch, but you can also buy a piece Have concrete plywood cut to size by us and finish it yourself with insulating material. This way you have a neat floor hatch at an affordable price in no time. We are happy to tell you more about it.
Customised floor door
The crawl space provides ventilation and for the routing of pipes of, for example, gas, water and electricity. Ventilation in a house is necessary to get rid of condensation of ground moisture. If you buy a modern house, a crawl space - as we know it - is no longer always necessary. Properly insulating a crawl space is very important for a pleasant temperature in the house, because the heat stays inside longer. It also keeps your energy bill down, which is a big advantage!
Concrete plywood best choice for crawlspace hatch
A material that is very suitable for making your own crawl hatch is Phenolic Plywood. The material is very suitable for making your own crawlspace. After all, you walk over it several times a day. The sheet material also has to be moisture-resistant because of the high humidity under the house. Betonplex is very suitable for this kind of intensive use. The top and bottom of the sheet do not have to be worked on because of the plastic layer that is pressed onto it, but the ends of concreteplex do. The synthetic layer is very strong and waterproof. Concreteplex is available in several varieties, but Plywood hardwood and Birch are the most suitable for a crawl hatch. Want to order the material? Choose a thickness from 18 mm.
Birch: most suitable board material for outdoor use
Birch wood is naturally very strong and easy to work with. The veneer layers of birch wood can therefore be made extra thin. Birch plywood panels therefore consist of more layers than other types of wood. This makes birch betonplex boards stronger and flatter than other betonplex boards. Because the veneer layers are glued moisture-resistant, the glue will not come off in humid conditions.
Tropical hardwood; not suitable for outdoor use, but can be used in damp spaces
The wood connoisseurs among us may ask themselves: "But can't hardwood resist moisture better than birch? It is true that hardwood can resist moisture better than birch, but hardwood betonplex consists of fewer layers than birch betonplex. Because of the hard wood, the layers are thicker and therefore there is more tension on the plate. At Plywood hardwood several kinds of tropical hardwood are used. The wood will therefore work more at varying humidity and temperature. This is why hardwood betonplex is not suitable for outdoor applications, but it is suitable for damp spaces, because it is glued WBP.
Machining of the ends
The ends of concrete plywood should be worked to prevent moisture from entering the wood. It extends the life of the crawl door, which is nice. Therefore, work the ends with an edge sealant for good protection of the material!
Non-slip concrete plywood
Anti-skid concrete plywood: The name says it all. Where other types of concreteplex are very smooth, betonplex antislip has a rough layer on one side, making it less slippery. Handy for under the doormat, to prevent the mat from moving during use.
View Anti-skid Concrete Plywood
Have a floor door cut to size
Now that you know all you need to know about the right material, you can order your customised Phenolic Plywood from TOSIZE.be with confidence. It is advisable to measure the required dimensions of the floor door carefully. There are standard sizes for a floor door.
Dimension of crawl hatch
The purpose of the crawl hatch is to seal off the crawl space and to be able to open it when necessary. It should be large enough for an adult to crawl through. The space is between 70 and 80 cm high. The thickness of a crawl hatch is between 18 and 20 mm. Standard dimensions are:
- 495 mm x 595 mm
- 495 mm x 695 mm
- 500 mm x 700 mm
- 495 mm x 795 mm
- 595 mm x 795 mm
- 595 mm x 895 mm
The big advantage of TOSIZE.be is that you can order the material directly in the right size, which means that the floor shutter is automatically exactly the right size! That is really handy!
Insulating a plywood crawl hatch
To keep cold and moisture under the floor, it is good to insulate the betonplex crawlspace. This can be done in various ways, for example by gluing insulation material to the concrete plywood. Styrofoam is very suitable for this and it is easy to apply with polymer kit. Apply the kit generously and then push the polystyrene foam firmly against the betonplex.
You attach weather strips to the edges of the crawlspace, near the mat edges. This way you make sure that even there, there is no room for cold air to escape along the crawl hatch. A matomoulding is available in steel, stainless steel or brass. This matomould can also be ordered separately and to size. In most cases it is already installed during the construction of a house, so that you do not have to worry about it yourself.
