Inspection hatch in P5 - how do you do it?

[Digmixfill]

I'm wanting to put an access hatch/opening in my P5 flooring in each room. As each board is going to be glued and screwed I'm wondering how best to implement the hatch.

 

Do I cut out the hole before fitting, or omit some glue and cut a piece out later?

[ProDave]

Cut the hatch as you go.  Make the hatch a full board width and cut half the tongue off so it can lift out.  It it runs joist to joist that's your ends supported as well.

[Onoff]

What's the hatch for? Big, small?

 

I've got this kit:

 

 

(Bloke makes it look hard work but then he is using a DeWalt drill!)

 

Edited July 1, 2021 by Onoff

[Digmixfill]

9 hours ago, ProDave said:

cut half the tongue off so it can lift out.

 

Do you mean cut the lower half of the groove side off?

I can't quite see how removing half of the tongue helps in lifting the board.

 

8 hours ago, Onoff said:

What's the hatch for? Big, small?

I'm thinking that after the plaster board is on the ceiling I'm bound to realise I need to route something else under the floor.

A hatch in each room should allow me to fish things through.

[markc]

I think it was supposed to say groove not tongue

[Digmixfill]

9 minutes ago, markc said:

I think it was supposed to say groove not tongue

I was hoping that was the case and not me being rather thick and not understanding.

[ProDave]

1 hour ago, Digmixfill said:

 

Do you mean cut the lower half of the groove side off?

I can't quite see how removing half of the tongue helps in lifting the board.

 

I'm thinking that after the plaster board is on the ceiling I'm bound to realise I need to route something else under the floor.

A hatch in each room should allow me to fish things through.

At the back edge, the tongue and groove is intact so you slot the groove of the hatch into the fixed tongue of the adjacent board.

 

Then, to get the hatch to drop down, you will find the tongue that sticks out stops it dropping down, so you cut the front off the tongue until it does drop down into place

 

I don't have a picture, but I have done it many times.

[Digmixfill]

That makes it clearer. Thank you.

 

Started carrying the boards up the ladder to the first floor tonight. Will get to creating the first hatch soon.

I'm favouring somewhere central for it. Any reasons not to have it centrally?

[Digmixfill]

First part of flooring is in place. In case it helps anyone else in a future search the hatches are like this:

 

 

 

And to aid lid movement I chamfered the front edge of the lid: