Secret Doors

J

jmbfestool

Member
Joined
Jan 9, 2009
Messages
6,646
I landed on this job not to far from me.  I got a call from a woman who said I was recommended by a few people who knew me which always good to hear.   She said she has this joiner who is struggling at the moment to keep up in front of the other trades men because the second joiner had left because he was moving away.  

Well I had a look and it's a pretty big house.  I told her I'm a little busy but she said it's okay if I can just come when ever I want  so it's a kinda turned into a hospital job for me.

Anyway to the point aswell as doing general joinery she wants me to do the bits she feels I should do one of them being a secret door and making some units/built ins.  

I have done a few secret doors  but I was wondering how other people have done secret  doors.    This one I believe she just wants it to look like the wall. So I was wondering what type of hinges or something else you've used in the past.

I have used a pivot point top and bottom and I have used SOSS hinges

Jmb
 
Thank you any way  and yes I have seen it.  

I am going to suggest some sort of shelving with a surround as that is only way for it to be completely secret.    

I dont know untill I next time go to the job if she wants it totally secret or just discreet so just blends with the wall as she was saying she just wanted a door and said it can be made out of MDF and just painted like the wall.     I didnt go into much detail at the time as she was showing me EVERYTHING around the house and I only just popped up quickly to see the job dats all as she was more bothered about doing stuff down stairs first as the plasters where coming to do down stairs  but she just showed me some of the other jobs any way.

I have just done a quick sketch up  at the the grey are the walls of course and thats how it is alterations can be made has it has not been plasterboarded yet.   Its a small opening any way and its low height door also has sloping ceiling behind the door so its not a proper access door its just another way into that area.  

So doing something like Gary would only make the opening even smaller and I dont think the opening can afford being any smaller  you might have to then walk through it sideways lol.  

The Yellow section is the door and the white is the skirting (baseboard)  and the red it the pivot point which is 45 mm away from the adjacent  wall as I made a mistake with a secret door before! It worked brilliantly and then I fixed skirting on the wall and the door wouldnt open OOPS!  So the Pivot point needs to be atleast two thickness of the baseboard away to allow for the skirting on the wall AND for the skirting on the actual door AND half the thickness of the door

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JMB
 
Any one use these before?   *These*

They seem perfect for the job and they move out on a gear as you turn the door how durable are they?   They say they will do a 36inch door this door is only like 26 inch when I looked at it I didnt measure

Also how do you remove the door?  Looking at the diagram once you release the set screws the top pivot goes up because of the spring and the bottom will go down because of gravity  so how would I reverse this to remove the door if I need to make minor adjustment or just need to remove the door in the future!

JMB
 
SRSemenza said:
jmbfestool said:
This seems a better option for my situation?  Im talking to my self here lol! Funny!

Pivot Hinge
Click to expand...

Got it figured out yet ?  ;D

Seth
Click to expand...

lol  [embarassed]  

Im loving all the feedback and help!    

----------------------------------------------------------

The last one I linked cost  £77 which is alot for something so simple with no adjustment at all!  
A Little expensive but does look well made

A good alternative  I think a lot better!  If I was to get two top and bottom it would allow me to easily adjust the door the suite!  and its alot cheaper I can get TWO for  £36 I could do two doors with the for less than the above!

Cheaper and Better?

I just need to add a few washer or something to give a clearance gap on the bottom?

JMB
 
JMB,

Maybe it is because many of us have never done hidden doors.  I have been doing this almost thirty years and have never done one.

But it is amusing to see you talking to yourself  [big grin].

Peter
 
Peter said:
JMB,

Maybe it is because many of us have never done hidden doors.  I have been doing this almost thirty years and have never done one.

But it is amusing to see you talking to yourself  [big grin].

Peter
Click to expand...

lol Im laughing to my self as well as talking to my self lol

haahaa

I have done umm 10 secret doors    3 different ways

1. SOSS hinge    I think they are very expensive AND are a pain as they have no adjustment so I find the other brands which are very similar to SOSS hinges but have adjustment are better but never used them  and they cost even more!

2. Got a loads of metal  plates with holes and pins  made especially,  it was the Formans idea but I also found that very difficult to get the doors bang on especially the doors which where 2600mm high they where heavy.

3. I used normal Butt hinges and using a normal plain door I made and fixed a cupboard and shelves to it (this was my first ever secret door)  what I know now I would of made if very differently but still it worked fine I built wardrobes on the other side which hide the door form the other side.

Ill see if I can find pictures of these to post if any one is interested if not ill just post them and look at them my self  heehee.

JMB
 
Deansocial said:
what about floor springs? maybe too epensive but door will shut itself
Click to expand...

Link?    I think I kno wa u mean I have looked at some they are about £200 or more?

 
i'll talk to you but we'll have less of this friend business!!!

yeah they are expensive, hafele do 1 for 100quid but they discontinued half the bit by the looks of things
 
In terms of installing/removing pivot hinged doors-
I've DIYed some pivot hinges for beveled edge doors, they were actually like giant shutters over windows but door-size and same concept.  The fronts are perfectly flat/seamless and they attached through the back- mine were like 1 1/2" thick or so but you could do this on a 3/4" panel by routing out for it.  I used round steel rod bent into an L, which acted as the pin and locked the door into place.  I used sealed round (skateboard!) bearings set into the window sill and the bottom and top of the door.  Since the appearance of the back of the door really didn't matter on mine I just attached a plate over the whole opening in the door to keep the L from swinging out when the door was opened, but I'm sure a nicer looking method could be engineered.  This might sound confusing;  think of one of those door bolts that flip down into a set position when locked so that they can't be shaken open.  These were full size doors and worked flawlessly.  Magnets for keeping them closed.
 
FINALY Thousands of photos later I found my first ever secret door! I still need to try and find the other secret doors but im a little fed up looking lol!  Any way  I only just finished my 2 year apprenticeship so have mercy! 

The Forman had left me two it on the job as he went on Holliday for a week and he gave me the keys and security code and told me all the jobs I had to do which was like a months work just for me and  left me a list to let the other 6 joiners know what they needed to do if they finished what they where working on and make sure every one had all the materials they needed! It was fun! 

Any way! So I decided I wanted to work on this secret door well umm looking back at it I wouldnt split the door like I did I would do it like a full size door opening I dont know what I was thinking at the time!

I wasn't like I am now and go on the internet researching all the time to make sure I know what I am doing and making sure Im doing it the best possible way!  So I didnt have a clue how it was done back then I wish I did go on the internet and looked how other did secret doors  Oh Well!!

Pictures!

I did everything in the bathroom I made the Units I made the secret door and built the ward drobes on the other side to hide the door.

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Door Missing I had finished making it yet sorry!  Cnt find a picture with the knobs and door on
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JMB   What a unique thing to do , It is really great the way the door opens up and it makes the bathroom look great.
This was a great venture on your part. Good work as far as I a concerned.

Sal
 
Sal @ Theshipstore said:
JMB   What a unique thing to do , It is really great the way the door opens up and it makes the bathroom look great.
This was a great venture on your part. Good work as far as I a concerned.

Sal
Click to expand...

Thank you. 
 
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