skip to main content
Photos
Photos
Advice
Stories From Houzz
Houzz Discussions
Houzz Research
Sign In
Houzz Logo Print
Explore Discussions
FlooringDesign DilemmaHallways
christian_browne89

Cellar Door & Lobby Conundrum

CB
2 years ago

Hi,

Appreciate any feedback and advice here.

The lobby of my house has a cellar door and this area is currently unfinished. Before a normal lobby doorway into the house there is a metal expanding security gate, and the hallway beyond is laid with parquet flooring.

I'd like to have the entire lobby tiled with patterned tiles and have seen several cellar door specialists offering tray doors which can be tiled, but these typically have a metal border which will obviously disrupt the "aesthetic" I'm hoping to achieve.


I've deployed my extensive MS Paint skills to create the attached, which hopefully better explains what I was hoping to achieve. The orange shaded area would be a fixed row of tiles and the blue shading would be a single section of lifting "tray" which would be fully tiled. the existing cellar door could stay in this scenario. Has anyone attempted something similar or am I asking for the moon on a stick?!


Cheers


Chris


Featured Answer
  • CB
    Original Author
    last year

    Hi,


    Just to close off this thread in case it helps someone else, my lobby & cellar door has been completed.


    WIth thanks to HU-307941963 who recommended the hatch, which led me here:


    https://sanluk.eu/en/floor-access-hatch-newhatch-70x100-p


    The purchase/supply experience was great and the hatch is a very solid build quality.


    I found a local tiler who specialises in period mozaic tiling and thankfully the challenge appealed (I'm not sure he'd have taken the job otherwise tbh!). Given what I wanted to achieve he gave me a series of options that could work (tile dimensions, borders etc) and we decided on a monchrome design which tied in with the external steps.




    Which gives us:





    The hatch really is disguised very well and I'm very happy with the outcome.


    Thanks for looking and for the contrinbutors to this thread.



    Comments (16)

    • temple274
      2 years ago

      I see exactly what you mean. You can always see the rim of those metal tile trays. However, looking at it I think that tiling the hatch would make for some pretty heavy lifting, even if you only access the cellar irregularly. It's not what you envisage, but you could use cut to fit coir doormat for the whole trap door area and match the rest of the floor to the existing. Even coir mat is quite heavy and would need shifting for access, but better that than interrupting the tile pattern. I suppose a custom made tile frame could be designed to fit the width of the grout lines of your choice of tile so it could house whole tiles and cause the least disruption visually. The more I think as I write, the more I feel it might work. Does the aesthetic matter more than the cost? On balance if it were my floor I might go down that route as aesthetics matter a great deal to me too.

    • Vicky Pow
      2 years ago

      I agree that the tray will probably look disruptive! At my old house we Lino’d over the hatch as we never went down there.

    • CB
      Original Author
      2 years ago

      Thanks for taking the time to reply on Christmas Eve!

      Cost is of course important but if I’m going down the tiling route I’d rather have an uninterrupted layout.

      Not keen on coir, but that has been suggested that elsewhere.

      We’re definitely going to be using the cellar, access required probably once a week at a guess.

    • pjdklm
      2 years ago

      Your idea is lovely from an aesthetic viewpoint. There are a few things to consider from a functional standpoint…1) The cover will be the combined weight of the tiles plus the underlying supporting floor 2)If it’s not hinged, you’ll need a place to set it down when you lift it 3) Making sure the base tray won’t flex when moved and cause the tiles to crack. Could using vinyl tiles be an option? That would help reduce the weight and damage concerns.

    • CB
      Original Author
      2 years ago

      Thanks - yes, the weight issue has been at the forefront of my thoughts, but from research there are some really innovative lifting solutions (more £ of course) with glass door units which must weigh a lot.

      Originally I was thinking of a lift-out solution but I think the weight issue put pays to that. I hope some clever hinging could make the “door” idea work.

      I think perhaps taking the advice of a tiler and working backwards from there might be the best option. I have a couple of enquiries underway with specialist cellar door companies but am keen to consider all ideas.

    • HU-307941963
      2 years ago

      Looks like these can be tiled and hold up to 1000 kg https://www.amazon.co.uk/Manhole-Cover-Hinges-Inspection-Access/

    • HU-307941963
      2 years ago

      Manhole Cover 600mm x 900mm P (Hinges Side) Inspection Hatch, Loft Hatch, Access Panel Floor Hatch https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07ZXBCBJL/ref=cm_sw_r_awdo_navT_a_ETMDMWXQ9Y0CGAG63AKE

    • CB
      Original Author
      2 years ago

      That looks really interesting, thank you. The example picture of tiling achieves a discrete install like I’m after, and uses the tile positioning mentioned by a previous poster.

    • HU-307941963
      2 years ago

      I hope you find a suitable solution. It would be great to see what you do!

    • Wumi
      2 years ago

      I would be more worried about the weight and look into a pneumatic/motorised system for safety reasons.

    • tab darcy
      2 years ago

      I'd look into getting tile patterned sheet vinyl (aka lino) glued onto a thin sheet of board, hinge it to the right of your photo so it goes against the wall when in use. Your actuall access hatch could be under this and meet fire, insulation and weight bearing regulations.

    • CB
      Original Author
      2 years ago

      Thanks for the feedback and suggestions.

      If possible I do want to keep with the tiling idea but recognise the challenges this will present - particularly in terms of weight and positioning.

    • CB
      Original Author
      2 years ago

      Hi,


      A small bump for 2022. I have contacted a couple of specialists in cellar door installation and the hatch offered by Amazon as suggested here looks like it could achieve a more blended install without the typical stainless border.

    • Catherine
      last year

      Wow that’s fantastic!!

    • User
      last year

      Brilliant 👏

    Sponsored

    Reload the page to not see this specific ad anymore

    More Discussions
    How would you lay out this bathroom?
    10
    Interior Material Clash?
    0
    Interior Design Classes April to June 2024
    0
    Help, do i cancel the windows order
    1
    Tiles for open plan space
    5
    Ireland
    Tailor my experience with cookies

    Houzz uses cookies and similar technologies to personalise my experience, serve me relevant content, and improve Houzz products and services. By clicking ‘Accept’ I agree to this, as further described in the Houzz Cookie Policy. I can reject non-essential cookies by clicking ‘Manage Preferences’.