# That Hole in the Floor



## craftsman on the lake (Dec 27, 2008)

*The Trap door framing and mechanism*

I've remodeled the entire house. Always a work in progress but mostly done. Ripped out walls, replaced paneling with sheetrock/paint, replaced carpets with hardwood floors, I made new kitchen cabinets, all moldings… etc. I've blogged most of it as I went along.

The hole in the ground:
We have a cellar that takes up about half the floor area of the house. The rest is a slab. It is a washroom, storage, houses the hot water tank, pump tank, etc. It's finished off pretty nice, tiled floor, malemine wallboard and good lighting but it's not used much. With just the wife and I these days, we need to access it about once a week to get down to wash the clothes.

I was going to make a pretty staircase railing out of cherry and maple then got to thinking. That floor space (which is in short supply in this retirement cottage by the lake) is wasted as just a hole in the ground with a railing around it. A rail would look nice but would be a waste. Hence the trap door.

I started out by thinking of a motorized unit would be a good idea. I actually made one with a geared down motor from a lincoln. It's used to move the seat back and forth. I devised a worm gear and screw with pillow blocks and actually got it to work…. slowly but it worked. Look closely and you can see it (disconnected) at the far end of the door opening).

I decided that a hydraulic piston would assist it. I looked at the hatch lift one on my chevy tahoe and ordered one just like it. When I put it on I found that it made the hatch light as a feather both closing and opening. You can lift it with one finger…. well maybe two fingers. In the end I'm going to remove the mechanism and just use the piston lift.








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The thing is made with U shaped channel surrounded by angle iron. It has a full stainless piano hinge and sits both hinge side and the opposite side on an angle iron bolted to the walls. You can see one of them here. It also has an oak board under the angle for added strength. It will be covered with the same oak flooring that is on the rest of the floor. When closed it will show as a door but will blend in nicely.








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Made possible by the fact that I'm from a family of welders. Something we learned at an early age. Comes in mighty handy at times.
The channel is 12" on center. I tested it by placing it on two horses and jumping up and down on it. Should be fine if a couple of people walk over it together I'd think.


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## Karson (May 9, 2006)

deceiver said:


> *The Trap door framing and mechanism*
> 
> I've remodeled the entire house. Always a work in progress but mostly done. Ripped out walls, replaced paneling with sheetrock/paint, replaced carpets with hardwood floors, I made new kitchen cabinets, all moldings… etc. I've blogged most of it as I went along.
> 
> ...


Very nice modification


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## richmeijer (May 27, 2017)

deceiver said:


> *The Trap door framing and mechanism*
> 
> I've remodeled the entire house. Always a work in progress but mostly done. Ripped out walls, replaced paneling with sheetrock/paint, replaced carpets with hardwood floors, I made new kitchen cabinets, all moldings… etc. I've blogged most of it as I went along.
> 
> ...


Hi,

Nice Work!!!

My brother and I want to do this as a gift for our Father - can you give me an idea of pricing, and the best place to get materials?

Thanks,

Rich


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## craftsman on the lake (Dec 27, 2008)

deceiver said:


> *The Trap door framing and mechanism*
> 
> I've remodeled the entire house. Always a work in progress but mostly done. Ripped out walls, replaced paneling with sheetrock/paint, replaced carpets with hardwood floors, I made new kitchen cabinets, all moldings… etc. I've blogged most of it as I went along.
> 
> ...





> Hi,
> 
> Nice Work!!!
> 
> ...


The thing was put together from scratch. Angle Iron welded together, plywood on the inner and outer sides, Oak flooring on the top. 1" pink foam insulation in between. The only things I bought was the continuous hinge and gas lifters on Amazon. Which lifters? I purchased the same two that I had to the hatchback of my Chevy Tahoe because that's a heavy car door and it seemed to lift it easily.


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## craftsman on the lake (Dec 27, 2008)

*The cellar trap door, it works!*

I've finally gotten the door for the cellar to work well. Two chevy tahoe hatch lifts mounted in tandem provide just the right lift to make opening and closing the door a nearly one finger operation. This door probably weighs in at 100+ lbs so these piston lifts were mandatory and boy do they work well. I ordered Tahoe ones because I have a Tahoe and I could take exact measurements on the ones on the SUV before I ordered them from Amazon. They cost about $20 each.
If you wanted to see how the door is made click the first post in this series.

Here is a picture of the door closed. I have yet to put the baseboard on it that will go against the wall. the hinge shows in the lower part of the picture. I recessed it so that very little of the hinge bead is above the wood.








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This is the pricey stainless handle that I installed. At least its very rugged.








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The next two picts are of the hydraulic pistons that assist in opening an closing. They work nicely in that they help you lift when opening yet still catch the weight when closing. I figure the 100+ pound weight of the door is reduced to feel about a couple of pounds.

















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The stainless continuous hinge and short rail that's on the door itself. The hinge has long screws into the oak flooring. Each piece of oak flooring is screwed down and glued to the plywood underneath to ensure it not moving as the hinge opens and closes. Notice the long piece of angle iron lagged to the wall to catch the weight of the hinge side of the door when it's closed.








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The longer part of the railing on the opposite wall, Notice the angle iron lagged onto the wall with a helper oak board beneath it that the door sits on when closed.. I don't want any collapsing into the stairwell going on!








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Closeup of the hinge








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And a short video of it working. I have yet to finish of the staircase. right now it's just the old staircase with the carpet ripped off. It will be finished in oak eventually. A direct link should this one not work for you
.


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## jstegall (Oct 9, 2008)

deceiver said:


> *The cellar trap door, it works!*
> 
> I've finally gotten the door for the cellar to work well. Two chevy tahoe hatch lifts mounted in tandem provide just the right lift to make opening and closing the door a nearly one finger operation. This door probably weighs in at 100+ lbs so these piston lifts were mandatory and boy do they work well. I ordered Tahoe ones because I have a Tahoe and I could take exact measurements on the ones on the SUV before I ordered them from Amazon. They cost about $20 each.
> If you wanted to see how the door is made click the first post in this series.
> ...


This a really go use of creativity. Glad you could come up with a solution and execute it so well.


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## Bigrock (Apr 16, 2010)

deceiver said:


> *The cellar trap door, it works!*
> 
> I've finally gotten the door for the cellar to work well. Two chevy tahoe hatch lifts mounted in tandem provide just the right lift to make opening and closing the door a nearly one finger operation. This door probably weighs in at 100+ lbs so these piston lifts were mandatory and boy do they work well. I ordered Tahoe ones because I have a Tahoe and I could take exact measurements on the ones on the SUV before I ordered them from Amazon. They cost about $20 each.
> If you wanted to see how the door is made click the first post in this series.
> ...


Hi:
The trap door came out well. If the piston go bad they are easy to replace. I really like the hand rail, which is very important. The hatch handle was a very nice touch. I can tell you put a lot of thought in the project to make it come that nice.
Great Project


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## grizzman (May 10, 2009)

deceiver said:


> *The cellar trap door, it works!*
> 
> I've finally gotten the door for the cellar to work well. Two chevy tahoe hatch lifts mounted in tandem provide just the right lift to make opening and closing the door a nearly one finger operation. This door probably weighs in at 100+ lbs so these piston lifts were mandatory and boy do they work well. I ordered Tahoe ones because I have a Tahoe and I could take exact measurements on the ones on the SUV before I ordered them from Amazon. They cost about $20 each.
> If you wanted to see how the door is made click the first post in this series.
> ...


that is pretty snazzy, those lifts you used are the ticket, and the door does fit well as it does look like a part of the floor…the only part i don't like is the having to bend over to pull the door up, i suggest a counter weight that just needs a slight pull to get the door to open…no bending over…besides that i give you a A+....great job


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## Oldtool (May 27, 2012)

deceiver said:


> *The cellar trap door, it works!*
> 
> I've finally gotten the door for the cellar to work well. Two chevy tahoe hatch lifts mounted in tandem provide just the right lift to make opening and closing the door a nearly one finger operation. This door probably weighs in at 100+ lbs so these piston lifts were mandatory and boy do they work well. I ordered Tahoe ones because I have a Tahoe and I could take exact measurements on the ones on the SUV before I ordered them from Amazon. They cost about $20 each.
> If you wanted to see how the door is made click the first post in this series.
> ...


Great design for this door, well thought out, and the craftsmanship is really nice as well.


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## Northwest29 (Aug 1, 2011)

deceiver said:


> *The cellar trap door, it works!*
> 
> I've finally gotten the door for the cellar to work well. Two chevy tahoe hatch lifts mounted in tandem provide just the right lift to make opening and closing the door a nearly one finger operation. This door probably weighs in at 100+ lbs so these piston lifts were mandatory and boy do they work well. I ordered Tahoe ones because I have a Tahoe and I could take exact measurements on the ones on the SUV before I ordered them from Amazon. They cost about $20 each.
> If you wanted to see how the door is made click the first post in this series.
> ...


Dang, that's one serious door, bet it weighs a ton. The hardware should last a very long time. All nicely done-


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## craftsman on the lake (Dec 27, 2008)

deceiver said:


> *The cellar trap door, it works!*
> 
> I've finally gotten the door for the cellar to work well. Two chevy tahoe hatch lifts mounted in tandem provide just the right lift to make opening and closing the door a nearly one finger operation. This door probably weighs in at 100+ lbs so these piston lifts were mandatory and boy do they work well. I ordered Tahoe ones because I have a Tahoe and I could take exact measurements on the ones on the SUV before I ordered them from Amazon. They cost about $20 each.
> If you wanted to see how the door is made click the first post in this series.
> ...


Grizz.. the door lifts with one finger. It would be nice to be able to have it pop up on it's own though. Don't know how I'd do that. Then again it's not used much either. Any ideas without making any huge mechanisms that would show or get in the way?


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## summerhouse (Apr 30, 2016)

deceiver said:


> *The cellar trap door, it works!*
> 
> I've finally gotten the door for the cellar to work well. Two chevy tahoe hatch lifts mounted in tandem provide just the right lift to make opening and closing the door a nearly one finger operation. This door probably weighs in at 100+ lbs so these piston lifts were mandatory and boy do they work well. I ordered Tahoe ones because I have a Tahoe and I could take exact measurements on the ones on the SUV before I ordered them from Amazon. They cost about $20 each.
> If you wanted to see how the door is made click the first post in this series.
> ...


For the Craftsman on the lake. You have a trap door in the floor which is exactly what I need to know about. I have a trap door which is part of a deck(to crawl space) it measures 53w x 46 deep and weighs probably 80-100 lbs. I need to be able to lift it and it will be cut it in half, inserting flush to deck handles on both doors, under the center of the doors a 2×4 or 2×6 with hangars each end so when the door is closed it rests on center beam so it doesn't cave in. Similar vision as a Bilco door. I need hinges that are flat with no hinge sticking up to trip over and am having a hard time finding it. Can you help?
Your idea is great with the piston type lifters and I thought of that but our issue the door needs to be cut in two. Thank you. Thank you. Lois


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## craftsman on the lake (Dec 27, 2008)

deceiver said:


> *The cellar trap door, it works!*
> 
> I've finally gotten the door for the cellar to work well. Two chevy tahoe hatch lifts mounted in tandem provide just the right lift to make opening and closing the door a nearly one finger operation. This door probably weighs in at 100+ lbs so these piston lifts were mandatory and boy do they work well. I ordered Tahoe ones because I have a Tahoe and I could take exact measurements on the ones on the SUV before I ordered them from Amazon. They cost about $20 each.
> If you wanted to see how the door is made click the first post in this series.
> ...


I used a heavy duty piano hinge. The bead of the hinge does stick up a bit on the floor which is no problem for us. I considered routing a rabbet where the door hing would go and sink the hinge lower. That would have put it in the floor. Don't know if this helps.


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## summerhouse (Apr 30, 2016)

deceiver said:


> *The cellar trap door, it works!*
> 
> I've finally gotten the door for the cellar to work well. Two chevy tahoe hatch lifts mounted in tandem provide just the right lift to make opening and closing the door a nearly one finger operation. This door probably weighs in at 100+ lbs so these piston lifts were mandatory and boy do they work well. I ordered Tahoe ones because I have a Tahoe and I could take exact measurements on the ones on the SUV before I ordered them from Amazon. They cost about $20 each.
> If you wanted to see how the door is made click the first post in this series.
> ...


Yes I saw the piano hinge. It was a thought but considering the lift is 7 2×6's, I need a strong hinge. I may have to sink the hinges as you say. Thanks, Lois


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## robscastle (May 13, 2012)

deceiver said:


> *The cellar trap door, it works!*
> 
> I've finally gotten the door for the cellar to work well. Two chevy tahoe hatch lifts mounted in tandem provide just the right lift to make opening and closing the door a nearly one finger operation. This door probably weighs in at 100+ lbs so these piston lifts were mandatory and boy do they work well. I ordered Tahoe ones because I have a Tahoe and I could take exact measurements on the ones on the SUV before I ordered them from Amazon. They cost about $20 each.
> If you wanted to see how the door is made click the first post in this series.
> ...


Daniel Nice work on the trap door.
I had a good look at the pictures and video and it appears you have mounted the units piston up.
Have a read of the note below and see if your orientation assembly is correct.

*Note: *
Mounting Orientation 
If possible, install gas springs so that the piston rod points down in the inactive state - unless they were 
designed for non-orientation specific installation. 
This will ensure optimum lubrication of the guide 
and sealing system at all times. 
No Jamming 
For a long service life, gas springs.

The reason for this is because inside the unit there is oil and pressurised gas if they are orieneted piston up no lubricating oil is on the piston seal as the piston moves in and out.


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## craftsman on the lake (Dec 27, 2008)

deceiver said:


> *The cellar trap door, it works!*
> 
> I've finally gotten the door for the cellar to work well. Two chevy tahoe hatch lifts mounted in tandem provide just the right lift to make opening and closing the door a nearly one finger operation. This door probably weighs in at 100+ lbs so these piston lifts were mandatory and boy do they work well. I ordered Tahoe ones because I have a Tahoe and I could take exact measurements on the ones on the SUV before I ordered them from Amazon. They cost about $20 each.
> If you wanted to see how the door is made click the first post in this series.
> ...





> Daniel Nice work on the trap door.
> I had a good look at the pictures and video and it appears you have mounted the units piston up.
> Have a read of the note below and see if your orientation assembly is correct.
> 
> ...


Yup, there was a reasn for this. With the door open, the bottom end of the piston has to be mounted away from the attachement to the jamb. The further away it's mounted the better lift the piston has. Mine is mounted about 6 inches away. Any longer and we'd hit it with our heads going down. The top (rod end) is mounted about an inch away. The goal was to make it close to the door so the difference would be greater. Thing is, when the door is open the cylinder from the piston would bind against it if I had it mounted on that end as it's thicker. I hope this makes sense. If I were to mount the piston further away, I need to increase the distance from the other end too making it stick out even more.

Now, I could do this and it probably would work out pretty good but that's the way it was in my mind to give the best lift and still not be in the way. You know the old addage. Second time around will be better. But, you're right about the orientation. Maybe someday I'll have to replace it. Not too expensive and they clip on.

Thanks for the comment.


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## Buckbrook (Sep 5, 2016)

deceiver said:


> *The cellar trap door, it works!*
> 
> I've finally gotten the door for the cellar to work well. Two chevy tahoe hatch lifts mounted in tandem provide just the right lift to make opening and closing the door a nearly one finger operation. This door probably weighs in at 100+ lbs so these piston lifts were mandatory and boy do they work well. I ordered Tahoe ones because I have a Tahoe and I could take exact measurements on the ones on the SUV before I ordered them from Amazon. They cost about $20 each.
> If you wanted to see how the door is made click the first post in this series.
> ...


Very nice. I have the same situation and my wife can't lift the door on her own. I'm curious - did you buy the hardware or did you have to make it on your own?

Regards, AJ


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## ancramny (Jun 30, 2017)

deceiver said:


> *The cellar trap door, it works!*
> 
> I've finally gotten the door for the cellar to work well. Two chevy tahoe hatch lifts mounted in tandem provide just the right lift to make opening and closing the door a nearly one finger operation. This door probably weighs in at 100+ lbs so these piston lifts were mandatory and boy do they work well. I ordered Tahoe ones because I have a Tahoe and I could take exact measurements on the ones on the SUV before I ordered them from Amazon. They cost about $20 each.
> If you wanted to see how the door is made click the first post in this series.
> ...


Where did you get the hardware for mounting the Tahoe closers? I have the perfect application for your project but the mounting hardware is something I need also.


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## craftsman on the lake (Dec 27, 2008)

deceiver said:


> *The cellar trap door, it works!*
> 
> I've finally gotten the door for the cellar to work well. Two chevy tahoe hatch lifts mounted in tandem provide just the right lift to make opening and closing the door a nearly one finger operation. This door probably weighs in at 100+ lbs so these piston lifts were mandatory and boy do they work well. I ordered Tahoe ones because I have a Tahoe and I could take exact measurements on the ones on the SUV before I ordered them from Amazon. They cost about $20 each.
> If you wanted to see how the door is made click the first post in this series.
> ...


Do a search for 'tailgate mounting brackets' on Amazon. Everything is on amazon.

Mine are made by me…. A welder is so handy.

Be sure to get the right size ball for your lifters.


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## ancramny (Jun 30, 2017)

deceiver said:


> *The cellar trap door, it works!*
> 
> I've finally gotten the door for the cellar to work well. Two chevy tahoe hatch lifts mounted in tandem provide just the right lift to make opening and closing the door a nearly one finger operation. This door probably weighs in at 100+ lbs so these piston lifts were mandatory and boy do they work well. I ordered Tahoe ones because I have a Tahoe and I could take exact measurements on the ones on the SUV before I ordered them from Amazon. They cost about $20 each.
> If you wanted to see how the door is made click the first post in this series.
> ...


Thank You for the quick reply, much appreciated.


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## BruhaS (Jan 6, 2019)

deceiver said:


> *The cellar trap door, it works!*
> 
> I've finally gotten the door for the cellar to work well. Two chevy tahoe hatch lifts mounted in tandem provide just the right lift to make opening and closing the door a nearly one finger operation. This door probably weighs in at 100+ lbs so these piston lifts were mandatory and boy do they work well. I ordered Tahoe ones because I have a Tahoe and I could take exact measurements on the ones on the SUV before I ordered them from Amazon. They cost about $20 each.
> If you wanted to see how the door is made click the first post in this series.
> ...


Can you please tell me where you got the hydraulic lift arm from or what brand it is? Thank you


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## HatchLiftQuest (Sep 4, 2019)

deceiver said:


> *The cellar trap door, it works!*
> 
> I've finally gotten the door for the cellar to work well. Two chevy tahoe hatch lifts mounted in tandem provide just the right lift to make opening and closing the door a nearly one finger operation. This door probably weighs in at 100+ lbs so these piston lifts were mandatory and boy do they work well. I ordered Tahoe ones because I have a Tahoe and I could take exact measurements on the ones on the SUV before I ordered them from Amazon. They cost about $20 each.
> If you wanted to see how the door is made click the first post in this series.
> ...


Hi, Great work! How did you select the gas struts? I'm working on a similar project that requires a single point to mount the strut(s). I wondered how you made the choice to use two struts on a single mount? 
Thanks
James


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## craftsman on the lake (Dec 27, 2008)

deceiver said:


> *The cellar trap door, it works!*
> 
> I've finally gotten the door for the cellar to work well. Two chevy tahoe hatch lifts mounted in tandem provide just the right lift to make opening and closing the door a nearly one finger operation. This door probably weighs in at 100+ lbs so these piston lifts were mandatory and boy do they work well. I ordered Tahoe ones because I have a Tahoe and I could take exact measurements on the ones on the SUV before I ordered them from Amazon. They cost about $20 each.
> If you wanted to see how the door is made click the first post in this series.
> ...





> Hi, Great work! How did you select the gas struts? I m working on a similar project that requires a single point to mount the strut(s). I wondered how you made the choice to use two struts on a single mount?
> Thanks
> James
> 
> - HatchLiftQuest


Boy, this was posted 5 yrs ago! The struts and door are still working btw.

Guesswork.. I went out to my chevy tahoe and looked at those. They lifted a heavy back hatch to the vehicle so I ordered some. They came in pairs. I put one on and it didn't seem like enough so I added the second. So you can see that it was a fingers crossed thing where I guessed right. I'm not sure what their rated at but an amazon search for a 2000 chevy tahoe rear hatch gas lifts should help you decide.
Hope this helps.


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