Aubrey Nelson
Learn more about how to install a hidden door within a wall in today's post! This project reminds me, a bit, of our scuttle attic door in the fact that we have an old house and, with older houses, you have to just find ways to make things work. Someone, somewhere, might have slightly different takes on what each of these are but in our research on adding a hidden door to our house, we took them to all be the same. As we narrowed down ideas, we wanted to make sure to include his vision in the planning and implementation process.
As adults, my husband and I knew that the hidden doorway would be a feature that would be a pain to try to implement and one that wouldn't last that long as a fun place to "hang" because of the age of our kiddo. We also knew that a hidden door wasn't a bad idea longterm because it could hide a storage area for us.
We approached the idea to hide a door within the wall with the thought that it would bring a huge smile to our kid's face as well as fit for the future by being an aesthetically pleasing way to not see another traditional door that hides a storage room. It was honestly quite a process to figure out how to do the DIY hidden door, for a few reasons, so I thought I'd walk you through the brainstorming process first and then get to the hidden door hardware and more in a bit!
Also, the door needed to open outward so that the storage unit could be more usable.
Honestly, searching for the right hinges that would work for our door style, depth, etc., was super tricky.
The goal was to get the secret door aligned flush with the wall and typical hinges will show (on whatever side the door opens to) so we needed special hinges that would be hidden. What we ended up using was a combination of 12v electrical components that would provide a strong latch, without needing any extra closing room for the door.
We ended up using two of these latches in combination with this wireless switch and this power supply. Figuring out the correct combination of components took a bit of research, but these seem to work well together.
Let me give you the full supply list and then I'll share more about how we actually made the secret door behind the staircase!
Place door in opening, and mark hinge holes on frame Dry-fit hinges and make sure there's room for planking on door to clear I tried to up the contrast on the photos a bit so you could see the line of the door but, in person, it's really not noticeable at all.
We haven't had a single person notice that there's a secret door in our house until we point it out. If you are looking for more resources for modern hidden door ideas, etc., I though this was good article on issues that you might have and price point for hiring a project like this out.
The goal of writing this tutorial was to give you ideas for making a hide out room of your own. It was hard to find supplies that would make our secret door work.
We spent quite a bit of money trying out different hinges and locks, so take what works out of our project and combine it with other tutorials for your secret passageway.
