Carpentry & Joinery

Loft hatch fitting is 1cm too narrow in width on one end. Loft hatch door won't close.

Anonymous user 28/02/2024 - 3.00 PM

I bought a new loft hatch door and when installing it, the plastic surround was a tight squeeze on one end where the lock/catch is. It squeezed in enough so that the plastic began to bend, and unfortunately then the loft hatch door would not close. The new loft hatch door has a fitting width size of 56cm. The fitting/hole in the ceiling itself measures approx 56cm one one end, but closer to 55cm on the other end, so I don't have a perfect rectangle in the ceiling/timber frame. Very frustrating that the new hatch won't close, by only by millimetres either side of the narrower end. The old loft hatch (cracked and yellowed which is why I am replacing it) has a fitting size of 55cm width, which is why it originally fit inside both the regular and narrower end of the hole. How can the new loft hatch be installed? Is it possible to chisel or plane by 1cm (or 5mm on each side) the joists on the narrower end? If so, there is another obstacle. There is currently a metal mesh sheet on both sides of the loft hatch fitting which is presumably nailed in at the point where two joists join. Is it possible to chisel behind this instead or somehow make this very slightly narrower end wider? If not, will I need to get a custom loft hatch? The one I bought is 562mm x 726mm, but I can't find anything that is 550mm x 726mm Any advice is welcome. Thank you.