What is a Trapdoor?
A trapdoor is a horizontal door inset into a floor or ceiling. Trapdoors may be hinged, or they may slide on casters, rollers, or rails, depending on the design. There are all sorts of uses for trapdoors, ranging from access to attic spaces to creating disappearing illusions on a stage. Many people associate trapdoors specifically with hiding places and secret passages. Trapdoors are often installed in homes with drop ceilings, allowing people to open the trapdoor to access storage space. In many cases, the design also includes a fold-out ladder which will drop down when the trapdoor is opened, so that users can easily climb up unto the crawl space. Trapdoors are also installed in floors to create access to basement storage. As a general rule, they are built at the same time as the rest of the structure, as cutting in a trapdoor can be messy and challenging. These doors can also have more novel uses, as well. For example, some people install trapdoors in the floors of houseboats to all
