How To: Create Secret Staircases with Lever Actuated Trapdoors in Minecraft

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If you're anything like the typical Minecrafter, then you've got a few secrets to hide. Maybe it's valuable commodities like diamonds, ore, or cake. Maybe it's your secret potions lair. Whatever the case may be, where's a better place to hide your goodies than an underground hideout accessible from a super secret passageway?

Use the guide below to learn how to create your own secret stairway!

Step 1 Create Your Piston Trapdoor

First, build your stairway. Cut a 4x2 hole on one side of your stairway, as seen below.

Next, place four pistons two blocks from your stairs. I've changed the color of the blocks that will be moved, but you can make them anything you want. Be sure to make your staircase start one block below ground level.

Place four redstone repeaters behind your pistons. Set each delay from lowest to highest, nearest to farthest, as seen from the following angle. Place redstone behind them running in sequence. 

Dig a hole three blocks wide and one block deep and place a repeater inside. This repeater MUST be at its highest delay setting. You can tell because the torches are farthest apart. Place a level on top to receive power from the repeater. 

Now when you hit the lever, the trap door will open and close.

Step 2 Create a Disappearing Top Stair

The hidden staircase might be complete with just a trap door, but that's boring. Your secret stair case needs more. Dig several blocks below your lever and place a line of redstone wire underneath it running to a repeater. This repeater needs to be open all the way.

Run restone wire from this repeater to a block. On the opposite side of the block, place a redstone torch.

Here you need to find your second to first stairs. These will be the second stair descending and the second to last ascending.

Remove your top stair for now and remove the blocks below where it would go. Now remove two to the right of your top stair, as seen below. The place where the top stair would go in my staircase is indicated here by a light blue wool block.

At this point the lever above must NOT be activated in order for this to work properly.

In the block farthest to the right, place a sticky piston facing the stairs. Next to it, place a sticky piston facing up. Place a redstone repeater so that current will flow into the sideways piston. Set the repeater to its most open position.

Run redstone wire from the torch you previously placed on the block to the right, to the first piston's repeater. The piston will activate, pushing the piston next to it up against the staircase as seen below. Run redstone wire to the second up-facing piston from the same redstone torch. 

Add a redstone repeater to complete the connection to the left piston. It will activate the turn-on.

Finish it up by placing a final stair block on top of the raised piston to complete your staircase.

Step 3 Checking Timing

Before you press your lever and active your secret stair case, it is critical that you check the timing of all of your repeaters.

Each number below corresponds to the timing of the repeaters, 1 being the fastest timing wherein the two torches on the repeater are nearest to each other, and 4 being the slowest timing wherein the two torches on the repeater are farthest apart.

Now you're done! Make sure your timing is correct and when you're certain, click the lever to watch it in action. Do a little covering of the mechanism and voilà!

Cover the mechanism up and the final result is pretty cool. I've hidden everything below and changed all the wool to orange in order to get the full effect.

You now have a secret stair case with which to hide your secret lair or your precious items.

As always, if you have questions or comments, you may leave them below, you may PM them to me, or leave something in the forums!

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