Install a peephole in a door
1 of 3Photo 1: Bore the hole
Mark the viewer's position on the door, preferably centered in the door stile near eye level. Bore the hole with a hole saw, holding the drill straight and level and starting it on low speed. Prevent splintering the outside door veneer by occasionally stopping the drill and checking the other side of the door so you'll know the moment the pilot bit first emerges.
2 of 3Photo 2: Complete the hole
Finish boring the hole from the outside. Sand the finished hole, making sure the drilled edges on both sides of the door are smooth.
3 of 3Photo 3: Screw in the peephole assembly
Screw the viewer body clockwise into the prism cover (held level). For metal or fiberglass doors (like ours), modify the exterior prism cover by trimming off the plastic spikes. Then glue the cover to the door with a bead of silicone caulk. Then mount this wide-angled viewer so that the viewer body faces indoors.
Many entry doors are fitted with tiny peepholes
that don’t always show you who’s there.
Strangers can hide slightly out of view, or the distorted
shape could appear to be a neighbor but actually be
someone else.
Avoid uncertainty by installing a wide-angled viewer.
Order from Improvements Catalog or from online sources. It’ll fit any exterior
wood, metal or fiberglass door that’s up to 2 in. thick.
Following the steps shown in Photos 1 – 3, you can do
the job in less than 10 minutes using a drill fitted with a
1-3/4-in.-dia. hole saw.
Our door is fiberglass clad which requires slightly different techniques than wood doors. When installing the unit
into wood doors, screw and tighten the viewer body into
the prism cover until the plastic spikes on the prism
cover bite and lock into the door veneer.
