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How To Install A Peephole In Your Exterior Garage Door

26 May 2015

Sara Walters

Garage doors are often equipped with windows to offer homeowners exterior views, but they don't provide much privacy. Window-free doors keep prying eyes away from the interior of your garage; however, they prevent you from looking outside, too. That's why it's important to keep your garage door repaired and you should consider installing a peephole viewer in your garage door. A peephole can offer you the benefits of being able to see what or who is lurking behind the door without exposing yourself. Peephole viewers are inexpensive,  and almost anyone who can use a drill can quickly install one themselves. Below is how you can do it:

Installing a garage door peephole – tools and materials needed

• Peephole viewer
• Ruler
• Electric drill
• Metal-penetrating spade bit
• Flat-blade screwdriver or putty knife
• Needle file
• Primer or rust-preventing enamel paint
• Black felt-tip marker
• Hobby knife

Installing a garage door peephole – step-by-step instructions

1. Measure the thickness of your garage door – Raise your garage door so you have a clear view of the bottom of the door. Measure the thickness of the door from outside panel to inside panel; be sure not to include any weather stripping at the bottom of the door in your measurements. if the door has only one panel, then skip this step and move to step 2.
2. Select a peephole viewer – Once you have door thickness measurements in-hand, shop for a peephole viewer that will fit the thickness of your door. Most peephole viewers are built for exterior doors, but the range of thicknesses they cover should include your garage door in most cases. If your garage door consists of a single panel, choose the peephole viewer with the smallest thickness you can find.
3. Choose the location for your peephole – Your peephole viewer can be installed anywhere you like on the door, but it is optimal to choose a location that can be accessed by both children and adults. In addition, keep in mind you can install more than one peephole viewer at different heights to accommodate a range of users. Once you choose a location, mark it with a black felt-tip marker on the outside of the door panel facing the driveway.
4. Drill the exterior peephole opening – Select a spade bit for your drill that matches the size specified in your peephole viewer's instructions. Next, slowly begin drilling a hole in the exterior panel you marked in step 3; don't press too hard so that you don't dent the panel. Continue drilling until you cut through the panel, but stop before cutting into the insulation.
5. Cut out the foam insulation – If your garage door contains foam insulation, use a thin-bladed hobby knife to carve out a circular "plug" of insulation. Cut all the way through the foam until you reach the interior panel. If your door does not have foam insulation, skip this step and continue at step 6.
6. Drill the interior peephole – Once the foam insulation has been removed, drill a hole the same size as the one you made in step 4 into the interior panel directly opposite the first hole.
7. Prepare the hole edges – Use a needle file to remove sharp edges and burs from the panel holes. After that, apply primer or rust-preventing enamel to the hole edges to seal them against moisture and other corrosion-causing agents. Allow the primer or paint to dry completely before moving to the next step.
8. Install the peephole viewer (for insulated door) – Unscrew the exterior barrel from the interior barrel of the peephole viewer. Insert the external barrel into the hole you drilled on the outside of the garage door, and ask a helper to insert the interior barrel into the opposite hole. Turn the interior barrel by engaging its surface slots with a flat blade screwdriver or the blade of a putty knife. Continue turning the barrel toward the right until the two halves are firmly joined together and the peephole viewer is secured.
9. Install the peephole viewer (for uninsulated, single-panel door) – If your door has one panel and no insulation, then insert the exterior barrel of the peephole viewer into the garage door's outside-facing panel. Apply a thin ring of silicone caulk to the peephole barrel  interior edge to hold it  in-place. Attach the interior barrel of the peephole viewer in the same manner as instructed in step 8. Allow the caulk to dry for at least 24 hours before operating the door.

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