In my previous post I discuss how to install a dog door in a patio screen. Today I'll cover how to add a dog door to your back door or garage door. The steps are pretty simple but a bit different and will require a little more work than discussed in my other article.
1. Measuring your dog. In order to know how high to place your new dog door you will want to either measure your dogs height or the distance from the floor to your dogs chest. If you choose the first option this will then be the height for the center of your dog door. If you went with option two then this will be the height for the lower edged of your dog door opening. Using a pencil draw a horizontal line on your door at the determined height. Then you will draw a vertical line through the horizontal line using a Square at the location you want to be the center of your opening.
2. Using a template provided with your dog door tape it to the door in the location you want your opening. Make sure to position it according to your measurements , you don't want to cut a hole in the wrong spot and ruin your door. Now trace the inside of the template with your pencil, this will be your guide lines for cutting the opening.
3. Remove your door and lay it across a couple of saw horses. Drill a hole in each of the corners of the guide you have drawn on your door. You can now use a jig saw and cut away the material from the opening. Make sure the blade you use is designed for the type of door material you will be cutting. After you have your opening cut use a hand chisel if necessary to clean up any corner areas.
4. Position the front half of the dog door frame in the proper location and mark any screw holes that need to be pre-drilled. remove the frame and pre-drill the holes.
5. Now all that is left is adding the second half of the dog door frame to the exterior side of the door. Usually the manufacture will provide some sort of sealant or gasket to go around this portion of the door. Install the two halves per the instruction manual provided. Install the flap and make any necessary adjustments to locks, handles or flap locations.
6. Reinstall your door on its hinges and have your pet test out their new dog door.
I just want to remind you that these are just basic installation instructions to give you an idea of what your getting into before you purchase a dog door. Always follow the dog door installation instructions provided by the manufacture. I hope this comes as some help to you and makes your purchasing decision easier.
Dog Doors And More | Installing A Pet Door
Dog Doors | Basic Pet Door Screen Installation
With nicer weather coming just around the corner, now is the time to think about installing a dog door for your favorite pet. Many homeowners are are reluctant to install them by themselves but it is a fairly simple process, especially when you install it in your patio door screen. My animals loved it once I gave them the freedom to come and go as they pleased during the summer months. It was also nice not having to get up and let them out into the backyard every time one of them wanted to go out. Once you have a dog door installed you'll be pleasantly surprised how nice they are. Here are some basic instructions for adding a dog door to your own patio screen door.
1. Doggie doors or Cat doors that are made to go into sliding patio screen door are usually installed in one of the the bottom corners of the sliding patio screen door depending on how your door opens.
2. To Prevent you from installing the Doggie Door in the wrong location make sure to mark it using some sort of tape or other material that wont come off. You would hate to cut a hole in the top of the screen instead of the bottom. Trust me this is a stupid mistake you will want to avoid at all costs.
3. Once you have your screen door out place it on the ground or a solid flat surface. You will need to locate a piece of wood slightly larger than the opening you plan on making for the Doggie door to place under the screen door. Make sure to put this under the screen where you previously marked it with tape. Installing the Pet door will require that you do a bit of hammering that is why this board is needed.
4. Your new doggie door or Cat door will usually come in two halves. One half will go behind the screen on top of the wood you placed behind the door. The other piece of the Doggie door will go on top of the screen. Make sure to follow the instructions that came with you specific model of Pet door. Each different model may have specific instructions not covered here. Don’t just throw the instructions to the side and ignore them, you don’t want to ruin your patio door and screen.
5. After you have the new Pet door securely in the place you want it, you can cut away the screen for the opening. Again follow your instruction manual to prevent any accidents.
6. Once the opening has been made, lay the top half of the Dog door onto the the lower half. Most of the time you will use a rubber hammer or mallet to seat the two pieces together. . Now you have to hammer the two halves together with a rubber mallet. Take care as you seat these two pieces together with the mallet that you don’t damage the new door.
7. At this point install any additional hardware such as locks and make sure they are aligned properly. Stand the patio screen door up and verify that your new Doggie door operates properly. Make any necessary corrections to the lock alignment at this time.
8. After having fully tested and you feel that everything is correct, reinstall the patio screen door. Your new Pet door is now ready for use. If your dog or cat is afraid to use the dog door , coax them with treats a couple of times to get them used to it. It may take a while before they fully understand what that the door is there for their use. It took my dog almost a week before he would start using it without assistance or being coaxed by treats.
