Dog Door Installation on a Metal Door

Installing a dog door into a metal door of a home gives your pet extra freedom to enter and exit the house without your assistance. Older pets with bladder complications can go outside quickly if the need arises without waiting for someone to open the door for them. Dog doors installed on doors that lead to a fenced yard allow pets the freedom to go outside to play and come back inside to escape the heat or cold.

Things You'll Need

  • Measuring tape
  • Carpenter's Pencil
  • Safety glasses
  • Drill
  • 1/4 inch drill bit
  • Jigsaw
  • Exterior silicone caulking
  • Towel
  • Phillips screwdriver
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Instructions

    • 1

      Place the tip of a measuring tape on the floor. Have the dog stand next to the tape and measure the height of the dog from the floor to the area where his legs meet his chest. Record this measurement.

    • 2

      Measure the metal door from the left to the right side for the width measurement. Mark a dot on the door with a carpenter's pencil in the center of the door.

    • 3

      Mark a dot on the door with a pencil in the center of the door at the dog's chest height. This will mark the center of the metal door at the bottom of the dog door.

    • 4

      Measure the width of the security lockout panel, and place a dot with a pencil on the center bottom of the panel. Place the security panel onto the metal door, aligning the center mark with the center of the metal door, and aligning the bottom of the panel with the dog height marking.

    • 5

      Trace around the security panel on the metal door with a carpenter's pencil. This creates a template for cutting the door in the correct size and area of the door.

    • 6

      Put on protective glasses or goggles.

    • 7

      Place a ¼-inch drill bit in a drill. Place the tip of the drill bit on the interior of the template line in one corner. Hold the drill at a 90-degree angle to the door, squeeze the drill trigger and drill straight through the metal door. Repeat this process at the additional corners inside the template line.

    • 8

      Place a jigsaw on one of the pilot holes in the door so that the saw blade tip enters the pilot hole. Squeeze the trigger on the jigsaw, and cut along the line to the next hole. Continue cutting the square out of the door along the template lines, completely cutting through the metal door on the inside and outside.

    • 9

      Wipe any excess metal shavings off the door on both the inside and outside.

    • 10

      Squeeze a generous amount of exterior silicone caulk around the dog door opening on the outside of the metal door. Place the frame over the caulk, and press it into place on the outside of the door. Wipe off excess caulk with a dry towel. Caulk the interior side of the door in the same manner, and place the interior frame in the hole with the hinge on top. Wipe away excess caulk.

    • 11

      Place a screw from the dog door kit into each hole in the frame on the inside of the door, and turn them clockwise to tighten. The screws will hold the dog door in place.