Fit a door spyhole — HomeGraft

Fit a door spyhole safely in one session, drilling the correct size hole and checking your door isn't a fire door first.

DS-01Check your door type and choose a heightLook at the edge of your door for a coloured plug or a stamped code — this usually means it's a fire door, common in flats, converted houses and rented homes. Fire doors feel heavy and solid all the way through. Decide on a viewing height, usually 1500mm from the floor, or lower if someone in the house uses a wheelchair.

RULES

KNOW THE RULES

If your door is a fire door, drilling it can affect its fire rating. Fit a fire-rated door viewer designed for fire doors, and check with your landlord or freeholder first if you don't own the property.

DS-02Gather your tools and the spyhole kitBuy a door viewer kit sized for your door thickness — most cover 35mm to 55mm doors. Check the pack for the barrel diameter, usually 12mm or 14mm, and buy a matching hole saw or flat wood bit if one isn't included. Lay everything out before you start.

1 each · Door viewer / spyhole kit

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1 each · Hole saw or flat wood bit (12mm or 14mm, matched to kit)

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DS-03Mark the centre pointMeasure the width of the door and mark the centre with a pencil line, top to bottom. Measure up from the floor to your chosen height and mark across this line — that's your drilling point. Stick a strip of masking tape over the mark; it stops the drill bit wandering and reduces splintering.

1 roll · Masking tape

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DS-04Drill the holeCheck nobody is standing on the other side of the door before you start. Drill a small pilot hole all the way through from one face, then switch to the hole saw and drill from that same side until the pilot tip just pokes through the other face. Finish the hole by drilling from the opposite side using the pilot hole as a guide — this stops the wood splintering out on the far face.

DS-05Fit the viewerPush the outer barrel (the end with the wide-angle lens) through from the outside of the door. From inside, screw the eyepiece section onto the barrel until it's snug and doesn't wobble. Don't overtighten — you can crack the lens housing.

DS-06Test the viewClose the door and look through from inside. Ask someone to stand outside at a normal standing height and check you can see them clearly with no light leaking round the edges of the lens. If the view is too high or low for people in the house, this is the point to redrill at a second height rather than after final tidy-up.

DS-07Tidy upLightly sand any rough or splintered edges around the hole on both faces of the door. Wipe away dust with a damp cloth and vacuum the floor for wood shavings. Dispose of any offcuts and store spare fixings from the kit.

1 sheet · Fine sandpaper

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