How To Add A Glass Door Insert Into A Exterior Door

I’m so excited to share this DIY door makeover using Zabitat’s glass door insert! Instead of spending thousands of dollars on a new door, you can easily change the look of your home for a fraction of the cost.   If you have an ugly dated door and some handyman skills, this is a perfect project for you!  Zabitat sells beautiful one-of-kind glass door inserts in every style to add or replace the existing glass to an exterior door.  This is my in-law’s new beautiful door that my husband installed over the holidays and I’m sharing all the details below.

This post is sponsored by Zabitat but all opinions are 100% mine. 

 

My In-Laws decided on the Western Reflections Jameston Door Glass insert with colors Granite, Glue Chip and Clear.  It is absolutely gorgeous in person and has added so much curb appeal to the home!

The team at Zabitat was so easy to work with!  I gave them my In-Laws top 5 favorite inserts with a picture of their front door.  Zabitat then sent pictures back of what the door would look like with each style added.  It really made the process of choosing which insert so much easier since you could envision what it would look like.

Here is what the door looked like before

Outside Before

Inside Before

And After

I’m going to share our step-by-step tutorial but I suggest watching Zabitat’s detailed videos and following their instructions!

TOOLS

 Painter’s Tape

Drop Cloth

Tape Measure

Drill

Pencil

Jigsaw

Screwdriver

Ear and Eye protection

 

Directions

Remove door from hinges

Remove handle

Lay door across sawhorse

Measure your area and mark with a pencil, you can refer to the Measurement Guide

Tape off the area where you will cut to prevent damage to the door

Flip the door over and repeat the taping process (you will be cutting both sides of the door)

DRILL ⅜” or ½” STARTER HOLE in all 4 corners of the measurement, you are creating a starter hole for your jigsaw blade.

Set your jigsaw blade to a 1 inch depth.

Using the starter holes, insert the jigsaw with a short-stroke blade into the inner core of the door and cut along the marked guidelines, corner to corner.

 DO NOT CUT ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE DOOR.

Flip it over and repeat the cuts on the other side.

Remove the middle that you just cut out.

Place your glass insert on the sawhorses with the screw side frame facing up and unscrew and remove the top frame.

Place the door over the glass and reassemble the frame. Place interior frame with the exposed screw holes over the inside of the door.

Align the frames by matching the screw hole guides.

Lastly, we replaced their side window with a matching glass panel, added new trim and gave the door a fresh coat of paint so everything was cohesive.  Zabitat can create custom sized inserts for your door or side window if needed.

This DIY Glass Door Insert has completely transformed the entrance of the house and brightened up the inside of the home.

It looks completely different, doesn’t it!

My Mother In Law says it’s like a piece of art with the sun streaming in and the reflection off the glass, I have to agree with her!

 

If you have a dated  front door that needs an update this is a economical way to give your front entrance a completely new look, trust me you are going to love it!  For more beautiful before and after pictures check out Zabitat’s inspiration page, so many great ideas!  Not only do they sell beautiful glass inserts they have retractable screen doors and enclosed blinds, pretty much everything you could possibly think of to transform your front door!

Thanks so much for stopping in today, wishing you a great rest of the week!  This is the kids last week of vacation before going back to school, not looking forward to setting my alarm again.