How to Install a Pet Door Into Brick
Installing a pet door in your house can free you from the necessity of constantly letting your dog or cat in and out. For various reasons, including aesthetics, security and heat retention, you might not want a pet door in your door. Choosing to install a pet door in your wall instead offers more options for the placement of the pet door and is more secure. However, Installation through a wall can be more difficult and time consuming than installation in a door.
Cut the Hole
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Consult the directions that come with your pet door before cutting anything, and take extra care to cut the hole at the exact dimensions recommended by the door manufacturer. Be sure that the door you buy is made for installation into a wall. These doors are quite different than the pet doors that are installed in doors; the flanges need to be much wider for walls.
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Mark the four corners of the hole you want to cut on the outside of the brick wall with a magic marker, and connect the dots with straight lines using a straight edge. Using a drill bit that is long enough to reach through the wall, drill straight through the wall at the four corners you have marked. Keep the drill straight and level so that the holes go straight through the wall.
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Connect the four resulting holes on the inside of the wall using the marker and straight edge. Cut the drywall away from the inside wall. Be sure there are no wires or other obstructions blocking your hole. Remove any insulation from inside the wall.
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Cut into the brick on the outside of the wall using a circular saw with a brick cutting blade installed. Don't overcut the corners of the hole or you will leave unsightly saw marks around your pet door.
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Knock the brick out of the hole and clean up the edges using a cold chisel.
Install the Door
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Install the interior and exterior flanges for the pet door into the hole you have made. Depending on the type of door you have, these flanges will either snap together or will need to be screwed to each other or to the wall.
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Install the pet door into the flanges after they are installed in the hole. Consult the directions that come with the door for specific directions on how to accomplish this, as different doors have different methods of attaching the door to the flanges.
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Test the door with your hand to be sure that is swings freely inwards and outwards.
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Introduce your pet to the door and encourage them to go in and out a few times to get them used to it.
References
Writer Bio
Jagg Xaxx has been writing since 1983. His primary areas of writing include surrealism, Buddhist iconography and environmental issues. Xaxx worked as a cabinetmaker for 12 years, as well as building and renovating several houses. Xaxx holds a Doctor of Philosophy in art history from the University of Manchester in the U.K.
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