Those doors are so flimsy that cutting a hole for a glass insert might weaken the door beyond use.

Do you have a picture or a link to what you want these to look like?

 

Is this an inside or outside door?
Is it wood, metal, fiberglass?

 

Title should be interior door - tried to edit, doesn't seem to take. Appear to be hollow core wooden doors. Just don't like the flat doors and instead of replacing them I thought a frosted glass insert could add some interest.

 

I fixed the title for you---You could try doing that---buy a cheap door to experiment on.

This may require a few tools that you don't own,however.

The skins on the door are very thin and easy to cut with a jig saw--or a knife,if you are careful.

Finding wood trim 1 3/8" wide to wrap the new hole will be the problem--a table saw might be required to rip a bit of wood to fit.

Then some trim to picture frame the opening.

Insert the glass and tack in a tiny 1/4 round to secure the glass--fairly simple but you may need to borrow a few tools to cut the trims.---Mike---

 

Thanks for your help. I may give this a try if I feel ambitious.

 

Post up some pictures of your progress.

I will have to agree with oh'mike in that the door are typically so flimsy that cutting out a big chunk of the middle usually renders them structurally unsound.

 

I have done this to the bathroom door, not out of choice, but because I had to cut a hole in the door to get our son out of the bathroom!! A drawer was open and there was no other way in!!

Anyway, what I did was square out the hole that I had cut, and then ripped down 2x2 lumber that would fit between the two 1/8" panels on all 4 sides. This gave stability to the door. On these ripped pieces, I routered a channel around the edge 1/4" wide (maybe it was 1/8", can't remember) and the depth of the tempered glass. I installed those ripped pieces into the opening so that routered edge was available for the glass to fit into. Then I used clear caulk on that edge, and pressed the glass into it, cleaning all the extra off. I used some moulding around the window which nailed into those 2x pieces and gave a little extra ease of mind to the glass. I also used the moulding on the outside of the door.

I have no problem with stability on the door, and although not professional quality, I'm quite proud of it...

Oh, my door is 26" x 78" and I only put in an 18"x16" piece of glass in the upper section, not a piece that fits a majority of the door...

 

This can be done but by law, and for the safty ov wout family, the glass MUST be safty glass! Kits, with a Z bar sandwich frame and 1/8" tempered safty glass, are available by special order in various standard sizes to fit 1 3/4" and 1 3/8" doors. Try calling local glass shops or you might try big box home centers. This is,by far, the cleanest and eaziest option for a hollow core door.

Chris