Replacing an older doorbell with a new video doorbell sounds simple—until you remove the old doorbell and discover that the new one is a completely different size.

That was exactly the problem one DoorbellMount.com customer ran into when upgrading to a Chamberlain myQ Video Doorbell. Her home had a stucco exterior, the original doorbell had been installed when the house was built about 12 years earlier, and she did not want to drill another set of holes into the stucco.

The problem: a smaller new doorbell and an old stucco footprint

The customer's original doorbell plate measured approximately 5.2 inches × 2.6 inches. The new myQ doorbell was narrower and taller than the existing assembly. If the old plate were simply removed and the myQ bracket attached directly to the wall, marks from the original installation would remain visible.

Because the original doorbell had been in place for years, patching the area and matching the existing stucco texture and color would have been difficult. More importantly, the customer wanted to preserve the original four anchors so she could avoid making any new holes in the exterior wall.

Instead of moving the holes, we designed the plate around them

Our solution was an Exact Size Custom Plate made specifically around the existing installation.

We first had the customer remove the old doorbell plate and photograph the anchors underneath. She then measured the location of each hole. This mattered because the four original holes were not perfectly square or evenly aligned.

A standard hole pattern would have required drilling new anchors. A custom plate let us do the opposite: match the plate to the house instead of forcing the house to match the plate.

The custom solution: a 6 × 3 inch black plate

Based on the old footprint, we recommended a 6-inch × 3-inch custom plate. The larger plate covered the marks from the old doorbell while providing enough room for the new myQ mounting bracket.

The customer initially considered an off-white or beige plate to approximate the stucco. After reviewing the installation, black made more sense because the myQ doorbell itself is black. The finished assembly looks intentional rather than like an attempted color match.

The custom plate performed several jobs at once: it covered the old doorbell footprint, reused the four existing stucco anchors, provided a clean mounting surface for the myQ bracket, and allowed the existing doorbell wiring to pass through the center.

The installation stack was straightforward:

Existing stucco anchors → Exact Size Custom Plate → myQ mounting bracket → myQ Video Doorbell

No new holes in the stucco

This was the most important part of the project. The customer specifically did not want additional holes drilled into the exterior finish, and the custom plate allowed the new installation to use the existing four anchors.

It also preserved flexibility. If she ever wants to return to a conventional doorbell, the original wall holes are still there. If she later decides she wants more camera angle, a fixed wedge or adjustable mount can be attached to the custom plate without creating a new set of holes in the stucco.

For example, she could later add our myQ 0–35° Adjustable Mount or a fixed-angle myQ wedge. A small pilot hole can be made in the custom plate itself rather than the home's stucco.

The result

After installing the new myQ doorbell, the customer contacted us to confirm that everything worked. Her description of the result was simple: “The custom plate was perfect.”

This is exactly the kind of problem an exact-size plate is designed to solve. Older doorbells, intercom systems, alarm panels and previous-generation video doorbells can leave behind large footprints, odd screw patterns, masonry anchors, paint outlines or wiring openings that do not match a new video doorbell.

Have an old doorbell with unusual mounting holes?

You may not need to patch the wall or drill another set of holes. With photos and accurate measurements, DoorbellMount.com can often create a plate around the mounting points that are already there.

Shop the Exact Size Custom Plate →

Before ordering, send us photos of your existing doorbell, the surrounding wall or trim, the exposed mounting holes if available, and the model of the new doorbell you want to install. For unusual installations, measurements showing the center-to-center locations of the existing holes are especially helpful.

Our goal is to help you find a mounting solution that looks clean, works with your new doorbell, and avoids unnecessary holes in your home whenever possible.