What is the Difference Between an Aluminum and a Vinyl Patio Door?

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Your pet can easily get in and out of the house through an insulated dog door for sliding glass doors. However, before purchasing a pet door patio panel, it’s important to understand the difference between aluminum patio doors and vinyl patio doors.

For your sliding glass pet door, Endura Flap offers both aluminum and vinyl frames so that you can select the material that works best for your home. Vinyl panels like the Endura Flap Severe Weather Vinyl Sliding Glass Dog Door and it’s custom height version fit vinyl sliding glass doors better whereas aluminum panels are more compatible with aluminum sliding glass doors.

While this might be a straightforward idea, it’s not always clear what kind of sliding glass door you have! Below, we’ll walk you through the process of selecting a dog door for aluminum sliding patio doors and for vinyl sliding patio doors:

Identifying aluminum or vinyl sliding doors
Vinyl versus aluminum pet doors: differences and similarities
Patio panel pet doors with Endura Flaps
Guides for installing sliding pet doors

Table of Contents

How to Identify the Material of Your Sliding Door

The first step in choosing a patio pet door is identifying whether your existing sliding glass door has a vinyl frame or an aluminum frame.

You can identify the material of your slider by tapping it with your fingers or a pen. The noise that you hear will tell you what material it’s made of. If it makes a panging noise like a frying pan, it is aluminum. If it makes a muted thunk, it is made of vinyl.

Measure the Track: Another way of guessing at the material is to measure the track and look at the wall thickness. Vinyl frames will be thicker and have a wider track. This is less accurate than the tapping method because different door brands will have different thicknesses and measurements. There is no such thing as a standard sliding glass door, but this may indicate which frame material yours has.

Sliding pet door panels: vinyl vs. aluminum

Once you know the material of your sliding door frame, it’s time to choose the right pet door panel for you. The biggest difference between vinyl and aluminum patio doors is the panel thickness: Aluminum panels are 1” thick and vinyl panels are 1.5” thick.

Another way of guessing at the material is to measure the track and look at the wall thickness. Vinyl frames will be thicker and have a wider track. This is less accurate than the tapping method because different door brands will have different thicknesses and measurements. There is no such thing as a standard sliding glass door.

Aluminum Sliding Doors: Aluminum is the more standard and common material used for sliding doors, particularly for older homes. Aluminum doors are often inexpensive and require little to no upkeep for many years. Aluminum sliders are thinner and generally have a smaller track width than their vinyl cousins.

Vinyl Sliding Doors: Vinyl sliding doors are made from a plastic-based material, but are just as strong as aluminum, and significantly lighter. Vinyl patio doors tend to be more energy-efficient, as the vinyl does not transfer heat as much as Aluminum. Vinyl sliding doors have thicker frames and wider tracks than Aluminum ones.

Is it possible to use a vinyl panel with your aluminum slider?

Let’s say your aluminum sliding door track is 1.5” thick. You could install a vinyl panel pet door since the track width would accommodate it. However, the thick vinyl framing would not match the material of your slider, resulting in a less aesthetic look.

And vice versa, although a vinyl sliding door track could accommodate an aluminum pet door panel with the right track width, the framing would not match and the pet door panel would not fit as securely in the track.

The one instance when we may recommend an aluminum panel for your vinyl slider is if you have an unusually tall track height since aluminum panels come in taller, custom height options whereas vinyl panels max out at 80.25” tall. Here’s how to measure your track height:

Options for Endura Flap Dog Doors on Sliding Doors

Endura Flap has multiple great options for both vinyl sliding doors and aluminum sliding doors. Take a look at each of our products, and pick the one best suited for your home and your pet. Alternatively, you can look through our full selection of pet doors for sliding glass doors for more options.

Options for aluminum panels:

Endura Flap Thermo Panel 3e: Our best-selling panel from the Endura Flap line, the Thermo Panel 3e combines outstanding design with quality materials for superior energy efficiency and durability. The dual-pane glass panel keeps your home insulated year-round. Read about dual-pane vs single-pane glass to learn more.

Endura Flap Thermo Panel 3e: This panel is the best option for renters or seasonal homes. It can be easily removed and installed repeatedly. It is single flap and single-paned, which saves weight and makes installation quick and easy.

Vinyl Panel Options:

Dog doors for vinyl sliding glass doors such as the Endura Flap Vinyl Sliding Glass Dog Door are the standard choice. It has all the same dual-pane LoE glass and award-winning Endura Flap pet door that comes with the Thermo Panel 3e.

Endura Flap Severe Weather Vinyl Sliding Glass Dog Door: A more robust version of the Vinyl Sliding Glass Dog Door, with a double flap Endura Flap for extra energy efficiency and insulation.

Endura Flap Vinyl Sliding Glass Cat Door: Cats need to get out, too! This Vinyl Sliding Glass Cat Door has all the benefits of the Thermo Panel and Endura Flap in the small size flexible flap for your cat.

Options for aluminum panels:

In the Endura Flap panel line, the Thermo Panel 3e combines quality materials with exceptional design to bring you energy efficiency and durability worthy of a lifetime warranty. The dual-pane glass panel keeps your home insulated year-round. Read about dual-pane vs single-pane glass to learn more.

For renters or seasonal homes, the Endura Flap Thermo Panel 3e is the best option. It can be easily removed and installed repeatedly. It is single flap and single-paned, which saves weight and makes installation quick and easy.

Installation Guides for Quick Reference

Make sure you choose the right size pet door for your dog or cat before you order the panel. It will help you decide what size you need for whatever Endura Flap panel you get.

Want to learn more about Installations? Take a look at our archive of Pet Door Installation videos. In these archives, you’ll find how to install a vinyl patio panel and how to install an aluminum patio panel.

Still confused about the difference between Vinyl and Aluminum doors? Not sure which you have? Check out the different types of sliding glass pet doors for more options.