When you were little, your privacy was up to the people that raised you. In some homes, locking your bedroom door (if you had a bedroom at all) was a rumor. Slamming said door was an offense punishable by death, spanking … or having the door screwed off its hinges.
So as an adult, you may still cringe at the idea of personal space. But vinyl screen doors aren’t about discretion. They’re about practicality. The screen keeps bugs and pests out while keeping the home ventilated, so they’re popular in humid regions and quiet country towns.
Vinyl is far cheaper than wood and needs no maintenance. It won’t rot or warp in hazy weather. It’s immune to pest attacks. It’s easy to clean. And many vinyl screen doors come in multiple styles and colors so they’re pretty too! Let’s look at your door screening options.
1. Beautiful Bars
The whole point of vinyl screen doors is visibility. But if you have pets or energetic kids, you may not want the entire midsection hollow. It would be too easy for your little ones – both the two-legged and four-legged ones – to scratch the insect mesh or peel it off. The lower half of this door has five vertical bars. The bars make it harder to crash through the screen door.
2. Adjustable Angles
Vinyl screen doors offer several advantages over wooden ones, but they can still flex or warp on occasion. But this versatile version allows you to customize it in several ways. Reversible hinges mean you can hang them on the left or right, depending on how your front steps are laid out. You can trim the edges to fit a smaller doorway, and the screen is charcoal fiberglass.
3. Tight and Trellis
A wide-open screen might tempt pets and toddlers to try launching themselves through it. So while the upper part of the door might have framework, you can insert a lattice on the lower third of the door. That way, if anyone pokes a hole or rips the netting, they can’t squeeze through the grids. It’s also easier to remove and repair the screen when it tears.
4. Stormy but Still
Storm doors are tougher than vinyl screen doors, but they can sometimes void your home insurance policy because their installation is more immersive than screen doors. But if your lease allows it, this vinyl storm door is reinforced with aluminum so it’s a safer choice. You can swap glass or netting depending on the season, and the door has a 1-year warranty.
5. Solid Screening
Your vinyl screen door doesn’t need to be dull or ugly. You can find designs that are quite decorative. This model (which you can buy at Home Depot) has a solid bottom and a mirror-like top. The upper section has an oval frame with decorative coils that enhance the curb appeal of your front porch. The two sections are separated by short ‘ribs’ for extra support.
6. Prairie Doors
It’s common to use a solid surface for the lowest portion of your vinyl screen doors. It blocks the view of shorter household members (like toddlers and dogs) so it reduces their temptation to break out of the house. But you don’t want that blockage too high since it will keep the light out too! This prairie-styled top section maximizes the daylight that comes in.
7. Best of Both Doors
You can’t win an argument with a lumberjack who lives to saw wood. But for the casual customer, showing a door that’s both wood and vinyl might sway them. So … can you tell which parts of this vinyl screen door are made of timber? Exactly! The visual variation is barely visible, and by combining the two materials, your door will last much longer. Enjoy!
8. Green on Yellow
The teal siding in that image definitely looks like wood … but what about the door? Yep, it’s vinyl. And while vinyl screen doors mostly come in white, you can occasionally find them in pastels. This pale yellow door is convincingly sunny, and the detail at the corners makes it even prettier. And that fleur-de-lys detail on the matte black door handle is simply gorgeous!
9. Surround Screen
You’ve heard of surround sound. But when you’re forced to put a plain vinyl screen door at the entrance to your home, you may be worried. That netted door may seem like it dims the beauty of your front porch. So why not embellish the doorway with arches and sidelights, just like you would on a solid door? That way, the screen door doesn’t detract from your style.
10. East-West Door Designs
You can elevate the plainness of your vinyl screen door in several ways. And all it takes is a slight twist in the shape. The lower part of this door has squares laid out in east-west configurations with rounded sides and curvy corners. It’s a small thing, but it enhances the visual appeal of an otherwise drab screen door, so let yourself play with shapes and sizing.
11. Simply Menards
Vinyl screen door frames range from completely hollow to mostly solid. The less solid material you have, the more light (and refreshing air) leaks through the door. So if you want to impede your pets’ movement without reducing air circulation or light levels, try this model. It’s from Menards, and its three extra frames add stability without impeding light.
12. Amazing Amherst
What have you heard about vinyl screen doors? Probably that they only come in white. Or that they can bend and warp over time. Amherst offers solutions to both rumors. As you can see, they come in various shades of white that are conveniently named after corresponding species’ of trees. They have decorative trim options. The storm doors have aluminum lining.
13. Pretty Dividers
The dividing line on vinyl screen doors is usually two-thirds or three-quarters down. This could be for three reasons – light, warm air, and pets. Hotter air rises, so more of it will float out the door. And because light rays are diagonal rather than horizontal, the larger section lets in more sunlight. But the lower section has a center divider to deter angsty animals.
14. Waccamaw Magic
You might be tempted by a thick vinyl screen door because it’ll last longer than a thinner one. But you might also worry that thicker vinyl will reduce your light levels and make your house more stuffy. Find a happy compromise with this model from Waccamaw and Screen Tight. The frames are solid vinyl while the mesh is fiberglass charcoal. The spindles protect pets.
15. Bottom Sweepers
Don’t worry – it sounds cheekier than it is, pun intended. In truth, many vinyl screen doors have a design flaw. The screen itself keeps bugs out while letting air and light in – but the gaps at the top, sides, and bottom can let insects sneak in. These models have a vinyl sweeper at floor level to stop creepy crawlies from slithering in. And the door has pneumatics too!
16. Square Silhouettes
The most common use for vinyl screen doors is to wall off your front porch. Especially in regions with high humidity and low dust levels. They’re popular in the mid-west too, because the house gets so hot and there’s limited air conditioning (or electricity and piped water for that matter) among the farmlands. But bathroom doors need screens too – to release steam.
17. Visual Variation
It’s not just front doors and bathrooms that can benefit from vinyl screen doors. This rustic back porch looks cozy and homely, with its brick detail and the dark door behind the screen. And while the netting stops mosquitoes and other winged terrors from accessing the house, the mesh offers texture and variation since you can see wood, brick, and plastic all at once.
18. Tree-lined Doorway
The slightest touches can add a world of style and beauty to your vinyl screen door. This one has a simple white frame with a black insert in the shape of a silhouetted tree. The insert casts pretty shadows that dance on the floor, distracting your pets from any screen escape attempts. The door also has subtle spring-loaded hinges for less slamming and squeaking.
19. Sliding Screen Doors
If your vinyl screen door leads into the backyard, the doorway is probably wider. Especially if your home is built in ranch style. In such cases, a standard screen door won’t fit. Get a sliding door like this one. It’s tailored for French doors and you can order them with or without central sashes and dividers. You can slip the screen over the glass with magnets.
20. Internal Screening
Again, screen doors aren’t restricted to entryways. If you have a huge house or if you’re finishing commercial premises, you can install vinyl screen doors for internal purposes. They could subdivide the sections of an office, mall, hospital, a bedroom balcony, or even the door to your master en-suite. Check whether the doors have interchangeable glass and mesh.
21. Chesapeake Pet Door
Ideally, you’d want a vinyl screen door with no internal frames or barriers. But because of pets, you settle for a screen that has bars and spindles to stop your furbabies from pouncing through. So why not get a screen door with a special space for them? This vinyl version has a medium pet door with solid sides. It lets your pet in and out without damaging the netting.
22. Cedar Shakes and Dark Doors
If you’d like your entryway to truly stand out, consider styling it. In this house, the siding is made from aqua-colored cedar shake and the door itself is rich redwood. The vinyl screen door has a solid bottom, vinyl sweepers, dividing spindles, and decorative detail in the corners. You can order a door like this off Amazon, but that Maine Coon comes separately.
23. Brash Extensions
Perhaps you like to peek at the neighbors without giving them an equally good view. In that case, you can make yourself a little veranda using vinyl screen doors and netting. This back porch is perfect for a quiet afternoon nap or a lazy evening with the paper. If your budget allows it, construct the porch in a way that lets you upgrade the net to glass in wet seasons.
24. Delightful Days
Why stop with a vinyl screen door when you could fix your entire porch? Whether you’re installing it yourself or working with contractors, you can get a porch kit that includes screen doors, mesh walls (or tempered glass), and all the necessary hardware. It’s a pocket-friendly way to extend your square footage and give your home alfresco entertainment space.
25. Back Door Overhaul
Give your rear entrance a fresh look with this vinyl makeover. Redo the siding with clapboard vinyl siding in a color of your choice. These homeowners went with a vibrant blue. You can then add a vinyl screen door over the main door. If your neighborhood is safe enough, you can forego the solid wooden door and just use the pretty plastic mesh screen.
26. Check the Dog
Pets are the key reason for putting secondary frames inside the main borders of your vinyl screen door. And judging by the face on that pooch, s/he has some serious Prison Break plans for that door. So as you pick the design of your screen, match it with the size of your car or dog – this dachshund will squeeze through in seconds and go dashing down the street!
27. Big Red Doorway
When you’re shopping for vinyl screen doors, you shouldn’t just focus on price and central framing. Check for versatility and installation requirements. The door here is pictured with a glass front, so confirm how easy it is to replace said glass with netting material. The screen door has a Z-bar so it’s easy to mount, even if you don’t hire external help for the project.
28. Double Door Delight
Some vinyl screen doors come with reversible hinges so you can install them on the left or right, depending on where your house faces. Another application for reversible doors is a wider entryway. In this case, the porch has been extended and screened, and two screen doors have been installed with external knobs. The doors have safety latches on the inside.
29. Seabrook Screening
For vinyl screen doors that have a touch of flair, look into Seabrook. The top of the door frame is gently arched for added aesthetic appeal. The bottom of the door has solid beaded vertical vinyl siding. This turns out especially well if your front walls are clad with barnyard siding. To unify the look, you can opt for beaded verticals rather than boards and battens.
30. Large Pet Screen
Cats are more likely to ruin your vinyl screen doors because they find the scratching process cathartic. It’s also part of marking their territory – scratching leaves their scent on the netting, so expect them to attack each new screen you install. So if you have an energetic cat or even a bigger dog, look for a screen like this one with a flexible pet flap down the middle.
31. Panelled Perfection
We’ll close the list with a vinyl screen door that dreams of being a real door. The upper section has square grids that would make any French door envious. And the bottom has solid twin panels that keep kids from sneaking out and pests from pressing in. And because it’s vinyl, it’s weatherproof, needs minimal maintenance, and can be cleaned with a garden hose.
What’s your favorite style of vinyl screen doors? Show us some photos in the comments!