Pet Doors to Install in Walls

A wall mount pet door can be a great choice. While installing a pet door in a door effectively ruins the door, a wall mount pet door can often be removed and the wall patched leaving no trace of the pet door. Stucco exterior and dry-wall interior is the perfect example since both sides can be patched and painted-to-match if the pet door must be removed later.

When installing a pet door in a wall, the wall must always be 'framed out'. That is, after cutting the hole, the inside of the wall must be sealed off so that moisture cannot penetrate into the interior of the wall. The 'self-framing' pet doors and wall kits listed below will help to do this step for you and make the job much easier.

However,  if you can Frame the Wall Yourself, you can choose any pet door for a wall. For example, if you wanted a Classy Custom pet portal in your wall, you'd have to frame it yourself as there is no wall kit for that door.

All of these pet doors come with a locking cover, or other method of locking the door shut, unless otherwise noted.  Be alert to the possibility of an overhang above the pet door which could interfere with the operation of a locking cover. Each brand has notes regarding this point. Hale, in particular, may be ordered with a 'side-loading' locking cover which avoids this problem.

Important:  Don't confuse these with self-framing door mounts!  The adjustment range for a self-framing wall mount must be much greater then for a door mount.

A second important consideration in a wall mount pet door is whether to have a single flap or a double flap (flap on both sides of the wall).  The air-space between the two flaps of a double flap wall mount will insulate much better than a single flap pet door and the double flaps will stand up to wind much better also.  Finally, it will look more finished to have the flap on both sides of the wall. 

We haven't encountered any additional difficulty for the pets in using a double flap provided that a reasonable flap size is chosen by the customer. 

Vital Note Regarding Installation of Pet Doors in a Wall

It is imperative to remember that even a self-framing pet door must be properly installed and caulked to ensure that no moisture enters your walls. If you have any doubt regarding your ability to do this, please assign the job to a qualified person.

Likewise, cutting a power line or hitting a pipe with power tools could cause injury or even death. If you are not sure you have the skills to tackle this kind of job, please have a qualified person do it for you.

Generally, you can be confident that a properly licensed and insured contractor will have the necessary skills.

A Patio Pacific
Self-Framing Wall Mount
Featuring the new
"Endura" flap

Most of our wall mount sales are for double-flap doors. However, when installing in a moderate climate or in an unheated garage or shed, we'd suggest that a single flap may be adequate.

On the other hand, the 'Endura' flap-based pet doors seal so well that we think a single flap is adequate for all but the most demanding climates.

In choosing the size, keep in mind that your pets will be negotiating a short tunnel. For that reason, we like to see a little more clearance vertically than would be the case for a pet door installed in a door. As always, try to mount the pet door so the top of the flap is at least as tall as the top of the tallest pets shoulder.