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How to baby-proof pet door?

Hi all,

we have a pet door from the previous owner that’s embedded into the screen door. We don’t need it and the baby has also now discovered it, so we either need to take it out or lock it so it won’t open outside.

we thought about replacement mesh piece, Perspex..? Any ideas that are not to labour intensive!

we have also emailed the Petway company in case they have some idea.

Thanks.

Emma

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MitchellMc

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @Emma82. It's wonderful to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about baby-proofing a pet door.

The quickest reversible fix is to physically stop the flap from opening. From the inside, you can run a couple of button-head screws into the frame at the bottom edge on the outside of the opening so the screw heads slightly overlap the flap. The wider head prevents the flap from being pushed outwards. If the screw head alone is not wide enough, adding a small washer under the head will definitely do the job. This is neat, very quick, and can be undone later without damaging the screen.

If you want it fully blocked off rather than just immobilised, cutting a panel to fit over the pet door frame works well. A thin sheet of MDF, plywood, or even white melamine can be cut to size and screwed through into the existing plastic frame. Painting it black or charcoal will help it blend in with the mesh. Perspex will also work, but it is more prone to cracking when drilled and cut, so timber or MDF is generally easier for a quick DIY job.

Another option, if you truly never plan to use it again, is to glue the flap shut. A bead of superglue or plastic-safe adhesive along the bottom hinge line where the flap meets the frame will stop it from opening. This is fast but more permanent, and removing it later can be messy.

Replacing the mesh section entirely is the cleanest visual result, but it’s also the most labour-intensive, as it usually means removing the door, pulling the spline, and re-meshing the whole panel.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

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