Skip to main content 
Vinyl wins on privacy, aluminum wins on keeping your view. Expect $45 to $75 a foot for vinyl in the St. Louis area, and $20 to $45 a foot for aluminum. Both need almost no upkeep. The real choice usually comes down to whether you want a solid screen or an open sightline.
Both materials come from us, so nothing below is a sales pitch for one over the other. Our vinyl fence page and aluminum fence page cover the details of each install. If you’d rather just talk it through, 636-464-1144 reaches us directly.
The Real Difference
Vinyl is a solid PVC panel. It blocks sightlines completely, which is why homeowners pick it for privacy fencing. Aluminum is an open picket style. You can see through it. That is why homeowners pick it when they want to keep a view of the yard, pool, or landscaping beyond it.
Neither one rots, rusts, or needs paint. Past that starting point, the two materials solve different problems.
Strength and Lifespan
Aluminum edges out vinyl on raw strength. A picket can take a hit without shattering. The welded or bolted frame also holds its shape under wind load better than a flat panel does.
Vinyl is not fragile, though. Bufftech, the vinyl we install most, typically lasts 20 to 30 years with almost no maintenance. Aluminum from Elite carries a lifetime limited warranty from the manufacturer and does not rust, ever, since it contains no iron.
Vinyl can crack under a hard, direct impact, especially in cold weather when the material gets more brittle. Aluminum flexes instead of cracking, but a picket can bend if something hits it hard enough.
Privacy and Sightlines
A homeowner in Wildwood added a pool and needed real privacy from a busy street and sidewalk. We found their existing 4-foot fence did not screen the pool area at all, so on the Bryant job, 31 August 2026, we replaced it with a 6-foot solid vinyl fence. A solid panel was the only material that closed the view completely.
Aluminum will not do that job. Standard picket spacing leaves gaps a person can see through from either side. If privacy is the actual goal, vinyl is the only one of the two that delivers it.
Keeping Your View
On the Voegtli job in Kirkwood, 15 May 2026, the homeowner wanted to contain two small dogs. They also wanted to keep the yard’s open feel. We closed the aluminum picket gaps to 1 and 5/8 inches for pet containment. The sightline through the fence stayed intact. A vinyl privacy panel would have solved the dog problem too. It also would have blocked the view the homeowner wanted to keep.
You cannot get real privacy out of an open aluminum picket, no matter how tight the spacing runs. Aluminum is not for you if your main goal is blocking a neighbor’s view or screening a busy street. Save the money and get vinyl instead.
Cost
Vinyl privacy fencing runs $45 to $75 a foot in the St. Louis area. Most jobs land between $55 and $65. Aluminum runs $20 to $45 a foot, usually $25 to $40. See our vinyl fence cost page or aluminum fence cost page for the current line-by-line figures.
The gap is real. A solid vinyl panel uses more material than an open aluminum picket, and that shows up in the price per foot.
Two Real Jobs, Compared
- Bryant, Wildwood MO, 31 August 2026. 104 linear feet of 6-foot white vinyl privacy fence, 0 gates, 2 days. Replaced a shorter fence to fully screen a backyard pool from the street.
- Voegtli, Kirkwood MO, 15 May 2026. 38 linear feet of 4-foot black aluminum picket, 2 gates, 1 day. Picket gaps closed to 1 and 5/8 inches for two small dogs, sightline kept open.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is better, vinyl or aluminum fencing?
Vinyl wins if you want privacy. Aluminum wins if you want to keep your view of the yard or landscaping. Cost, maintenance, and lifespan are close between the two. The real deciding factor is almost always which look and function you actually need.
What are the downsides of vinyl fencing?
Vinyl costs more per foot than aluminum, and a hard impact can crack a panel, especially in cold weather. You also cannot see through it, which some homeowners find too closed-in for a front yard.
What are the downsides of aluminum fencing?
Aluminum will not give you privacy since standard picket spacing leaves clear gaps. It also costs more up front than chain link, though it beats chain link on looks and upkeep.
What is the average lifespan of a vinyl fence?
Bufftech vinyl, the brand we install most, typically lasts 20 to 30 years with almost no maintenance. Most homeowners just spray it down a couple of times a season and that covers it.
Does a vinyl fence increase property value?
Yes, a well-installed vinyl fence tends to help. Buyers see a solid, low-maintenance privacy fence as a finished feature, not a future expense. An aging wood fence usually reads the opposite way.
What does 100 feet of vinyl fencing cost?
At $55 to $65 a foot installed for most jobs, 100 feet of vinyl privacy fencing runs roughly $5,500 to $6,500, before gates. Gates are priced separately.
Getting a Price for Your Yard
Bufftech vinyl and Elite aluminum are both stocked and installed by our own crews across St. Louis and the Metro East. We hold a spot on the Catalyst installer directory, and every job we do carries a one-year workmanship guarantee from us on top of whatever the manufacturer promises.
You reach out by phone or online. Within 1 to 4 days, we measure your yard in person, not off a photo. You walk away with a written number for vinyl, aluminum, or both, so the comparison is apples to apples.
The Arnold showroom has samples of both materials if you want to see the color and feel before deciding. Past customers have also left their own notes on the reviews page.
Call 636-464-1144 and get a real number, no charge, no obligation.
