Easy Process Of Rescreening A Retractable Sliding Screen Door
The appearance of your home is diminished by window and door screens that are torn, sagging, or discolored. Decrepit screens are just as unappealing as torn and discolored curtains hanging out the windows, regardless of how lovely your yard or how new the paint on your house is. Screen replacement is quick, easy, and reasonably priced. No specialized knowledge is required, and all you need are a few modest, easily accessible tools that are designed for the job. There are numerous screen materials that you can choose from in addition to a rescreen door kit, allowing you to tailor the screen to your needs.
Tools & Materials Needed
- Screen
- Spline Roller
- Needle-Nose Pliers
- Utility Knife
- Spline
- Screwdriver
- Pliers
Step 1: Remove The Existing Screen
The screen door must first be taken off of its frame. Due to the fact that the entire door glides on flexible rollers, you must raise the frame so that the bottom edge of the rollers can pass the lip before tilting the door out from the bottom.
Step 2: Select Your Replacement Screen Materials
- The next step is to go to the hardware store, where a somewhat overwhelming selection of materials and supplies may be found. Wire and fiberglass are the two main categories of replacement screen material. Both come in rolls and can be purchased in either charcoal, white, or black hues.
- Additionally, there are a few specialty fabrications available, such as a stronger fiberglass "pet" alternative and wire mesh with tiny holes intended to keep out "no-see-ums". You can try the pet-friendly fiberglass if your former screen was wire. Although larger and smaller rolls are offered, the typical patio-door size roll is 3684".
- The next option was screen spline, a flexible tube used to secure the screen. The spline, which comes in two colors, a variety of widths, and is sold in rolls, fits between the screen mesh and a little groove along the edge of the door frame. Because the pet mesh was a thicker screen, you should make sure that it would fit securely in the groove already present. You might choose the smallest gauge.
- One more specialized equipment will be required before you can start working: a spline roller. This tool will allow you to insert the spline into the door's groove. The plastic version works nicely for modest jobs or one-time use; if you need to repair several door and window screens, you might wish to buy the wooden tool.
You can make a few additional tools using my supplies, including a thin ordinary screwdriver, needle-nose pliers, standard pliers, and a utility knife with a new blade.
Step 3: Remove The Existing Spline & Thoroughly Clean The Door
To remove the old spline material, insert the tip of the screwdriver into one corner of the door frame and use the pliers to pry it out, being careful not to bend the metal edges of the groove. The door frame needs to be carefully cleaned after the old spline and torn screen have been eliminated.
Step 4: Push The Replacement Spline & Screen Into The Door Groove
- The new fiberglass screen should now be unrolled onto the door, being sure to overlap all of the edges. Then, beginning at one corner, carefully press the spline and screen into the metal groove using the concave end of the spline roller.
- But before you go too far, you'll see that the mesh isn't being inserted uniformly. Thus, you must gently remove the spline and screen, reposition the screen on the frame, and then make another attempt. This time, you'll need to secure the screen in place with thin clamps on the corners and secure the frame with your free hand to prevent mesh movement.
Step 5: Re-install The Door In The Frame
Once the spline and screen were in place on all four sides, you had to firmly push everything into position with the convex end of the spline roller and then trim the extra screen material with a utility knife. After that, put the screen door back on its frame and took a seat with a refreshing iced tea to enjoy the crisp spring breezes.