Screens are wonderful to have in the summertime, they let the fresh air in and keep the bugs out but, unfortunately, when they rip they don’t really do the latter. I know because our screen door had seen better days, and it was letting in any creepy crawly that wanted to come inside. The biggest problem was a big tear in the material by the handle, but the entire bottom had also ripped open. Since the door itself still worked, I decided not to replace the whole screen door, but instead, I swapped out the screen material. It was an easy and relatively quick project that saved a lot of money! And as long as the frame for your door is still in good shape, it should be for you too!
MATERIALS
| MATERIALS NEEDED |
| Screen Repair Kit* |
| Screwdriver |
| Cleaning Cloths |
| Sewing Scissors |
*Screen repair kits come in different sizes, so measure your screen door frame to know how much material you need to buy.
TIME COMMITMENT
| ACTIVE TIME: 1-2 hours |
| TOTAL TIME: 1-2 hours |
STEP BY STEP
STEP 1 – REMOVE THE SCREEN DOOR
The first step to replace the screen material in a screen door frame is to pull the door off its tracks. Using a screwdriver, loosen the screws, located on the sides of the door, at the bottom and top corners. This will relieve the tension on the door’s wheels allowing you to remove the door.
After all the screws have been loosened, grab the door on each side and lift it until the top of the door is flush with the top track. Then, pulling gently, angle the bottom of the door towards you until it clears the bottom track. Pull the door down so it comes off the top track and lay the door flat on the ground.
STEP 2 – REMOVE THE HANDLE
Once the screen door has been removed from the doorway, you’ll need to remove the handle from the frame. This step may vary depending on what your sliding door looks like. For my screen door, I used a screwdriver to remove the two screws that secure the handle, and one screw that secures the locking mechanism. Make sure to put all the handle pieces somewhere safe so you don’t lose them.
STEP 3 – REMOVE THE SPLINE & OLD SCREEN MATERIAL
The next step to replace the material in a screen door is to remove the old spline and screen material. The spline is the rubber cord inside the groove along the edge of the screen that secures the screen material in place. To remove it, use the hook tool that came in the screen repair kit, or, if it’s easier, a flathead screwdriver. Starting in a corner, pry the spline out of the groove with your chosen tool.
After removing all the spline, remove the old, damaged screen material. Then discard them both.
STEP 4 – CLEAN THE FRAME
With the spline and old screen material removed, this is now a great time to clean the frame and the handle you removed in step two. This is also a good time to look over the frame and make any necessary repairs.
STEP 5 – PREPARE THE NEW SCREEN MATERIAL
Now that the frame is clean, the next step is to cut the screen material to the right size. Unfold the material from the screen repair kit and place it over the frame.
NOTE: The screen material comes folded, so it will be creased when you unfold it. The creases will naturally fall out over time, but if you want to get rid of them right away you can use a hairdryer to lightly blow hot air on them until they disappear.
Using scissors, cut the material so there are at least two inches of excess past the spline groove on each of the four sides of the door frame.
STEP 6 – APPLY NEW SPLINE
Starting in a corner and working one side at a time, use the concave side of the roller from the screen repair kit to insert the spline (also from the screen repair kit) into the groove. Work slowly and use your other hand to hold the screen material taut as you go. Only about half the spline’s depth will go into the groove on this initial roll.
Be VERY CAREFUL when using the roller to only roll along the spline and NOT the screen material, as the roller can damage and cut the material. Also be careful not to pull the screen material too tight as you work because when driving the spline into the grooves, the screen will tighten as a result. If the screen is pulled too tight, it will rip.
After completing a side, flip the roller to the convex side and press the spline again so it inserts fully into the groove.
Again, be very careful to use the roller only on the spline, NOT the material, or it could cause damage.
When you reach a corner you’ll notice the roller doesn’t push the spline all the way in. To fix this, use the dull side of the hook tool or a flathead screwdriver to finish pushing the spline into the corner.
Continue repeating the process until you’ve inserted the spline into all four sides and are back at the starting point.
Then trim off the excess spline with scissors.
STEP 7 – TRIM OFF THE EXCESS SCREEN MATERIAL
The next step is to trim off the excess screen material from around the edges of the frame. Using a box cutter, or the exacto knife that comes in the screen repair kit, carefully cut the excess screen material on the outside edge of the spline.
Be careful not to cut the spline, the screen material on the inside edge, or scratch the door frame.
STEP 8 – REINSTALL HANDLE & DOOR
The final step to replace the material in a screen door is to reattach the handle to the screen door and then reinstall the door!
To reattach the handle, line the handle pieces up with the screw holes on the door frame. Then tighten the screws back down.
To reinstall the door, insert the top half of the door frame into the top track with the door angled out. Then, push up against the top track and lift the door onto the bottom track. Make sure the two rollers on the top are centered on the top track and the two rollers on the bottom are centered on the bottom track. Then tighten the screws on the four rollers until the door slides nicely along the track.
Once your door has been reinstalled, enjoy your new, no longer damaged screen door!
If you’re looking for other outdoor repair ideas, check out How to Rehabilitate a Zero Gravity Chair, or How to Temporarily Manage Hillside Erosion!
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