Repairing A Screen Door
Accidents do happen. Dogs jump up on doors with
nails like World War II punch knives, cats
shred screens with the precision of neurosurgeons, and kids stare up
at you with huge eyes,
telling you they have no idea what happened – or why there is now a
hole the size of Manhattan
in your screen door or window.
Before you rush off to replace the entire screen, however, you might
want to consider repairing
it instead – even if only as an interim measure, to keep the bugs
out.
This is a bit finicky, but easier than you might think. (If the tear
is low down in a door, do
yourself a favor and grab a kitchen step or a footstool to sit on.)
First determine which sort of screen you have – aluminum or nylon.
It’s easy to tell the
difference. Aluminum will feel quite hard and unyielding to the
touch. Nylon is soft.
Nylon Screen Mesh
There are two options you can choose between, when repairing Nylon
Screen Mesh: Gluing or
Sewing.
Sewing Method
If you have a tear, rather than a hole, you can quickly sew the tear
shut. Make sure you use
thread that matches your screen as closely as possibly in color.
Gluing Method
Proceed as above, only making larger stitches.
1. When you have sewn the tear shut, pull the knotted end of your
thread back out of the
screen a couple of inches, and snip other end leaving another
“tail”.
2. Push the tear ever so gently open again (so that the stitches
widen) and carefully glue
the ends of the tear.
3. Pull both end of the threads taut, so stitches close up again.
4. Once the glue is completely dry, pull the thread out. (If it
remains firmly embedded in
the glue, you have most likely used too much glue. In that case,
just trim the thread
away as closely as you can.
Alternate Gluing Method
If the damage is a hole, rather than a tear (common when dogs, cats
or kids treat a screen too
roughly) cut out a piece of screen.
1. Sew it roughly to screen using brightly colored thread and large
stitches that do not re-cross each other.
2. Leave tails loose at both end, as in the “tear” gluing method
3. Take a length of thread that is as close in color as possible to
your screen, and thread
your needle.
4. Re-sew the screen patch carefully this time, now that you have it
in position. Adjust it
as you sew, making the old and new mesh match as closely as
possible.
5. When your repair is complete, grasp hold of one of the
brightly-colored, loose ends of
thread, and slowly ease out of the screen.
Aluminum Screen Mesh
If your screen is aluminum, you have 2 methods to choose from. This
is the method Home
Improvement professionals from RONA advise:
1. Cut out a piece of aluminum mesh screening so that the edges are
jagged, not smooth
2. Bend all the little extra projections over at a 90° angle first.
(Use your fingers, a splining tool or needle-nose pliers – whichever
you’re more at home with.)
3. Position your patch over the hole or tear.
4. Continue bending the jagged projections until flat, snug against
the screen.
5. When the patch is secure, cut and remove the original damaged
area inside the repair,
leaving the new patch firmly in place.
Millwork professionals at Home Depot claim their method is easier
and just as durable:
1. Take a piece of aluminum screen at least twice as large as your
tear
2. Unravel the mesh down to just wider than your tear
3. Place patch over tear or hole, and “darn” all the loose ends in
by weaving them through
the undamaged existing screen mesh.
Patching works best if the tear or hole is not too large, and if the
damaged part is not at eye
level. If it looks too noticeable, or cosmetic appearance matters
enough that it really bugs you,
replace the entire screen.
But for now – maybe you’ll get one more season out of that screen.
Or at least… until your cat leaps onto the screen in a bug-hunting
frenzy again!
About the Author: D. Benjamin is the owner of
iapsales.com LLC - a family business specializing in HVAC products. We
are distributors of
Qmark Heaters,
electric tankless water heaters,
bathroom heaters,
patio heaters, electric heaters,
portable air
conditioners & electric towel warmers. Shop on line at
www.heateroutlet.com for these great home improvement products.
Iapsales.com LLC was established in 2003 and is the sister company to
Innovative Air Products located in historical Exeter, NH. We are a 2nd
generation manufacturers’ rep firm dedicated to providing residential &
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