Window Screen Repair

Well I thought I would do a little section on how to rebuild a damaged screen.  I am sure some of you may know how to do this but since I am just getting started with this handyman blog I think this is an easy subject for the beginner handyman and blogger for that matter.

This is a pic of a damaged screen from an insurance job I did last week near WSU.  If you are familiar with Wichita you know that WSU stands for Wichita State University….uh?? Anyhow, the screen on top is obviously the damaged screen and the one below it is an extra screen the customer just had laying around the house. 

 

 

Here we take the two screens apart being careful not to damage the mesh and I will use as many parts from the damaged screen as I can so I only have to cut two rails.  The extra screen is larger than the one we are repairing so it works perfect for this little rebuild.  If an extra screen is not available you can buy kits at your local home store relatively cheap.  I used my miter saw to cut down the new rail lengths or you can use a hack saw.  Miter saws work great with any carbide tipped blade on this soft aluminum as long as you run the blade through the cut nice and slow.  NICE AND SLOW!! Or you will end up with a screen rail stuck in your shop wall or worse in yourself!

Here I am installing the mesh in the new frame I made from the rails I cut down off the extra screen.  I even managed to salvage the original mesh from the damaged screen so I won’t have to trim the screen when the ribbing is installed.  Sorry I forgot to get a pic of the ribbing but most of you probably know what it is.  If you look close it’s the little black cord holding the mesh in the rails.  You know the stuff you used to pull out of your parents screen when you were a kid with nothing better to do but stare out the window when it was raining out! He He!

Here is a shot of my screen roller tool I use for this job.  Very low cost tool you can get at your local home store along with a bag of screen rib for future damaged screen repairs.  These things work great and make the job much easier.  They also work great for tightening your screens when the ribbing just gets a bit loose.

Finally here is a pic of the end result.  Pretty easy huh…!  With a little practice and a bit of patience this will be an easy do it yourself project even worst handyman can be a master at.  Not sure what that says about me but oh well, till next time…as Red Green always says “If your wife don’t find ya handsome make sure she finds ya handy!” He He!!!