How To Repair Screen Sliding Door

• Doors & Windows

How To: Repair a Screen Door in 5 Piece of cake Steps

To replace a patio door screen, yous don't demand to be an skillful repair man. The job involves only inexpensive and readily bachelor tools and materials.

Photo: istockphoto.com

I don't mind the squirrels taking their turn at the bird feeder, but our dog seems to have developed a personal vendetta against the creatures. She's then vehemently opposed to squirrels that she managed to rip correct through the mesh screen on the patio door, leaving a big gaping hole in the bottom third.

Non just was this hole unsightly, but the warmer weather ways that mosquitoes, flies, and gnats are active. Replacing the screen quickly moved to the top of the priority list. Luckily, it's an easy project to DIY! Read on to learn how to repair a screen door.

Tools & Materials

• Screen
• Spline
• Spline roller
• Screwdriver
• Needle-nose pliers
• Pliers
• See full list «
• Utility knife

STEP i: Remove the screen door from the door frame.

The commencement step was removing the screen door from the frame. Since the entire door slides on flexible rollers, I lifted the frame upwardly until the bottom edge of the rollers could clear the lip, then tilted the door out from the bottom.

The next stop was the hardware store, where I found a somewhat daunting array of materials and supplies. There are basically ii types of replacement screen fabric—wire and fiberglass. Both are sold in rolls and offered in either black, white, or charcoal shades.

The key materials and tools, including screening, spline, and spline roller.

There are likewise a couple of specialty fabrications, including wire mesh with smaller holes designed to block out "no-come across-ums" and a heavier-duty fiberglass "pet" option.

Although our old screen was wire, I decided to try the pet-friendly fiberglass. The standard patio-door-size roll measures 36×84″, although both larger and smaller rolls are available.

The side by side choice was in screen spline—flexible tubing that holds the screen in place. Sold in rolls and available in dissimilar widths and two colors, the spline inserts between the screen mesh and a narrow groove along the edge of the door frame. I chose the narrowest judge, because the pet mesh was a thicker screen and I wanted to make certain that it would fit securely in the existing groove.

Before I began work, there was one more specialized tool that I needed—a spline roller, the tool I would use to fit the spline into the groove of the door (available on Amazon). For a small task or unmarried use, the plastic version is fine; if you lot have multiple door and window screens to replace, yous may desire to purchase the wooden tool.

Armed with my materials, I headed home and assembled a few more tools, including a skinny regular screwdriver, needle-olfactory organ pliers, regular pliers, and a utility knife with a fresh bract.

RELATED: The Best Retractable Screen Doors for the Abode

Step 3: Remove the existing spline and thoroughly clean the door.

I inserted the tip of the screwdriver in one corner of the door frame and pried out the old spline fabric with the pliers, being careful non to bend the metal edges of the groove. Once I had removed the old spline and the ripped screen, I thoroughly cleaned the door frame.

Photo: istockphoto.com

Stride 4: Utilise a spline roller to push the replacement spline and screen into the door groove.

I unrolled the new fiberglass screen onto the door, making sure to overlap all of the edges. And then, starting at one corner, I used the concave stop of the spline roller to gently push the spline and screen into the metal groove.

Before I'd gone too far though, I realized the mesh wasn't going in evenly. And so I carefully pulled out the spline and screen, re-seated the screen on the frame, and tried over again. This fourth dimension I put lightweight clamps on the corners to hold the screen in place and placed my complimentary hand firmly on the frame to go along the mesh from shifting.

RELATED: So, Y'all Want to… Screen In a Porch

Stride 5: Trim away excess screen material and re-install the door in the frame.

Once I had the spline and screen in place on all four sides, I used the convex end of the spline roller to firmly push button everything into place and, using the utility knife, I trimmed the excess screen cloth. I replaced the screen door on the frame and sat downwards with a absurd iced tea to enjoy the fresh spring breezes.

Source: https://www.bobvila.com/articles/replacing-patio-door-screen/

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