Replace the Screen on a Screen Door
Screen doors are a great way to let fresh air in while keeping insects out. The material that most screen doors are made of is a fairly durable fiberglass that holds up well to daily use. Unfortunately, it does not hold up well to pressure and can rip if enough is exerted. When this happens, replace the screen on the door, rather than replacing the door itself.
Contents
Steps
Removing a Sliding Screen Door
Sliding screen doors on patios lift out of their tracks for easy repair.
- Grasp the door on both sides firmly.
- Lift it straight up inside its frame.
- Tilt the bottom section of the door towards you.
- Push the door down at an angle so the bottom comes toward your feet to free it from the frame.
- Lay the door down flat on an even surface.
- Use a screwdriver to remove the handle and the latch on the door.
- Set the handle aside.
Removing a Swinging Screen Door
Swinging screen doors are frequently installed along with a normal entry way door. They need to be removed from the doorway before repair.
- Unscrew the hinges from the door jamb.
- Lift the screen door out of the doorway.
- Lay the detached screen door on a level surface.
- Examine the hinges on the screen. If they cover the screen itself in anyway, unscrew them and set them aside.
Replacing the Screen
Once the screen door is free, the screen itself can be replaced.
- With the door laying on a flat surface, examine the edges of the screen where it attaches to the frame. There should be a thin, flexible strip called a spline, which holds the screen to the frame.
- Locate one of the cut ends of the spline.
- Insert the end of an awl or flathead screwdriver beneath the cut edge of the spline.
- Lift the edge of the spline up gently.
- Grasp hold of the spline with your fingers and pull gently to remove it from the doorframe.
- Set the spline aside.
- Pull the old screen out of the door and set it aside.
- Lay the new screen over the entire door and line up the edge of the new screen with the outer edge of the frame.
- Use the convex spline tool to press the screen into the channel in the frame.
- Roll the tool like a pizza cutter along the entire perimeter of the doorframe channel, slotting the screen into place.
- Lay the spline on top of the screen, just outside the channel.
- Use the concave spline tool to press the spline into the channel.
- Roll the tool along the top of the spline like a pizza cutter to press the spline tightly into the channel. Hold the tool at a slight angle pointing toward the channel as you roll to help push the spline in. This will lock the screen into place.
- Cut the excess screen off of the door with a utility knife.
- Set the tip of the knife just above the channel.
- Pull the knife across the screen just above the channel to cut away the excess.
- Screw the handle and any hinges back onto the door.
- Screw the hinges back onto the door frame, or set the rollers into the track of the sliding door and push the top section into place.
Tips
- If the spline is looking brittle or dry, replace it with a new one. Bring the old one with you to the hardware store, and have a new one cut to the same size as the old one.
Warnings
- Take care when slicing through the excess screen not to place your free hand in the path of the knife. Always make sure your free hand is above or behind the knife to prevent accidents.
Things You'll Need
- Screwdriver
- Awl
- Spline roller tool
- Utility knife
