Window screen repair and replacement

A whole-house screen visit

Window screens fail one at a time and people put off each one. By the time someone calls, a house might have three torn screens, two missing and one bent from a ladder. That makes screens a good job to do all at once. We count every opening, note which are torn, bent or missing, and handle them in a single visit, either at the house or by taking frames and returning them rescreened.

Rescreening

Rescreening is the most common fix. We pull the old spline from the channel, lay fresh mesh, and roll new spline in, keeping the mesh tight without pulling the frame into an hourglass. Spline size matters: too thin and the mesh pulls free, too thick and it will not seat.

We measure the old spline and match it. Corners are cut cleanly and the excess trimmed so the screen sits flat in the window.

Frames and hardware

Aluminum screen frames bend easily. A slight bow can often be straightened; a kinked rail needs new frame stock. We cut frame stock to size and join it with corner keys, then fit the pull tabs or spring clips the window needs.

Screens for sliding windows usually use pull tabs on one edge; screens for single-hung windows often use plunger pins or springs. We match what the window takes.

Missing screens

Many homes lose screens over the years, especially upstairs where they get removed for painting and never go back. Building a new screen needs the exact opening size, not the glass size. We measure each window, build screens to fit, and label them so they go into the right opening. For odd windows, such as old steel casements, screens can be made to mount on the inside.

Mesh options

• Standard fiberglass: charcoal color, easiest to see through.
• Pet mesh: resists cats who climb screens.
• Solar mesh: cuts heat and glare on west and south windows.
• Fine mesh: stops very small bugs, with slightly less airflow.

Why it matters

Open windows at night help cool a house through most of the year in the valley, and screens are what make that practical. Landlords often call us between tenants to get every screen back in place. A tidy set of screens makes a house look cared for from the street.

Upstairs windows

Most screens can be removed and reinstalled from inside. Where one can only be reached from outside on a second story, we use a ladder set on firm ground and do not lean on stucco ledges or gutters.

Taking screens out safely

Most screens lift up into the top channel and then swing out at the bottom. Others use tabs that pull toward the middle. Forcing a screen out of the wrong side bends the frame. We show you how yours come out so cleaning day is easy.

Cleaning screens

Lay screens flat on a drop cloth, rinse them with a garden hose, scrub lightly with a soft brush and dish soap, rinse again and let them dry before putting them back. Pressure washers tear mesh, so keep it gentle.

Screens and window cleaning

Clean windows look better with clean, tight screens. Many owners have us re-screen just before they schedule window washing or before a house goes up for sale or rent, so the whole house looks finished in listing photos.

Sun and sprinklers

Mesh on the sunny side of the house turns brittle and tears first. Sprinklers spraying a screen leave hard-water spots that clog the weave. Turning a sprinkler head away from the windows helps screens last.

Odd sizes and old houses

Older homes in the foothill towns sometimes have wood-framed screens or steel casement windows. We can rescreen wood frames and build matching screens where the window allows, keeping the original look.

How we quote

Send the number of windows, a photo of a typical screen and its size, and a note of which are torn or missing. We quote by screen, so you know the total before we start. Big orders can be done over two visits: measure and collect, then return with finished screens.

Hardware that fails

Pull tabs crack in the sun and spring clips lose tension. Without them a screen falls out or rattles in the wind. We carry common tabs, springs and corner keys and replace them while rescreening.

Security

Screens keep bugs out, not people. For ground-floor windows that stay open at night, a window stop or a pin that limits how far the window opens adds security while still letting air in.

Labels for the future

We write the room on each new screen frame edge in pencil, so after a cleaning day every screen goes back to the right window without trial and error.

A note for second stories

If a second-floor screen is missing and the window does not let it in from inside, we may need a ladder outside. We set ladders on level ground with a spotter, and plan around plants and slopes. Screens that can only go in from outside on a steep slope may be built as inside-mounted screens instead.

Photo checklist