Windowsscreen has a great purpose in your home. For one, they serve as a barricade to flies and ants in the summer or spring.
A screen has tiny netting that spreads in a four-sided frame. There are different window screen frame sizes, and they could easily get torn or damaged if mishandled.
If this occurs, bugs and other insects can easily enter your home. Furthermore, tears and slaves on the screen reduce its efficiency in preventing insect infestation.
Luckily, this isn’t a big problem, as you can quickly put a new one with the right tools. This guide will put you through the steps on how to replace a window screen.Â
How to Replace Window Screen Frames on Metal or Vinyl Frame
Here are the steps to on how to put screens on old windows
Step 1: Buy the Required Materials
Purchase a new window screen spline (the plastic seal), rolling equipment for the spline, and the screen. You may get the screens only in large rolls from the local equipment store and then cut to the desired shape and size.
The fiberglass screen material helps you correct a cutting mistake quickly. However, the aluminum screen material is tenser and doesn’t correct errors at all. This feature entails that any mistake you make while cutting remains there.
Step 2: Take Out the Frames from your Window
You have to be careful when removing the screens to avoid complications. Most screens may go out in just one way, which is the only way you can put them back into the frame.
If you put them back in the wrong way, then they won’t fit. So, mark out the screen positions when removing them to assist you.
To take it out quickly, use a screwdriver and a mallet back to force it out if it’s too hard to pull out. Spread the material on a flat surface to enable you to do the work well on it. If you get a flat table, that’s the best platform, so that you can quickly fix in the stabilizers. Get the frames from the store if they need replacement.
Step 3: Raise the Rubber Spline and Remove the Screen
The plastic spline is a black seal that holds the screen in position. It resembles a black cord fastened to the ends of the covering.
Pull the spline up with a screwdriver, and then you can take it out quickly. Drag the screen immediately as you remove the spline. Hold one end and take it out of the window frame, since you have taken out the spline, it won’t be difficult.
Step 4: Cut a Part Out of the New Screen
Ensure you spread out the entire roll of the screen over a flat surface to cut out the needed portion. You could also put it over the window frame to cut to perfect shape.
Ensure to leave about two inches excess on all sides to cover for errors during cutting. Also, the spline collects some of the screens.
Hold the frame at a spot using stop blocks- these are small pieces of wood nailed to the inside of your work table. The scrap or junk wood that is at least two inches long helps to position the frame during the work process. You should not screw to the frame, just on the sides of the table or surface you are working with.
The bowing of the frame will bring about errors to the window screen, so the little wooden chips are very necessary. Fix in like three pins on the longer part of the screen to fasten it to the frame and ensure the spline is intact. The clamps on the screen help to ensure that the spline doesn’t roll over, thus keeping the screen stretched fully.
Step 5: Press the Screen to the Frame
Make use of the convex edge of the roller to press the screen on the parts where you have the clamps. Press the roller on the screen to push it into the edges of the frame, one side at a time. Ensure there are no bubbles on the screen, if there are, take it out and place it fittingly rolling from side to side.
Press the spline on the frame where you put the screen and roll with the convex end of the roller to push it into place.
Step 6: Press the Other Side of the Frame
Remove the pins from the screen. Then lay it out over the fully stretched screen part, and roll over it with a roller to push into the frame.
Fix the spline the same way you did the other end, pressing it in with the right side of the roller tool. Ensure you press it adequately to avoid bubbles.
Carry out the same process on both sides of the frame. Stretch the screen well over the edges of the structure and use the roller to press in well. Get the spline and roll it into position. Roll uniformly on all sides to prevent the incidence of bubbles and wrinkles on the screen.
Step 7: Cut Off Excess Screen
Slice off the surplus spline to the custom window frame size. Direct the cutting tool toward the edge of the frame and cut out the excesses. Then, push in the remaining spline into the corners with a screwdriver, pressing it down to perfectly fit the structure.
Step 8: Place the Screens Back in Position
Beginning from above, fix it down to the bottom of the frame. It is always easier to start from the top and work your way down.
Ensure you know how to install window screen clips so that they are in the right position. The springs should be positioned in the right when looking from the outside window view.
Examine the clips and springs if they refuse to enter quickly. They resemble a metal strip that produces a curve at the end of the frame. Most times, the clips will move out of place if you’re not careful. So ensure that you fix them into outside edge only, not swerving right or left.
Step 9: Putting Two-Part Screens
The screen typically has a top lip that extends toward the underside of the screen. The clips, if they are present in the shades, should face the right when viewed from the outside.
Then push the pressure clamps into the path on the right and press it into the top left corner. Push the high screen first, leaving out the bottom.
Afterward, place the second bottom lip of the top screen with the clip facing the right. Press the screen to the right of the frame and then set the bottom corner on the left too. Ensure you keep holding the bottom edge of the top screen and its top corner of the bottom a little more out of the frame. Then Press the left-center point the corner come in contact into place.
Step 10:Â How to Put a Screen Back into a Window Frame from the Inside
To fix the screen from the inside, you have to face the springs to the left. The pleated end will be above; place the top screen edge outside the window and press it flat on the wall. Put the screen in the right part and fix the clasps properly. Pull up the screen to the window edges and place it at the top.
Final Word
One thing leads to another, and tears appear on our window screens. But that shouldn’t be a problem if you know how to replace the window screen.Â
If you wish to keep out stubborn flues and insects completely, then you have to fix the complete window screens. This guide has provided a summary of what you need to set a new window screen in place.Â
Considering that there are different window screen frame sizes, always ensure to:
- Get a complete roll of the screen: you won’t want to get a smaller size, and it ends up not covering the opening.
- Always hold the frame down with stop blocks
- Place the clamps at the right position, and roll the screen in place
- Ensure you can reach out to the window lock after replacing the screen.