Put the door back in its place and enjoy the breeze. Or yourself.Ĭongratulations! You have a new screen door.
(You may have to bear down a little more when cutting aluminum.) Don’t rush this part-you also don’t want to cut the spline. With a bit of pressure, cut slowly toward yourself along the outer edge spline.Start in one corner of the spline, and as you did when trimming the spline, orient the blade so you don’t accidentally slice the screen. Put a new sharp blade into the utility knife.Once the entire perimeter is splined, you’ll need to trim the excess screen.Now go back over the entire perimeter and check that the spline is pushed down all the way.Here, and any time during the process, if you end up with a sag or wrinkle, you can always pull the spline out in that area, make everything tight, and re-install the spline. When splining the last side, try to smooth out any wrinkles as you go.Once the short sides are complete, repeat the process on the long sides. Now move your spring clamps from the opposite short side and spline that section.When you get to the opposite corner, use the utility knife to carefully trim the excess spline, cutting away from the screen, toward the outer edge of the screen panel.
Step 4: Unroll the screen material over the door Remove the screening and throw it away but keep a small sample of the spline material to bring to the store.Use a flat screwdriver or knife to pry out one bit of the spline, then pull the rest out.Plan on buying screening material wide and long enough so you have an extra 2 inches or so of the screen on all sides. Now measure the width and length of the door.(The spline is a thin piece of flexible plastic, usually black, that’s jammed into the perimeter slot to hold the screen in place.) Remove the screen door and lay it out on the work surface with the spline side up.This surface could be a workbench, a pair of sawhorses covered with some plywood, or even your picnic table. First, you’ll need a work surface to support the door or screen panel.Steps for Fixing a Screen Door Step 1: Prepare a work surface You’ll also want a splining tool, a sharp utility knife, and some spring clamps.
You’ll need new spline material that’s about the same diameter as the original, so bring your original sample as a gauge. While you’re at the store, you’ll also want to pick up a few other essentials. Just make sure that any roll you choose is big enough to cover the door. Do you need fiberglass? Black? Charcoal or silver? A fine weave that keeps fruit flies out and is easy to see through? Or how about a heavy-weave pet screen that will stand up to lions, tigers, and bears? There’s also aluminum that is rugged and long-lasting. You also get to choose the style of the screen to match the existing screens at home.
When you go to the hardware store or home center, you’ll find an assortment of screening materials in a few different sizes, everything from 24- to 96-inches wide.
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