French Door screens
Is your screen door missing ?

People love their french door but many of them come without a screen. Even in new home construction the screens are missing. The doors are built with the tracks ready for a screen door but they are not supplied with one.

Who knows why the screens were not included, perhaps the builder just wanted to save a little extra money.

In some cases, there is a separate company to install the screen for french door, but its surprising how often these screens never get installed.

French door screens are usually ordinary patio door screens adapted for french doors.

Many french doors are installed without screens at all but this does not mean they cannot be added later. Usually the french door has a top and bottom track for a french screen door.

Simply measure as for a regular patio door screen or have your local glass shop do it for you and purchase a french screen door.

Some french doors have no tracks at all. Tracks can be added to the top and bottom of the door to allow installation of a french door screen. See how the lower screen track has been screwed to the door sill in the picture below.

Not a big deal for your local glass shop. Watch out when you are purchasing door handles for your french door that they do not interfere with the closing of the sliding french screen door. Some doorknobs stick out too far and will prevent the screen door from closing properly.

Also some french doors may need to have the center section of the door built out to allow the screen door to seal properly. If you are putting in a new french door, bear the preceding things in mind and purchase one that comes with a screen door already installed.

If you wish to have french doors installed where both doors open, you may wish to have a french door screen that covers the entire opening.

A retractable screen door is one possibility for this, although you may find it difficult to find one that will span a 60" to 72" wide door frame. You may have to use two retractable doors which open from each side and meet in the middle.

Conventional patio screen doors can be adapted to this style of door by installing 2 parallel screen door tracks on the top and bottom of the french door and having bug strips installed on the 2 sliding screen doors so they seal against each other when closed. A good glass shop should be able to sort this out without too much difficulty.

Another solution which is quite inexpensive is to use a "portable" screen door which hangs like a curtain from the top of the door. They are available wide enough to cover a french door with both doors open. The screen simply allows you to walk through a split in two overlapping panels. These type of screen doors are made to be removeable.

Check my page on Aluminum and Fiberglass screen materials.

This page will be help you determine the right screen material to choose for your screen door.

If your french door already has the top and bottom tracks, then getting a screen door for french door is simple. Just follow the measuring instructions below and enter the dimensions in the quotation form at the bottom of this page.

When the top and bottom tracks are missing, you will need to measure the width of your door so I can supply the tracks as well. Contact me and I will get the particulars of your door to supply a full french door screen kit with tracks.

Installing the tracks is not difficult. They are simply held in place with wood screws going through the track and into the jamb.

When installing a screen on a french door there are a few things you have to watch out for.

First is the swing of the door. Does it swing out ? If thats the case you wont be able to put a sliding screen on the outside. A retractable screen might still work though.

The next thing to consider is the outside door handle. When the screen door is closed will the door handle hit the new screen door frame ? You may have to choose a different lockset with a smaller handle or move the screen door track out far enough to clear the handle.

Most french doors have a vertical wooden strip could an astragal that goes between the two door sections, regardless of whether both door open or not. Will there be a space between the new screen door and the astragal ? Sometimes this gap can be several inches and it will prevent the screen door from being effective at stopping bugs.

Do both of the doors on your french door open ? If you install a single screen door, it will prevent you from enjoying a clear view when both doors are wide open.

A retractable screen is an effective alternative if your french door has some or all of the conditions listed above. Retractable screens are really the only option if you have both doors opening and want to maintain a completely unobstructed view.