Screened enclosure and screened decks

You may have moved into a home which has a screened enclosure or screened deck and if the screened enclosure is in a bad state of repair, may need to repair it. Often screened enclosures are framed with 4” x 4” posts, often spaced more than four feet apart which means you need extra wide screen material to make any substantial repairs. Screen material is available in extra wide rolls 96” and 108” but this material is likely to be hard to come by, or at the very least, require a long delivery.

It does look nice to have a wide spacing for the posts because you have a largely unobstructed view but it becomes a trade off since you have to special order the screen material and also its more difficult to repair if the screens are frequently getting damaged.

I f possible, have your screened enclosure reframed so that the posts are no more than four feet apart. At least this way you will not have too much of a problem finding suitably sized screen material. It also makes for better support for the screen enclosure structure itself.

Regardless of the opening size, it is common for the screen to be stapled to a 1” x 1” cleat that runs inside the perimeter of the openings. Then traditionally a decorative screen moulding is nailed or stapled over top to hide the rough edge of the screening.

Its always better to do away with the screen moulding and use aluminum screen frame to attach the screen. You can screw the screen frame into the cleats all the way around the opening and roll in the screen material. Or , fabricate the screen frame first and screen it before screwing the completed frame to the cleats. Either way is fine, and if the screens get damaged, you will still be able to get them down and drive them to the store for repair. Or at least repair them in the driveway if they are too big to fit in the car.