Window Replacement Screen

Many homes have horizontal "side slider " windows or vertical "single hung" windows where the screen is held in with a 7/16" thick aluminum or vinyl track. This track is usually installed on 3 sides of the screen, attached to the window frame with staples or tacks. One side of the window replacement screen frame has no track which allows you to grab the frame and slide it in or out of the tracks. Many times, the reason for the screen going missing in the first place is the fact that the tracks have fallen off or been broken. A first step to repairing these windows is locating a manufacturer for the tracks, which usually come in 12 foot lengths. The tracks are very easy to install since they can be cut to length with wire cutters and stapled or nailed in place. The screen frames need only be made 1/8" smaller than the opening for the tracks, to allow the frames to slide easily in and out of the frames.

Many aluminum windows in apartment buildings or townhouses have the channels or tracks for screens built right into the window frames. Screens in these types of windows are often held in with small vinyl or aluminum turn locks which are either pop riveted or snapped into a hole in the screen frame. Other times there are soft vinyl blocks which snap in between the screens and the frame to hold the screens in. 3/8" and 7/16" thick screen frames are very popular in these applications.

Casement windows often use a screen frame which has a lip all the way around the outside of the screen frame. They also use spring loaded pins or spring clips to hold the frame in place. The screens can be removed just by pulling on them with moderate force. These screens are the trickiest to fit since if they are too small, the pins wont hold the frames in successfully. If the frames are too large, they wont fit at all.

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