Window Screen Replacement

Quite often window screens get bent or totally broken and need to be replaced. Or we may move into a new house only to find that half the window screens are missing.

Either way its not a huge issue, you can buy new screens complete from your local glass shop, you can have them installed or you can do it yourself. Window screen replacement is not that hard to do.

Most your missing or broken screens are going to fall into one of the categories I am about to describe.

Heres a window screen replacement video tutorial showing the repair of a typical aluminum window screen frame. I take out the bends and rescreen the frame to make it good for another 10 years !

Replacing Window Screens in Wooden Windows

The screens you need for window screen replacement in these "side sliders" are often made with 7/16" thick aluminum screen bar, although 3/8" is sometimes used. The thickness is easy to verify with a measuring tape.

The screen frames sit in vinyl channels that are stapled around the perimeter of the opening side of the window. Usually the screen frames get left in for a long time without being removed and then when you try to slide them out for cleaning, the screen frame gets bent or broken.

Or the screens are no longer there, only the vinyl channels are left. Or perhaps the channels are gone too. Many glass shops will stock the channels. And Loews or Home Depot are quite likely to stock 7/16" screen bar, hopefully in the right colour !

Another very popular builder supplied window is the vertical single moving sash style. The style often uses exactly the same vinyl channel and 7/16" thick screen bar that the side slider window uses. The channel is installed around the perimeter of the lower half of the window and the screen just slides up and out for removal.

When measuring these windows for replacement window screens, measure to the bottom of the vinyl channel on one side to the bottom of the vinyl channel on the other side. Take a couple of measurements in different locations for the width and the height, particularily if its a big screen. Many old windows can be out of square and have warped jambs.

Subtract 1/8" of an inch from the measurements for the height and width and you should have the right size for your new window screen. When I make them myself I like to test fit the frames and trim them back 1/8" at a time until I get a perfect fit.

Make sure you label the frame sizes with each screen location. Most of the screens in your house may be the same size but not always.

Replacing Screens in Aluminum Storm Windows

Aluminum storms can be tricky to take apart. When covered with paint and left in place for years without maintenance, they may seem impossible to take apart.

Once you get used to it though, taking apart aluminum storms is usually easy. One thing to bear in mind is that 90% of the time, they were designed to be taken apart from the inside. You should not have to climb up any ladders to dissasemble the upstairs storms.

There are a few annoying storm designs that do come apart from the outside. These should be obvious when you see the screws and retaining clips that hold the glass in on the outside. These styles are usually on the ground floor only.

I've made a separate page that talks about taking apart Aluminum Storm Windows Come back here after you have reviewed it.

Once you have successfully accessed the screens in your aluminum storms you will see that the frames fit in aluminum channels within the storms.

Typically the frames used in aluminum storm windows are 1/4" and 5/16" thick. These are sizes you wont often find at your local building center. These frames are often "staked" together at the factory and are not so easy to repair as the screens on a wooden window.

The 5/16" Thick frames are usually a little easier because they use friction fit corners just like the frames in wooden windows.

The sizes are not uncommon for a glass shop however and so if you need new frames, local glass shops should be on your list of first places to visit.

Collapsible window screens

You just open your window enough to fit the screen in and pull the screens apart to fit the width of the window. The are a really simple way to put a window screen replacement in a window that has no screen.

In the link below you can get collapsible screens to fit open windows anywhere from 10 inches high to 45 inches wide. Here are all the different sizes available:

Model AWS1033 - Metal Rail Extension Window Screen 10 inches high. Extends from 19 wide to 33 inches wide, Bright Mesh Screen Wire with Galvanized Rails. [8015208] UPC: 77578055435 19L x 1W x 10H 1.2 LB

A list of contractors for those looking for Window Screens in Dallas, Texas.