Screen doors and screens on your windows can make an amazing difference in keeping bugs out of your house in summer… unless they have a gaping hole or two in them. In this case, it is time for you to repair your screen door. Below is a step-by-step how to on repairing a screen door, but if you find the idea more daunting than exhilarating, then find a
local handyman who would be more than happy to assist!
1. Gather your tools and materials
Find your utility knife, screwdriver, roller tool, measuring tape, spline, spline roller tool and screening material. Don’t have it? You can get what you need from your local hardware store.
2. Remove your screen door
This may require unscrewing screws that hold the door in on rollers, or lifting the door off its hinges.
3. Remove your screen door handle
Removing the door handle will allow you to install the screen more easily. Make sure to place the screws and handle in a safe place near by where you will find them again later.
4. Remove the old spline
Spline is the rubber cable that holds the screening material in place. Use a sharp-pointed tool like a screwdriver to lift the old spline off the door. You can then pull all the old spline off the door and discard it. Once the spline is out, you’ll also easily be able to lift the damaged screen from the door.
5. Clean up the edges of the door and the spline groove
Now is a good opportunity to clean up any debris present where the screen had been, in the frame of the door, and from the groove where the spline was placed. Once this area is spic and span, the next step will be much easier.
6. Measure out the new spline
Measure the length and width of the door where the new spline will be placed, using your measuring tape. Once you have these measurements, cut the spline cord with your utility knife into four pieces, one for each side of the door. Leave a few centimetres extra at the end of each length of spline for wiggle room near corners and for getting the spline into the groove.
7. Prepare the new screen
Measure out the screen and make sure it is slightly longer and slightly wider than the door, past the spline groove by about five to ten centimetres.
8. Install the new spline to secure the material
Starting near one corner and moving towards the next corner, use the convex wheel on the spline roller to push the spline onto the groove. Around corners, use a screwdriver to flatten the spline into the groove. Once you get to the third and fourth sides, make sure to keep the material taut and secure, but not so tight to cause a tear or a ripple in the material. Use the concave side of the tool a second time to make sure that the spline is safely secured. Use your utility knife, at a 45° angle, to trim the excess screen from the frame, and run it just above the spline.
9. Reinstall the door
Once all this is done go ahead and reinstall your screen door! Make sure you don’t damage the new screen in the process.
Having a screen can do wonders for keeping your house cool, fresh and free of insects and debris. Remember to check your screen regularly for small tears that could become a big problem. You might be able to patch them up, saving you the trouble of replacing the whole thing.