How to Install Windows Screen Frame?
If the window screen frames of your home are missing or damaged, it is easy to make replacement ones. Using window screen corners eliminates the need to cut the frame stock at a 45-degree angle, but you should use a miter box to ensure square cuts. The corners ensure the frames are square so they fit exactly into the openings for the window. Screens are an important part of keeping out flying insects, including mosquitoes.
Purchase the Materials
In order to make the replacement window frames, you need aluminum window screen stock and the corners. You also need the screen mesh and spline. Tools for the project include a hacksaw, miter box, clamps, a flat screwdriver, and a spline tool. You need a large, flat surface on which to work. Screen frame stock is inexpensive and widely available in many home improvement stores, making this an affordable project for many homeowners.
Cut the Stock
Measure the size of the retaining channels on the window. Subtract two times the width of the stock to determine the finished length of the stock. Place two pieces of stock in the miter box side by side, and using a hacksaw, cut them to the measurement from your calculations. Repeat the process with the horizontal frame members.
Assemble the Frame
Slide a window screen corner into one of the rails. Locate the adjacent rail, and turn it so the spline channel faces the same direction on both pieces. Slide the second piece of channel onto the corner. Repeat the process with each of the corners. Use a rubber mallet to tap the corners so the rails joint tightly at each location.
Cover With Mesh
There are several options for mesh for the new screen frames. Aluminum provides the highest visibility mesh, but it is the least forgiving for the installation. You have one chance to install aluminum mesh, and if you make a mistake, you must start again with a new piece of mesh. Vinyl and fiberglass screens are more forgiving, but block some of the view. Sunscreens provide a shade for the window and prevent ultraviolet damage to the furnishings of the home.
Rubber spline holds the screen material in place. Install it by laying the material flat on the frame and using a spline tool to press the rubber into the channel. Use spring clamps to hold the screen in place as you insert the spline. Installing the spline helps to stretch the screen mesh and eliminate wrinkles. It is also responsible for holding the screen in place.
Install the Screen
Aluminum frames slip into grooves the manufacturer places on the window. While most wooden screen frames require special hanging hardware and locks to hold them in place, the aluminum is flexible enough that when the homeowner pushes a properly fitted screen into place, it stays.
How to Buy Window Screen Frames on eBay
Shop eBay for window screen frames or the materials to make your own frames. Use the search bar the site includes at the top of every page to find the specific materials or tools you need for making the frames. Another option is to click on one of the categories, such as Building & Hardware, and browse the items available to complete your home improvement projects. You can also click on any of the items once a search results page loads in order to learn more details about the particular product.
