A patio door is a great way to bring the spaciousness of the outdoors into your home. And with its sliding screen, you can enjoy fresh air without inviting in a variety of airborne pests. As for routine maintenance, there's little more to do than keep the track and rollers clean. That is, until someone accidentally tears the screen.Most modern screen doors consist of a lightweight aluminum frame across which fiberglass screening material is stretched. While fiberglass is an economical choice, it doesn't take much to punch a hole in it. The good news is that a damaged screen is easy to replace and you'll find all the materials you need at your local hardware store.Before your shopping trip, slide the door back and forth and check for broken parts. If the door doesn't slide easily, vacuum all dirt from the track and try again. If it's still sticky, add new rollers to your shopping list. To remove the door from the frame, simply lift it up and pull the bottom edge away from the track.When you replace a damaged screen, there are two things you need to become familiar with, fast.
After the screen itself, the most important material is the spline--the narrow rubber tubing that locks the screen in a groove around the frame. Spline comes in various diameters--with some sizes differing in diameter by only 1/64 in.--and matching your new spline to the old is important. Then, you'll need a spline-installation tool. This pizza-cutter-like device has a roller at each end. The convex end forms the screen in the groove, and the concave end presses the spline in place.What to BuyWhile almost all home centers and most hardware stores stock rescreening supplies and universal door hardware, doors from some larger manufacturers may require specific replacement parts. Anderson, for example, sells replacement hardware for its doors at The Home Depot. However, if your door is from a smaller, regional company, generic parts will most likely work. If you're replacing your door's rollers, bring an original along so that you can find the right match.Buy enough screen to overlap the doorframe by about 2 in. on each edge.
You'll also need a new spline (which holds the screen in its groove) if the existing one is brittle or breaks, and a spline-installation toolRemoving the ScreenA sliding screen is supported on rollers that ride in a track. Lift it until the rollers clear the track. Then, pull the bottom out and lower the door until it clears the top edge of the frame.Step 1: Remove the Handle Remove the door handle to provide unobstructed access to the screen. If the handle is damaged, this is a good time to replace it.Step 2: Use an Awl It's common to find a separate length of spline on each side of the frame. Use an awl or pick to catch the end of a piece and pry it up. Try not to damage the spline--if it's not broken or brittle it can be reused.Step 3: Remove the Spline Grab the screen spline with your hand and gently pull upward to remove it. Repeat the process for the other spline segments.Step 4: Remove the Rollers To remove the rollers, carefully pry them from the edge of the door with a screwdriver.
On some doors, you may have to depress a spring clip to release each assembly.Step 5: Installing New Spline If you're installing new spline, use scissors or a knife to cut it to lengths that fit in the frame grooves. Make sure that the diameter of the new spline is the same as that of the old material.Step 6: Align Replacement Screen Lay the replacement screen over the doorframe. Align one edge of the screen with the outside edge of the door to ensure that the screen is square to the frame.Step 7: Convex Roller Beginning at one corner, use the convex roller on the spline-installation tool to press the screen into the groove on a long edge of the doorframe.Step 8: Concave Roller Use the concave roller on the tool to press the spline into the groove. Apply gentle pressure and angle the tool slightly toward the outside of the frame to avoid tearing the screen.Step 9: Pull it Tight Step 10: Trim the Excess After installing all of the spline, use a sharp utility knife to trim the excess screen.
Position the knife tip at the junction of the spline and outside edge of the spline groove.Step 11: Install New Rollers Slide the new roller assembly into the opening in the edge of the door and engage the clips that hold the roller in place.Step 12: Replace the Panel Replace the screen panel in the door track and check that it closes evenly against the jamb. If it doesn't, correct the roller positions by turning the adjustment screws.Step 13: Secure Replacement Latch If the door latch is broken, buy a replacement and secure it to the jamb with a screw.Doors & Windows > Easy, Breezy Tips on Replacing a Patio Door Screen I don’t mind the squirrels taking their turn at the bird feeder, but our dog seems to have developed a personal vendetta against the creatures. She’s so vehemently opposed to squirrels that she managed to rip right through the mesh screen on the patio door, leaving a large gaping hole in the bottom third. Not only was this hole unsightly, but the warmer weather means that mosquitoes, flies, and gnats are active.
Replacing the screen quickly moved to the top of the priority list. Related: 10 New Ways to Use Old Doors The first step was removing the screen door from the frame. Since the entire door slides on flexible rollers, I lifted the frame up until the bottom edge of the rollers could clear the lip, then tilted the door out from the bottom. The next stop was the hardware store, where I found a somewhat daunting array of materials and supplies. There are basically two types of replacement screen material—wire and fiberglass. Both are sold in rolls and offered in either black, white, or charcoal shades. There are also a couple of specialty fabrications, including wire mesh with smaller holes designed to block out “no-see-ums” and a heavier-duty fiberglass “pet” option. Although our old screen was wire, I decided to try the pet-friendly fiberglass. The standard patio-door-size roll measures 36×84″, although both larger and smaller rolls are available. The next choice was in screen spline, flexible tubing that holds the screen in place.
Sold in rolls and available in different widths and two colors, the spline inserts between the screen mesh and a narrow groove along the edge of the door frame. I chose the narrowest gauge, because the pet mesh was a thicker screen and I wanted to make sure that it would fit securely in the existing groove. Before I began work, there was one more specialized tool that I needed—a spline roller, the tool I would use to fit the spline into the groove of the door. For a small job or single use, the plastic version is fine; if you have multiple door and window screens to replace, you may want to purchase the wooden tool. Related: Know Your Door Styles: 10 Popular Designs Armed with my materials, I headed home and assembled a few more tools, including a skinny regular screwdriver, needle-nose pliers, regular pliers, and a utility knife with a fresh blade. I inserted the tip of the screwdriver in one corner of the door frame and pried out the old spline material with the pliers, being careful not to bend the metal edges of the groove.
Once I had removed the old spline and the ripped screen, I thoroughly cleaned the door frame. Then I unrolled the new fiberglass screen onto the door, making sure to overlap all of the edges. Starting at one corner, I used the concave end of the spline roller to gently push the spline and screen into the metal groove. Before I’d gone too far though, I realized the mesh wasn’t going in evenly. So I carefully pulled out the spline and screen, re-seated the screen on the frame, and tried again. This time I put lightweight clamps on the corners to hold the screen in place and placed my free hand firmly on the frame to keep the mesh from shifting. Once I had the spline and screen in place on all four sides, I used the convex end of the spline roller to firmly push everything into place and, using the utility knife, I trimmed the excess screen material. I replaced the screen door on the frame and sat down with a cool iced tea to enjoy the fresh spring breezes. For more on doors and windows, consider: