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Screen RepairEasily fix torn screen in any window, door, or porch screen panel
Save some time and money by doing your own screen repair with the following easy-to-read outline.Fix most any window, door, or large porch panels that are seen in many screened-in porches usually at the rear of the house. These are typically prevalent with houses built in the sixties and seventies. So, as you might guess, there will be plenty of opportunity for repairs. What You Will NeedThe first thing you want to do is assess how much material you will need for your repairs. Take measurements of how much total screen material you will need. This will include both the screen, and the spline. With typical screen repair, you will need the following: Screen comes in a few different colors and type of material used in the manufacture (e.g. - plastic versus aluminum) This is the round, rubber-like "stopper" material that firmly holds screen in place. It comes in many different diameters. In order to get correct size. take a sample of the old spline with you to the store to match it up with new replacement spline. What To DoAfter you have determined your materials list and obtained said tools, you're ready to go to work. Tip - In order to perform a really good screen repair, consider having someone with you to help hold the repair parts in place while you (or the helper) actually press the new spline into place. It simply can be way too awkward and difficult for one person to do a certain task when two people are necessary. 
Remove old spline from groove by using a small flat-headed screw driver to pry it out. Be careful as the old rubberized spline has probably hardened over the years due to weather conditioning and temperature changes.Once you have started an inch or two of the old spline out of the groove, use your needlenose pliers to pull the rest out of the groove. 
Start at the top and with your crimping tool, force the new spline into the channeled groove. Once to've come to the end, cut the spline and finish installing that last little bit.Repeat this same procedure for the left side, then the right channel, and finally, the bottom channel. But don't pull real hard. Just keep the screen taught enough to keep any folds or wrinkles out. Your repair piece should be cut to size no bigger than two to three inches of overlap of the metal support frame.
Have your helper hold the repair piece in place. If you tape (masking tape is fine) the piece to the bottom part of the frame, this will enable you to pull the top part somewhat taught. By doing this you can eliminate folds and wrinkles in the finished screen panel. Once you have firmly installed the new spline into the channeled grooves, you're ready to trim the excess screen material out of the groove. Use your utility knife to cut away excess on the outside of the groove channel. Yes, it may seem obvious, but always trim on the outside of the new spline - not the inside. Otherwise, you will have cut the repaired screen, and thus will have to do another repair. Yes - we've done this ourselves ... don't ask :) When you have finished trimming the excess screen material from the support piece, you're done! Run a clean rag gently over the support piece to clean any remaining loose material and dirt.
Congratulations! You've just saved yourself about $20 - $40 per screen panel (depending on the size). If you got quite a few screens to repair, that could be some siginificant savings. TOP of Screen Repair
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