The Art of Replacing Screens

To remove a screen door lift up and simultaneously pull out the bottom. If it sticks you can take a putty knife, or a regular pocket knife, and on your knees, find where the two little wheels at the bottom of the screen door are. Slip the putty knife under each one and lift them off of their track. While you’re putting the putty knife under the wheels lift up a little on the screen door. Once you have them free you can lift the door out.

With windows there should be, but aren’t always, two little tabs at the bottom, side, or the top of the screen frame. If they’re at the bottom pull up on the tabs and free the screen frame. Sometimes these tabs break off or pull out if the screens are ancient, so you may have to push up and down on the screen frame to get it free.

Once you have the door or window out lay it down on the carpet, or wherever you’re working, and find the end of the rubber gasket which is called a spline that is holding the screen in. This gasket/spline is rubber and embedded in a canal on one side of the door or window. You’re going to find the end of this rubber spline and pull it out. It will come out fairly easy. Once you have pulled all of it out the screen will fall out. Now, if you’re working on a screen door you’ll have to unscrew the handle and lock assembly, which is no big deal. Just remember how yours goes back together. Sometimes you only have to remove the plastic piece that is on the side where the spline is, but each door is a little different so it’s difficult to say if the whole piece has to be removed. I’ve had it go both ways.

With the door or window laying on the ground roll your new screening over the top of it. You can get the screening mesh at your hardware store in different types of fabric and you can have it cut to order or buy a whole roll for future use. I prefer working with the soft dark plastic like mesh rather than the old stiffer metal like fabric.

Lay your screen material over the door or window frame. Now, there’s a little tool you need. It has two wheels on either end of it. One of the wheels has an indentation in it, and the other wheel does not. They are called a screen rolling tool, or a splining tool. You can get them at your local hardware store.
Now, here’s the tricky part. You want to push the new spline down into the canal with the new screen underneath it. Make sure your screen is laid out nice and even before you begin and continue to smooth it as you work. Push the end of the spline down into the canal, then with the rolling tool, using the wheel with an indentation, begin working the spline into the canal. As you work pull on your spline a little to stretch it out so that it goes into the groove a little easier, but not too much. The trick here is not to cut into the screen, and this takes a delicate balance and patience. If you cut into your new screen you have to start all over again.

If you’re right handed start with the left hand side of the window or door; that way you can work with your right hand, or if you’re left handed start with the right hand side of the window. You’ll see what I mean once you get started.

So, you’re working your way down the groove and everything is going okay and you come to a corner. Now, if you like you can snip off the spline, imbed it in the groove right up to the end, or you can round the corner, not cut the spline and work it in with your fingers, or sometimes I use the dull rounded tip of a pair of scissors, or straight slot screwdriver to push it in around corners, but be careful not to cut into your new screening material.

Keep stretching, pulling, and imbedding your spline while at the same time smoothing your screen so that it doesn’t have any wrinkles or creases in it. When you’re finished cut off your excess spline and you’re done.

You can use the other wheel on the rolling tool to push the spline deeper down into the groove, but I rarely if ever do.

Don’t forget to put your lock assembly back into place.

To reinstall the screen door place the top section into its track first and then once again getting down on your knees hold the spring loaded wheels up with your putty knife and try and settle the wheels, which have grooves in them, on to the rail they rest on. This can be maddening because they will slip from one side to the other of the railing, and if they’re not setting right on the track, then the door won’t open or close smoothly. The wheels fit on the railing just like train wheels fit on a train track.

The screen should roll smoothly and effortlessly. If not you’ll find some screw adjustments at the top and bottom of the screen door frame. Loosen the screws on one end or the other and adjust the screen frame so it fits comfortably.

Another thing that helps screen doors move smoothly is to first clean the tracks, sweep out any debris around them, and then spray the area with WD40. Often this has saved me the trouble of making any adjustments to the door.

When reinstalling the screen window find a side of it that will fit back into the window frame. It may be the top, or one of the sides or the bottom. Rock the screen back and forth until you maneuver it back into the window frame.

Some of these old window screens are warped and bent out of shape so you’ll have one side that is bowed and won’t fit in the window frame properly. If you find yours intolerable, you can go to your hardware store and purchase a new window frame kit, cut it to size, install a new screen in it, and install it in the window frame.

That’s it.

Here are the steps in review.
1. Remove screen door or window.
2. Pull old spline out of canal.
3. Remove handle in screen door.
4. Roll screening over door or window frame.
5. Push new spline into canal over new screen.
6. Reattach handle on screen door.
7. Reinstall screen door or window.

About the Author: From 'The Property Manager' by Jim Muckle
Jim Muckle is the author of The Property Manager, How To Find Jobs Teaching Overseas, Teaching In Saudi Arabia, Teaching in Japan, The Class Act Reading Game and The Stay At Home Dad. The contents of all of these booklets can be viewed at his web site at Booklets From Jim Muckle @ http://hometown.aol.com/jimmuckle/myhomepage/business.html