I am floating on air right now. Breezy, bugless, wafting air – thanks to the window screen I just replaced.
Impossible? You’d think so. But it’s not. And if I can do it, then trust me, you can do it.
Tools
You’ll want these basic tools for your project (and may already have many of them):
- Window screen material (more on this below)
- Scissors to cut the screen to the right approximate size
- Spline (aka, a special rubber cord)
- Flathead screwdriver (to pry the original spline out)
- Spline tool (a handle with a roller, to coax your new spline in)
- Newspaper, cardboard, etc to cover the ground you’re working on (to protect against scratches and dirt… either on the frame or the floor, whichever you value more) Per online videos, a giant slab of plywood is also acceptable, for those preferring the uber-DIY / construction vibe.
- Gloves (for the less macho among us who want to keep our hands clean)
- Boxcutter (or scissors) to trim extra mesh away at the end
Steps
There are a zillion videos online that will show you, accompanied with cheery, whistling tunes, how to replace your screen. Some are better than others, and I’ll list a couple golden ones at the bottom. None of them quite told me everything I needed to know.
So here’s everything you need to know to fix that torn window screen once and for all:
Preparation
1. Buy or borrow the tools. Home improvement stores tend to have various screen options, and you can choose from features such as sun reduction, infintestimately miniscule bug prohibition, and thick screen so tough that your local pet/child/bear will struggle to tear it. After enormous contemplation, ogling/manhandling of swatches, and reading descriptions, I opted for… “standard.” Nicely see-through, catches any bugs you can see with the bare eye, and, though it won’t withstand bear attacks, it generally serves the purpose.
For all the other tools, don’t stress. One flathead isn’t better than another for this project, and honestly I’m not sure the fancy spline tools are any better than the simple ones. You’re basically just using them for pressure.
2. Procrastinate with giddy excitement. Really, I find this is an important step I can’t overlook in most projects. You’ve bought the materials and dreamed the dream, and now you’re back to work the next day and the stuff is all piled on the floor at home in a corner. That’s okay; it’s a step.
3. Buck up. It turns out this is not only easy, but it’s also joy-inducing, breeze-promoting fun. Let’s go.
Action
4. Remove your screen. This, too, is ridiculously easy. From inside the house, pull up on the latches at the bottom while pushing the screen out slightly, and you’ll have it in the palm of your hands.
5. Clean the sill and frame because, really, when are you ever going to have this frame out again?
6. Lie your frame on the newspaper or tabletop or plywood of your choice, with the black spline facing up.
7. Pop out the spline (the black rubber cord) with your flathead. Pull to remove the whole thing. (That’s it, you’re done with the screwdriver.) Now remove the screen mesh, which should come up without resistance. (Pop the Spline… isn’t that a song?)
8. Lay your screen fabric on top and cut it with the scissors, giving a couple inches extra on each side if possible.
9. Roll the spline (another hit song?) into its groove. With your new friend the spline tool, all you need to do is push the spline over the screen and into the same channel you pulled it out of before. You can use new spline or, if the old spline still looks good, that works too. Work the same piece of cord around all four sides.
10. Get a little tense. Not really – but your screen should be. After you’ve splined (that’s a verb, right?) two sides, hold the fabric a bit taut for the remaining sides. If, like me, you realize that the screen is sagging like a pair of old nylons, just pull out some of the spline, hold the screen fabric tighter this time, and reroll your spline into place.
11. Most important tip: Like life, this work is fast but needs to be taken slow. Even though the process goes quickly, make a point of moving slowly. Be more methodical. That’s the absolute key to this process: move with care. The slower and more carefully you go, the quicker you’ll have a beautiful window wafting you cool breezes.
12. Cut the cord. Your new window screen is born!
13. Lastly, trim excess screen fabric. This takes a bit of finesse. Scissors are doable for this step, but aren’t going to leave the nicest, clean edges. A boxcutter is ideal.
Some tips: a) Don’t cut the spline itself or the screen inside the spline, unless you feel like doing this again extremely soon. b) Some online resources show an outward-in technique of cutting (below right), which looks fancy but just leaves you with raggedy edges and the potential to stab yourself. Instead, put your cutter almost parallel to the floor, facing outward from the spline towards the frame. Cut gently and close to the spline; the fabric (unless bear-proof) should cut very easily.
Oui.
Non.
Breezy Joy
14. Rejoice. That was shockingly easy. Why have you and I been living with ratty, torn up screens all these months?
15. Replace the frame in the window. This is a little awkward, but you can do it. The two metal arches at the top act as springs – load them into the groove at the top of the window (while rotating your head 180 degrees from your neck and nearly falling through the window), and then press the frame up into the sill. Secure by pulling on the tabs at the bottom.
16. Breathe the sweet smell of breezy success.
Resources
Home Depot: not quite everything you’ll need to know, but a great minute and a half of inspiration.
Family Handyman (Minus steps two and six.)