Repair screen door

[Dalwyn]

Has anyone had to repair the screen in sliding screen door? Cat decided he wanted to be outside and tore screen from the loose from the side.

[Ninanet]

Interested . I have decided to have a plexiglass panel installed by dealer in attempt at preventing bulldog escape . I am almost certain she can destroy the nice screen door .

[paiceman]

Don't know what the doors look like, but my guess is you can simply buy screening material at HD with a new rubber bead which you use to hold the screen in place on the door. Look at your damaged door and you should see a black or white bead of this stuff running the whole perimeter and hold the screen in place. Take it all out, lay the new screen in place with overhang, put the beading in using a dull knife or the tool they sell to do it and then cut the excess screening off. Pretty simple. That is IF the door is made the way I think it is.

[badkat]

Can you do this without removing the door?

[idroba]

As paceman says, the screening is held in with a plastic spline. Remove it and the screen will come out. Probably best to get new spline material, along with the screen. Most full line hardware stores will stock it, but splines come in different sizes, so take your old with you for a sample. A spline tool will help greatly with the installation and is probably under $5. I advise you get one.

Can you do it without taking the screen door off? Yes, but it is not really easy. The door is curved and vertical, and holding everything in place while you roll the new spline in is a bit of a challenge. However, since it is very difficult to remove the screen door because of the hinge arrangement, it is the way I would recommend doing it. I would buy extra screen so if you mess up one trial, you have a second piece. It is quite inexpensive.

It can be a little hard to get the screen in tight, and yet not so tight it warps the door itself.

Once you master the technique, you will become the expert to go to for others who need new screens in their doors.

And pat the kitty for me.

[youngpeck]

I might add that you can use 3M blue painters tape to hold the screen in place as you insert the spline. It helps to keep it stretched to the correct tension.