Patio screen door - install, repair or replace?

Patio screen doors are an integral part of our home and cottage lives. Where would we be without them?.. either deprived of the cool evening breeze or destined for a mosquito biten night. Are you planning to buy a patio screen door? Are you thinking of replacing your existing patio screen door? Are you looking for ways to repair your screen door? The following paragraphs should have some useful information for you if you answered yes to any of these questions.

Patio doors have two general styles; hinged doors (single hinge or double hinged "french doors"), or gliding (ie. sliding) doors. The patio screen door, often referred to as the "insect screen," can be either a gliding door inset, or a hinged door inset. A hinged screen door inset will generally be matched to correspond with the same style hinged glass door. Gliding insect screen doors are always matched with gliding patio doors, but the gliding screens are also popular matches with double french patio doors, where only one door opens. Prefab patio door assemblies, such as what you would buy at Home Depot, are made from various combinations of metal, vinyl and wood. They will last for many years, can be installed with relative ease, and this is the nicest solution for installing a patio screen door at your house or cottage.

if you already have a standard hinged door in place, is to install a generic screen door, such as a screened storm door. These doors can have full screens, half screens with sliding glass, ..or no screens at all. They are also made of various combinations of metal, vinyl and wood, they come in standard sizes, and a DIYer could easily install one in an afternoon. A suitable amount of free door jamb depth is necessary for an install of this type, and be warned that not all of these door insets have proper weather stripping to keep the bugs out.

Patching a hole in your screen door is relatively simple, but not necessarily the nicest solution. If the hole is small enough, such as up to 1/4" or 3/8", a small dab of household cement or epoxy glue will do well to keep the bugs out. Anything larger up to about 3 inches, and where the screen isn't caved or stretched, a patch kit can be bought or a cut out from extra screening can be used along with glue or stitching.

For replacing a screen door entirely, contact your manufacturer to see if replacements are still available. If the door is older, though, and frame is still intact, a full screen replacement will likely be your best solution. This following video is the first in a Youtube video series, perfectly describing how to replace a full patio door screen, from door removal to re-installation. Keep in mind that every screen door may be a little bit different.