Perhaps Ogden Nash put it best: "God in His wisdom made the fly/ And then forgot to tell us why." It never fails: just when the outdoor temperatures grow pleasant enough for us to leave doors and windows open, squadrons of buzzing bugs bring on their assault. Happily, we have an effective countermeasure that allows us to maintain an open-door policy--insect screening.
Screening has come a long way from the bug barriers woven from horse hair a century ago. Following modification of textile looms in the 1920s, galvanized steel screening became common in homes. It protected doors and windows for decades but, because steel wire has a tendency to rust over time, it eventually gave way to a non-rusting alternative, aluminum.
Today, aluminum-- and newer vinyl-coated fiberglass-- are by far the most common screen materials used. Of the two, vinyl-coated fiberglass outsells aluminum 3 to 1 because it's about half the price. According to Frank Fitzgerald, Executive Vice President of the Screen Manufacturers Association, "There's not a whole lot of difference between the two. Historic preference plays a more important role than anything else in the selection. In certain parts of the country more people buy fiberglass, in other places it's aluminum."
Aluminum window screens
Aluminum screening is a rugged, metal mesh. To make the fabric, a 3/8-inch-diameter aluminum rod is drawn out to a .011 mil (inch) wire. The manufacturer winds this wire on a master bobbin, loads the bobbin onto a modified loom and starts the machine weaving.
Once the screen fabric is woven, it's given a finish. Aluminum screen fabric typically comes in three colors: black, dark gray and bright aluminum. Black is least noticeable from inside the house (the darker the color, the better the outward visibility in most cases, because darker colors have less light reflectance and glare). Dark gray is made to complement painted window and frame systems. Although bright aluminum looks like raw aluminum, it has a clear coating that helps maintain the material's sheen.
Aluminum window screening is made as an "18 x 16" mesh. This simply means that there are 18 horizontal and 16 vertical "yarns" (or wires) per square inch. This type of screening is typically available in do-it-yourself rolls that are 7 or 25 feet long and 24, 28, 30, 32, 36 and 48 inches wide. Longer 100-foot rolls are available in additional widths, including 18, 20, 22, 26, 34, 42, 54, 70 and 72 inches. Price runs in the area of 30 to 35 cents per square foot.
Vinyl-coated fiberglass window screens
Vinyl-coated fiberglass, the most popular screen fabric material in use, doesn't corrode, rust or stain but it will stretch and tears more easily than aluminum. Charlie Brakefield, Corporate Sales Market Manger at Phifer Wire Products, the country's largest screen manufacturer, explains, "We start with raw spun-glass filament and apply a vinyl (PVC) coating, producing remarkably strong single strands that are typically .011 mil for window screening or .013 mil for pool enclosures, patio rooms and some door screening." This is available in silver gray, dark gray and aquamarine; silver gray and dark gray are the most popular.
In addition to the conventional 18 x 16 mesh, you can buy 18 x 14 for pool enclosures, porches and the like--these generally utilize slightly larger strands. You can even buy 20 x 20 mesh, a very tight weave that stops tiny insects such as no-see-ums. "It cuts down on light transmission and breezes, so you may not want to use it unless you live in Guam," jokes Frank Fitzgerald.
Solar or "sun" screen is also made from vinyl-coated fiberglass. Used for both window and door screening and patio, porch and pool enclosures, this tightly-woven material dramatically can be a real energy saver. "This is the newest thing to come along in the last ten or twelve years," says Fitzgerald. "The shading effect is about 70% but it also blocks heat gain. It's a way of reducing your air conditioning load and a way to keep furniture and carpeting from fading. In return, you give up about 30% of the light." The newest type offers a whopping 90% shading.
During the daytime, solar screen appears almost opaque from outside but offers good visibility from inside. Five colors are available: charcoal, bronze, dark bronze, silver gray or gold. Charcoal and silver gray are the most common.
Fiberglass screening is available in the same sizes as aluminum, and up to 84 inches wide. Do-it-yourself rolls of sun screening run 30 by 60 inches, 36 by 60 inches, 36 by 84 inches and 48 by 84 inches. In addition, you can buy 100-foot-long rolls in varying widths. Price runs from 15 to 25 cents per square foot.
Specialty window screening
Solar screen is also made in a white fabric that has a different type of weave where 6 horizontal strands are grouped together as bands. This 57 x 16 mesh is used primarily as an interior rollershade--it has good visibility away from the window but is a little distorted closer up because of the woven bands. A similar aluminum product, Phifer ShadeScreen, has tiny open louvers that block most direct sunlight but allow good outward visibility. This comes only in black and costs about $1.50 per square foot.
If you have pets that constantly shred your screens, look into pet screen fabric made from heavy-duty, vinyl-coated polyester. This material from Phifer is heavier than normal screening and is seven times stronger. It's sold as a do-it-yourself product in black and gray. FlexScreen(tm) from Elgar Products, Inc., is a flexible, nylon-reinforced material that will stretch without sagging. It's sold specifically for do-it-yourself patio door screen replacement and retails for about $20 to $24 for the kit.
Those who would like to screen the garage, boathouse, porch or similar large structures during bug season will like the Garage Door Screen Kit from EZ-Screen. With this system, you circle the opening with a special tape that grabs onto the vinyl-coated fiberglass screen fabric. This do-it-yourself kit is a breeze to install; it fits openings of 7 by 9 or 16 feet and custom sizes are available. Kits run from $80 to $100. (If you have two or three smaller openings, you can chop up kits to handle the various sizes.)
Screen Tight is an alternative to conventional methods used for screening porches. A patented spline system makes installing and repairing the screening relatively easy. Vinyl bases are fastened to the porch structure, then special vinyl splines lock the screening to the base and a cap covers the connection. Including screen material, Screen Tight runs about $1 per square foot of opening; the average cost per porch is $180.
You can also get screening made from bronze wire that is 90% copper and 10% zinc, but this much more expensive than aluminum. At a higher premium, you can buy copper, brass or stainless steel. All of these except brass are typically made using a .011 wire size in an 18 x 14 or 16 x 16 mesh. Brass is made with heavier wire: .018 wire in a 16 x 16 mesh. Bronze is the least expensive, at about $1 per square foot; copper and stainless are closer to $1.20. Brass is about $2.15 per square foot. When ordering specialty metals, expect a minimum order size of about $75.
When new, bronze has a golden shine. Copper, bronze and brass will eventually take on a verdigris patina; stainless steel, the strongest, stays a shiny silver. Copper, bronze and brass should not be installed in aluminum screen door frames; where the two metals touch, they will corrode.
Pella Rolscreen offers a retractable insect screen, made specifically to fit Pella's Designer Series and Architect Series rectangular casement windows. This spring-loaded shade retracts into the head of the window. It simply slides down between side mounted guides and locks at the bottom when you want a screen. Screening is vinyl-coated fiberglass; hardware is either white or champagne colored.
Phantom screens offers retractable screens for both windows and doors. The entire screen rolls back into a tubular casing at one side of the door when not in use. When open, the screen is held in place by magnetic catches. Six colors are available. Including installation, prices run from $285 for a single door to $595 for double doors (windows are custom priced). Several types of mesh are available, from insect to solar-blocking.
Common vinyl-coated fiberglass and aluminum screen fabrics for do-it-yourselfers are sold at hardware stores and home centers. To locate and hire someone else to install or repair screening, look up "Screens--Door & Window" in the Yellow Pages. Request estimates and ask to see samples of the material they will install to be sure your new screens will meet your expectations.
Window screen repairs
Over time, screens can develop holes, sag, or work loose from their frames. All of these problems can be easily solved if they have not become too severe.
With regular maintenance, your screens can last for years. Clean screens every year or so with a stiff bristle brush. If you have galvanized metal screening, apply thinned screen enamel, paint, or varnish to them and paint the frames every few years. Clean aluminum frames with aluminum polish or steel wool and coat with a paste wax.
If your screens have wood frames, reinforcing the corners with corrugated fasteners, wood screws, glued-in wood dowels, or metal reinforcing angles will extend their life. Simple glue will not work well unless you are gluing wood grain to wood grain.
If a hole or tear is large, it's better to replace the entire screen rather than try to patch the hole.
If you notice a small hole or tear in a screen, patching it before it grows larger will prevent you from having to replace it. To glue a patch over a small hole in a fiberglass screen, cut a small patch from extra screen. Use epoxy or acetone-type glue and layer the glue until the tear is filled.
For a tear in metal screen fabric, cut a patch of metal screening that is larger than the tear. Unravel the sides, bend the end wires at a right angle, and push them through, and then bend them flat to hold the patch.
You can also remove a damaged screen and take it to a glass dealer for repair. Or, you can repair it yourself--this is especially easy to do with an aluminum-frame screen. Just pry out the vinyl splines that hold the fabric (use a screwdriver or chisel) and pull out the old screen fabric. Then cut new fiberglass screen mesh large enough to extend to the outer edges of the frame and lay it over the frame. Using a convex wheel of a screen-spline roller, force the fabric into the empty channel along one side of the frame. Then lock it in place there by pushing the spline back into the channel with the concave wheel of the roller. Pull the screen fabric taught and repeat along the other sides. Finally, trim off the excess fabric, using a utility knife.
Source: hometips.com
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