How to Replace Patio Screens
- 1). Remove the screen door from the track. Lift the door upward and tilt the bottom outward. For some screen doors, the rollers may need to be pressed up to clear the bottom track. Take a screwdriver and lift up on the wheels. The wheels should lift easily as they are probably spring-loaded.
- 2). Peel off the spline, which is the small bead of rubber-like material that goes around the screen where the screen and the frame meet. Find the break in the spline and lift with a utility knife or other pointed tool. The spline should peel off fairly easily. Sometimes the spline can be saved and reused, but it is recommended to just use new spline for the new screen.
- 3). Remove the old screen and discard. Lay the new screen over the frame and cut to length. Rolls of screening can be purchased at most home improvement stores and come in different widths. Cut the screen to size, leaving about 3 to 4 inches of excess screen around the opening.
- 4). Taking a screen roller, gently roll the screen into the groove on the frame. Be careful not to tear the screen.
- 5). Again using the screen roller, reapply the spline. First roll a bead of spline down each edge and once all four sides have spline, reroll the spline to push it into the groove more.
- 6). Once the spline is on, take a utility knife and cut off the excess screening from around the edges. Careful not to cut into the screen or the spline.
- 7). Return the door to the track by inserting the top edge into the top rail first and then tilting the bottom back into the groove. Again, if the wheels need to be raised to get into the track, use a screwdriver to lift the wheels.