How To Repair The Bottom Edge Of The Screen In A Door

Have yous been procrastinating nearly fixing that gaping pigsty on your screen door? Too seized rollers, a ripped screen is the most mutual repair that sliding patio doors unremarkably demand. The adept news is one time you have the right supplies, yous can complete this like shooting fish in a barrel set up in an afternoon or less. Beneath, we show you lot how to repair a screen door in a few simple steps.

Tools for fixing screen door

To fix a broken screen door, you will need the following supplies:

Philips-caput screwdriver
Putty knife
Spline tool
Sawhorses
Utility knife or pair of scissors

Materials

Spline
Replacement screen

Stride-by-Stride Guide on how to fix a screen door

Follow these steps to set up a screen door that has a gaping pigsty or a worn-out screen:

Footstep 1. Unfasten the screws on the sliding screen door

To repair the worn-out screen, y'all first accept to remove the door. This might sound similar a daunting task but as you lot will come across, information technology is actually a relatively easy one (cheque the extended tips on removing a hinged door screen)

These doors unremarkably have screws at the top and bottom corners that hold the roller wheels in place. To remove the door, locate these screws and utilise a Philips-head screwdriver to unfasten them.
Have someone hold the door for you as you lot disengage the screws. Removing the screws tin cause the door to suddenly come loose, causing harm or injury.
Be certain to fully unfasten the lesser and lower screws as necessary, which makes lifting the door from its tracks piece of cake.

Step 2. Lift the door out of its track

Removing the screws lifts the door, giving you ample admission to the rollers underneath. Slide a screwdriver or putty knife under the wheels and gently lift them out of the tracks.
Lift the door to release the bottom part from the tracks. As you do this, angle the door towards y'all.
Once the bottom part is freed from the rails, the door should easily come out of the top track. Be sure to remove any stopper on the door frame.

Step three. Remove the handle

Lay the door apartment on a workbench or sawhorses with the handle side facing up.
Use a screwdriver to remove the screws on the handle. Taking the handle out makes installing the new screen easier.
Put the screws and handle in a safe location where you tin can easily find them.

Step four. Have out the old spline

The spline is the condom cable that holds the screen in place. Removing information technology allows yous to hands roll out the one-time screen from its frame.
Dig a sharp-pointed tool such as a screwdriver into one of the corners of the spline grooves and pull the cable out from the door's perimeter. The onetime spline will probably exist worn out and so you can discard it and install a new 1.
With the spline out, you should be able to pull out the damaged screen. Toss it away.

Pro tip: Utilise this opportunity to scrape out and vacuum whatever dirt or debris hiding in the spline groove. With the grooves gratis of dirt, reinstalling the new screen and spline becomes and then much easier.

Step 5. Set up the replacement spline

Measure the perimeter of the door around the screen expanse. Take note of the length and width.
Using these measurements, cutting the spline string into 4 pieces one for each side of the door. Let a few inches allowance when cutting the spline to make it easier to tuck information technology into the groove and around the corners.

Pace 6. Roll out the new screen

Spread the new screen across the perimeter of the door. Let it to hang over the edges for easier tucking.
Ensure that the screen is perfectly aligned with the frame.
If you want to repair a screen on a wooden door, you'll need to use a unlike technique.

Step 7. Fit the screen into the door lips

Using the convex side of the spline tool, constrict the screen into the door's grooves or lips. Practice this gently to avoid tearing the screening.
For easier installation, showtime past tucking the screening forth the correct side of the door. And then proceed to the left side, pinnacle, and push button. This will requite the screen a prissy taut look.

Pro tip: Fifty-fifty though the rollers on the spline tool await similar, at that place's an of import departure. I of the rollers has a convex edge suitable for plumbing fixtures the screen into the door lips and the other has a concave edge for tucking in the spline.

Step 8. Install the new spline

With the screen tautly fitted into the door lips, the adjacent step is to hold it in place with the new spline.
Selection one of the longer cords yous had cut earlier and align it with the length of the door frame.
Using the concave cycle of the spline tool, button the cord into the door lips. Brainstorm at i corner of the door frame and work your way up. Echo this process for the remaining iii sides of the door.
Be sure to shove the spline deep into the groove particularly around the iv corners of the door frame to completely hold the screen in place.

Pace 9. Trim the overhanging screen

After installing the spline, make sure that the screen is still taut. Gently stretch it to get rid of whatever waves or wrinkles that may take formed.
Side by side, use a utility knife or pair of scissors to cut the extra screen so that it is flush with the edges of the door lips. Accept care not to puncture the new screen.

Step x. Reinstall the door

Elevator the door from the sawhorses and transfer it to the sliding door frame for reinstallation.
Start with the bottom function and mountain the wheels dorsum onto the tracks. Push the door inward to fit it into the upper runway.
Have a helper hold the door as you put back the screws at the bottom and top corners.
Tighten the screws enough to lower the rollers into the track and to secure it in place. Turn the screws clockwise or anti-clockwise as needed to adjust the pinnacle of the door.
Reinstall the handle equally well equally the caput stopper.

That's all at that place is to fix a screen door! You can at present sit back, enjoy the breeze, and proceed the bugs out.

Extended Tips

Hither are extra recommendations to make this project successful:

Buy the right size replacement materials

Purchase plenty replacement screen to overhang the edges of the door. Ideally, the overhang should be at least 1 inch all effectually, to make it piece of cake to shove the screen into the door lips and achieve a taut wait.

Keep in mind that spline cords vary in diameter. Exist certain to buy a replacement spline that's the same size equally the erstwhile one.

Select the right screening material

Hardware stores take a wide selection of screenings at different cost ranges. Select a screen that suits your lifestyle. For instance, if you accept kids or pets or you live in a especially windy area, a thicker screen might be a bit pricier simply will serve y'all for longer.

Fiberglass might be a keen choice if you are looking for something cheap but durable. Compared to aluminum, information technology is more flexible and doesn't crease, making it easier to shove into tight door lips and to secure with a spline.

Regularly clean the door tracks

Seized rollers are a common problem with screens and sliding doors in general. Accumulated debris forth the tracks and in the rollers tin brand it hard to operate the door. To avoid these problems, be sure to regularly vacuum the tracks and lubricate the wheels.

Supplant damaged wheels

With the door out of its tracks, take this opportunity to audit the roller wheels and replace them if necessary. Use your fingers to check that the wheels are spinning properly. If they are worn out, find suitable replacement wheels at your local hardware shop.

Exist careful when removing a hinged door

Screen doors are commonly the sliding types simply older homes might have hinged styles. If you accept the latter type, be extra careful when detaching information technology from the master door frame. Exist sure to disconnect safety chains and closers first.

Normally, the door will be held in identify past three hinges each with 2 screws. Use a Philips-head screwdriver to unfasten the screws to release the screen from the main door frame. Accept someone hold the door equally you unhinge it.

An easy fix for the newbie DIYer

Given their low-cal weight, screen doors are decumbent to all sorts of damage from seized rollers, worn out splines, and gaping holes. Fortunately, you don't take to look to phone call in a professional for this piece of cake fix. But get together the right tools, get a helper, and follow the unproblematic instructions above to repair common screen door problems.

Do you lot have whatever questions or comments most repairing your screen door? Please get out them below—we'd love to hear from yous!