Can a Hole in a Window Screen Be Patched?

Most of the holes we see come from a handful of causes:

• Pets pushing, pawing or climbing at windows they can reach
• Ladders, tools and furniture knocked against the screen
• Branches and debris blown in by storms
• Mesh that has gone brittle in the Florida sun and splits on its own

The last one matters most, because it decides whether a patch is worth doing at all.

A patch works well when:

• The hole or tear is small and in one place
• The mesh around it is still flexible and has kept its color
• The tear is away from the edges of the frame
• The frame is straight and the mesh is still held firmly in it

In that case patching is a small, quick repair, and it costs less than new mesh.

Some holes are a sign that the mesh itself is worn out. A patch on worn mesh holds for a while, then a new tear opens next to it. Signs the mesh is past patching:

• It feels stiff or brittle, or tears easily
• It has faded or gone chalky from the sun
• There are several holes or tears across the screen
• The tear runs along the frame, where the mesh is held in
• The mesh sags or has pulled loose from the frame

Any of these means the window screen needs new mesh, not a patch.

When a hole can be patched, we patch it at your home and fit the screen back in the window.

When the mesh is worn, we rescreen it instead. The old mesh and spline come out, new mesh is rolled in under tension, and the screen goes back in the window. The frame stays, so rescreening costs less than a new screen. It is also the moment to switch to a tougher mesh, such as pet-resistant mesh for a window a dog or cat keeps going through.

If the frame is slightly bent or a corner has split as well, we repair that on the same visit.

Call us if:

• The hole is in mesh that is brittle, faded or sagging
• There is more than one hole, or the tear keeps growing
• The tear is along the edge of the frame
• Several window screens around the house have the same damage
• A pet keeps going through the same window screen