Repair, Rescreen or Replace a Window Screen? How to Tell

• Repair: fixing the part that failed, such as patching a small hole, rejoining a corner, putting loose mesh back in with new spline, or replacing clips, pull tabs and tension springs
• Rescreening: taking out all of the old mesh and fitting new mesh in the frame you already have
• Replacement: a new frame and new mesh, built to the window

A repair makes sense when the frame is straight and the rest of the window screen is in good shape. Signs it is a repair:

• A small hole or tear, with strong, flexible mesh around it
• One corner that has come apart, with the frame otherwise square
• Mesh that has pulled out of its groove along one edge
• Missing or broken clips, pull tabs or tension springs
• A slight bow in the frame that has not creased or kinked

A patch only lasts as long as the mesh around it. Our post on when a window screen hole can be patched explains where a patch stops making sense.

Rescreening is the fix when the frame is fine but the mesh is not. In the Florida sun, fiberglass mesh fades, goes brittle and starts to split, and once it does, patching one hole only moves the problem to the next weak spot. Signs it is time to rescreen:

• Mesh that has faded, turned chalky or changed color
• Mesh that cracks or splits when it is touched
• Several holes or tears across the window screen
• Mesh that sags across the whole frame, not just along one edge
• You want a different mesh, such as pet-resistant, no-see-um or solar

Because the frame is reused, rescreening costs less than a new window screen, and the result looks and works like new. See our window rescreening service and our window screen mesh options.

New mesh in a frame that is out of shape still will not sit right in the window. That is the point where rescreening stops being worth it and the window screen needs replacing:

• The frame is kinked, creased or bent past straightening
• The corners have corroded through, which is common near salt water
• The frame has gone out of square and no longer lines up with the window
• The window screen is the wrong size, so it gaps or falls out
• The window screen is missing altogether

A wrong-size window screen is its own problem, and our post on a window screen not fitting properly covers why it happens. For the rest, window screen replacement gives you a new frame built to the window, with new mesh.

A repair is usually the cheapest of the three, then rescreening, then a new window screen. But the cheapest fix is not always the best value. A patch on brittle mesh is soon followed by another hole, and new mesh in a bent frame still will not fit. The right fix is the cheapest one that will last.

Most homes need a mix. On one visit we may repair a few window screens, rescreen others and replace one or two. We look at each window screen on its own and only quote for the ones that need work.

Sun is the main reason. Strong sun for most of the year breaks down fiberglass mesh and dries out the spline that holds it in, so mesh goes brittle sooner here than it would further north. Near the Gulf and the bay, salt air works on aluminum frames and corners as well. That is why so many of the window screens we see need rescreening rather than a small repair, and why corroded frames are a common reason for replacement close to the water.

Call us if:

• You are not sure whether a window screen can be repaired
• A frame is bent, a corner has split or the mesh is coming out
• Several window screens need work and you want one quote for all of them
• A window screen is missing or does not fit
• You want to switch to pet-resistant, no-see-um or solar mesh