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Screen installers repair and rescreen window and door screens, make new screens to measure for windows that are missing them, fit retractable screens to French, garden and entry doors, and install screen doors and storm doors. They can also suggest tougher mesh for homes with pets, finer mesh for lakeside cottages, or solar screens for windows that bake in the afternoon sun.
This page explains when to repair or replace a screen, compares mesh types, covers screen doors, storm doors and retractable screens, and explains why a screen offers no protection against a child falling from a window. It ends with seasonal care and the role screens play in preventing mosquito bites and West Nile virus.
Window screen repair vs replacement: rescreening, splines and frames
Most screen damage is limited to the mesh or the rubber spline that locks it into a groove around the frame, and both can be renewed in the existing frame. The frame decides whether repair is worth it: if it is straight, its corners are tight and its clips or springs still hold it in the window, rescreening makes sense. If not, a new screen made to size is the better fix.
- Rescreen: torn, faded or sagging mesh in a sound frame is replaced by rolling new mesh and a fresh spline into the groove.
- New spline only: when the mesh has pulled loose along one edge but isn't damaged, a new spline of the right size often draws it tight again.
- Patch: a small hole away from the edges can be closed with a patch, which buys time until the screen needs rescreening.
- New screen: a bent, cracked or corroded frame, broken corner keys or missing clips and tension springs usually call for a replacement built from measurements.
- Look past the screen: if the window itself is rotted or won't close tightly, a new screen won't solve the draft, and the window needs repair or replacement.
Screen mesh types: fibreglass, aluminum, pet-resistant and solar screens
The mesh affects more than you might expect: how clearly you see out, how long the screen lasts, how it copes with claws and how much afternoon sun it blocks. Many homes end up with different mesh on different openings.
- Fibreglass: the most common mesh, flexible and easy to work with; it won't dent or corrode, but it tears more easily than metal.
- Aluminum: stiffer and more resistant to wear, but it can dent and crease, and it may oxidize near the sea or where road salt spray reaches it.
- Pet-resistant: a thicker, vinyl-coated mesh built to survive scratching and pushing by dogs and cats, at some cost in visibility and airflow.
- Solar screens: a dense mesh that stops more of the sun's heat and glare before it reaches the glass, useful on hot west-facing windows, though it darkens the room.
- Fine insect mesh: a tighter weave that keeps out very small biting insects near lakes and wetlands, with slightly less airflow than standard mesh.
Screen doors, storm doors and retractable door screens
A door screen opens and closes many times a day all summer, so it has to be sturdier than a window screen and it has to close on its own. The right type depends on how the main door swings, whether it has a track for a sliding screen, and whether you also want protection from winter weather.
- Hinged screen door: a light door hung outside the entry door, with a closer and a latch, that gives ventilation in summer and can be taken down for winter.
- Storm door: a heavier full-view door with interchangeable or roll-away glass and screen panels, which shelters the entry door in winter and ventilates it in summer.
- Retractable screen: the mesh winds onto a spring roller inside a slim housing on the door frame and pulls across only when you want it, leaving the view clear the rest of the time.
- Double retractable screens: two units that meet in the middle, made for French doors and other wide pairs.
- Pleated screen: folded mesh that slides open like an accordion, suited to wide or very tall openings.
- Mounting: a screen or storm door needs a flat, square surface to fasten to, a closer set to latch every time and a stop or wind chain so a gust can't tear it open.
Screens and child safety: preventing window falls with window stops and guards
A screen keeps insects out, not children in. Parachute, Canada's national injury prevention charity, warns that a window screen can easily tear or be pushed through when a child presses on it. Its advice is to keep windows locked when possible, to use window stops that prevent a window from opening wide enough for a child to fall through, and to use window guards with a release mechanism so the window can be fully opened in an emergency.
- Move beds, cribs, chairs and other furniture away from windows; Parachute points out that children can climb even before they can walk.
- Window stops or opening limiters can be added to many sliding, hung and casement windows, so ask the installer which ones suit yours.
- Window guards on upper floors should release from the inside without fuss, so a bedroom window still works as a way out in a fire.
- Keep balcony doors locked, as Parachute advises, since a screen door alone won't hold back a toddler.
Seasonal screen removal, cleaning and storage
In most of Canada, screens do nothing for half the year. Exterior screens on windows you won't open until spring can come down in the fall, which lets more low winter sun through the glass and spares the mesh from ice and wind. Interior screens on casement and awning windows are usually left in place.
- Label each screen with its window before taking it down, since screens that look alike are rarely interchangeable.
- Wash with mild soap, water and a soft brush, rinse gently and let the screen dry completely before storing it.
- Store screens flat or on edge in a dry spot, away from tools and heavy objects that can stretch or puncture the mesh.
- Before the first freeze, swap storm door screens for glass and retract roll-up screens fully so ice can't jam the housing.
- In spring, check for tears, loose splines and gaps at the corners before the insects arrive and repair shops get busy.
Keeping mosquitoes out: screens and West Nile virus prevention
Screens are one of the simplest protections against mosquito bites at home. The Public Health Agency of Canada includes putting screens on your windows and doors among its measures to prevent West Nile virus, alongside insect repellent and getting rid of the standing water where mosquitoes breed. A screen only works if it closes tightly: a small tear, a corner pulled out of its spline or a gap under a screen door is enough to let them through.
- Check the edges of sliding window screens, where a bent frame or worn pile strip leaves a gap along the side.
- Patch small holes promptly, and rescreen once the tears start to multiply.
- On screen doors, add a sweep at the bottom and adjust the closer so the door latches every time.
- Around the house, PHAC recommends draining standing water from items such as rain barrels, flowerpots, children's toys and wading pools, and cleaning eavestroughs so they don't trap water.
Screens: frequently asked questions
Can a torn window screen be repaired instead of replaced?
Usually. If the frame is straight and the corners are sound, the mesh and spline can be replaced in the existing frame, and small holes can be patched. A new screen makes sense when the frame is bent, cracked or missing its clips or springs.
Will a screen stop my child from falling out of a window?
No. Parachute warns that a screen can easily tear or be pushed through when a child leans on it. Use window stops that limit how far the window opens, window guards with an emergency release, and keep furniture a child could climb away from windows.
Which screen mesh is best if I have a dog or cat?
Pet-resistant mesh, a thicker coated fabric designed to take claws and paws, on the doors and low windows your pets actually use. Standard fibreglass on the other windows keeps the view clearer.
Should I take my window screens down for winter?
Exterior screens on windows that stay closed all winter are worth taking down: more winter sun reaches the glass and ice can't stretch the mesh. Interior screens on casement windows can usually stay. Label them and store them flat and dry.
Is a retractable screen a good choice for French doors?
Often, since French and garden doors have no track for a sliding screen, and a double unit meets in the middle of a pair. Ask how the housing is sealed against wind and weather and how the mesh is guided so a gust doesn't pull it out of its channel.
Sources
Written by the LokalMatch editorial team. Reviewed by Zubair Afzal on September 10, 2026. How we write and check our guides