Torn window screen: repair it or replace it?

Most can be repaired. If the frame is straight and the corners are solid, new mesh and spline go into the old frame. A new frame is needed only when the old one is bent, broken at a corner or missing. Small holes can be patched, but a patch on a long tear rarely holds.

How do I measure for a replacement screen?

Measure the outside edge of the screen frame, width first, as precisely as you can. If the screen is gone, measure the channel it sat in and say so. Note inside or outside, full or half height, and send a close-up of one corner.

Are pet-resistant screens worth it?

On the windows and doors pets actually reach, often yes: the heavier mesh resists claws far better than standard fibreglass. It's darker and costs more, so many households use it on low windows and the patio screen and standard mesh upstairs.

What goes into the price of a window screen?

It depends on rescreen versus new frame, size, mesh and how many you do. Adding screens to the same visit usually makes each one better value, while pet or solar mesh and upper-floor access add to it. Send the sizes for a quote.

My screen keeps jumping the track. What's wrong?

On a sliding window the screen is held in its channel by small spring clips. A slightly bent frame, a broken clip or a screen cut short lets it pop out; new clips and a straightened frame usually fix it. For a patio door screen, see screen door repair.

Window screens

Rescreening and new window screens

Brampton's frost-free season is long, so a torn corner or a screen that keeps popping out lets bugs in for months. Most screens just need new mesh in the old frame, called a rescreen. We pass your list to an independent local pro who rescreens and builds frames, often a whole house's worth in one visit. Screen doors are under doors and screens.

Rescreen the frame you have
Pet-resistant and solar mesh
Whole-house and rental batches

Get a free quote 905-216-6105

A torn corner on a casement screen. New mesh in the same frame fixes it.

What's wrong

Torn, popping out, or the screen keeps jumping the track

Mesh torn or sagging

The frame is fine, so it's a rescreen.

Slider screen keeps jumping the track

On sliding windows, a bent frame, missing spring clips or a screen cut short lets it pop out of its channel.

Casement screen falls into the room

Inside screens are held by clips or pins, and a broken clip lets one drop. If the crank is worn too, see window repair.

Bent frame or broken corner

Mild bends straighten; a badly bent frame is rebuilt to size.

Rescreen or rebuild

Rescreen or rebuild the frame?

A rescreen keeps the aluminum frame and replaces the mesh and the rubber cord, called spline, that holds it in a groove. It suits most torn screens, as long as the frame is straight.

A new frame is built when the old one is bent, a corner has snapped, or the screen is missing, common after a move. A kit handles one torn screen on a straight frame; it can't fix a crooked one, which will still gap and jump the track.

Measuring

Measuring a screen properly

Measure the frame
Measure the screen frame's outside edge, width then height. If it's missing, measure the channel it fits into.
Note the style
Inside or outside, full or half height, and where the clips sit. A corner photo shows colour and corner type.
Label by room
Number each screen by room so a batch job stays simple.

Mesh

Mesh types: standard fibreglass, pet-resistant, solar

Standard fibreglass

Flexible, won't dent, easy to see through. What most new screens come with.

Pet-resistant

Tougher mesh that stands up to claws. Darker, so most people use it only where pets reach.

Solar

A denser weave that cuts heat and glare on a hot west window.

Pricing screens

What a screen quote depends on

How many screens are done in one visit
Rescreen only, or a new frame
Fibreglass, pet-resistant or solar mesh
Access to outside screens on upper floors

List the screens and their sizes by room, and a pro who works in batches can quote the lot.

Send your screen sizes

Screens are quoted free by independent local pros.

Screen styles

Casement and awning screens (interior mount) vs slider screens

Casement and awning windows open outward, so their screens sit on the room side and come out from inside; see casement windows. Sliding and hung windows take outside screens, full or half height, that ride in a channel, and those are the ones that jump the track.

Diagram of a full-height screen on a hung window, a half screen on the lower sash, and a screen on the open side of a slider — Full, half and slider screens are each measured differently.

Landlords

Batch jobs for landlords and second units

A good share of Brampton households rent, many in basement units. Between tenants, count the torn, bent and missing screens, note the sizes, and have them done together. Basement windows are often reached from inside the unit, so agree a time with the tenant. See property managers for multi-unit bookings.

Questions

Questions about window screens

Explore your options

Local pros rescreen window screens across Brampton, including Heart Lake, Bramalea, Springdale and Downtown Brampton.

List your screens and their sizes

Room by room is fine, with a photo of one corner. We'll match you with a pro who rescreens in batches.