Don't let bugs spoil your porch.
Most screen repairs are easy.

About this Project

You install screening in much the same way an artist stretches a canvas -- fasten it at one end of the frame, pull the material taut, then secure at the sides and other end. The drawings that follow show how to improvise a "stretcher" with some 1x2s and wood wedges for wood-frame windows. Aluminum frames have a spline-and-channel structure that stretches the screen.

When removing moldings from wood frames, begin with the middle rail and spring the molding loose with a chisel or putty knife. Always work from the center to the ends, applying pressure near brads. If a molding breaks, you can find a reasonable facsimile at a lumberyard. Ask for screen molding.

For the screen material, you can choose aluminum, plastic, fiberglass, copper, or bronze. Aluminum is inconspicuous, but is subject to staining; fiberglass and plastic won't stain, but their filaments are thicker, which affects visibility; copper and bronze must be coated with spar varnish periodically to prevent staining. Buy 18/14 mesh or finer.