How to Repair a Torn Flyscreen Yourself

A small tear doesn't stay small

When the first tear shows up, maybe from a curious paw or a decent gust rattling the frame, it's tempting to leave it. Just a little rip. But out here, where the flies behave like they own the place and the mozzies turn up uninvited, that little rip doesn't stay little for long.

The good news is you don't need to be a tradie or own a shed full of gear to get your screens sealed up again. With the right bits and a calm twenty minutes, it's a job most people can do on the kitchen table.

What causes screens to go

Usually it's a mix of time and pets, with a fair bit of help from the sun.

• Sun exposure makes the mesh brittle over a few summers.
• Cats and dogs treat a screen door like their own drive-through window.
• Wind and weather work the frame until something gives.

It doesn't mean the house is falling apart. It means the screen has done its time, and replacing the mesh costs a fraction of replacing the screen.

What you'll need

• New mesh, either fibreglass or aluminium
• Spline, the rubber cord that holds the mesh in the groove
• A spline roller, which looks like a double-ended pizza cutter
• Scissors or a utility knife
• A flat screwdriver for lifting the old spline out

Take the old spline with you when you come in, because spline comes in 4.5mm, 5mm and 6mm and the wrong size either won't hold or won't go in.

How to do it

1. Pop the frame out. Most flyscreens lift out with a gentle wiggle. If it's been painted in, run a flat edge around the perimeter first to break the seal.
2. Remove the old spline. Lift one end out with a screwdriver and pull. The mesh comes away with it.
3. Cut your new mesh. Leave a 3cm to 4cm border around the frame so you've got something to hold onto.
4. Roll the spline in. Start at one corner and press the spline into the groove with the roller, keeping light tension on the mesh so there's no slack and no stretch marks.
5. Trim the excess. Run a utility knife around the outside edge of the groove, blade angled into the frame.
6. Put it back. Press the frame gently back into place and you're done.

Don't stress if the first one comes out a bit baggy. Mesh and spline are cheap and you can pull it back out and redo it in five minutes, which is how everybody learns this.

Which mesh should you use

• Fibreglass. The standard, and the easiest to work with. Fine for a window that nothing leans on.
• Aluminium. Tougher and it holds its shape better, so it suits a door or a screen at ground level.
• Pet-resistant mesh. Woven a lot heavier to stand up to claws and a dog leaning on it. Worth it if you've got an animal that treats the screen as a lookout.

Feel the edges of each in your hand and the difference is obvious. Pet mesh feels almost like a woven plastic and aluminium feels like a wiry fabric.

Or bring the frame in and we'll do it

If the frame is buckled, or you'd simply rather not wrestle with spline, take the screen out and bring it in to us. We make and repair flyscreens at the shop and we can fit pet-resistant mesh, and we make new frames when the old one is past saving. It's done here at the shop rather than at your place, so the frame comes to us and goes home with you sorted.

If you'd like a number before you decide, the flyscreen quoter works it out off the width and the height.

Shop related products

• Standard Utility Knife with 4 Spare Blades. For trimming the mesh back after the spline goes in.
• Plastic Bucket with Lid 5L. Somewhere to keep the offcuts and the old spline.
• Ugly Fish Tradie Safety Glasses. Spline ends flick, so they're worth having on.

Did you know the mesh and spline are in the shop and not on the website. We carry fibreglass flywire in 910mm and aluminium in 910mm and 1220mm by the metre, spline in 4.5mm, 5mm and 6mm, and spline rollers. Give us a ring on (08) 8536 4333 to check what's on the shelf.

Where to go next

Our flyscreen replacement service page covers what we do and what it involves.

• How to organise a new home so it stays organised
• What You Need to Know Before Moving to a Country Town

I'm a firm believer that the jobs you keep walking past are the ones that take twenty minutes, and this is the best example of it in the whole house.

Cheers,
Candeece

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