How To Re-Screen Your Patio Door Yourself

Spring is almost here, and so is patio season! With my patio door screen, all ripped up (thanks to my dog), I thought I’d tackle another spring DIY project. Here’s how to re-screen your patio door yourself.

There’s something rewarding about fixing things yourself. I’ve been on a bit of a fix-it kick lately. With every small repair I make, I’m gaining confidence to tackle bigger projects. Not only have I fixed my doorbell button, but I’ve also re-screened my patio door, repaired a broken kitchen drawer and fixed my dryer.

I’m not the handiest person around, but I found that my smartphone and Google are as handy tools as are screwdrivers and strong glue.

Supplies Needed To Re-Screen Your Patio Door

There are not too many supplies you’ll need, you can easily get them from your local hardware store or online.

Warning: This post has a lot of pictures. I haven’t figured out how to make a video of myself when I’m actually doing the work.

Although I have a husband, he’s not an Instagram husband that follows me around like the Paparazzi. I may in the future ask my 7-year-old to videotape. He’s very interested in vlogging.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Patio door screen frame
• 36 in. x 84 in. fibreglass screen
• Spline
• Spline implementation tool
• Needle-nose plier
• Screwdriver

Step 1: Removing the Screen

First, you must remove the screen door from the patio door frame. To do this, you must lift the door up, and tilt the bottom out. You’ll want to lay the door on a large flat surface. It was a nice sunny day, so I worked on my backyard patio.

First, you want to start off with an empty frame. Pull off the old screen and spline. You might need a small sharp tool to help pry the spline out of the groove. Once a piece of the spline is out, it should be easy to pull the rest out. The screen should come out easily.

I have a little bracket that I had to remove by unscrewing two screws before I could remove the entire screen (as seen in the image below).

Replacing the Screen

When measuring the length and width of the replacement screen, make sure you allow a couple of extra inches on every side. You’ll need to trim it later, but it’s easier to work with more screen then barely enough.

You know the old adage “Measure twice, cut once”. It really is sound advice. And trust me, the first kit I bought wasn’t large enough. I had to go back and exchange it for a larger size. Don’t be like Lucie! Measure your screen twice BEFORE going to the store or ordering online!

Step 3: Applying The Spline

With the spline tool on its convex side, gently roll the screen inside the groove, like tracing the indent.

Next, you’ll roll the spline inside the groove using the concave side of the spline tool. Start at one of the corners. This can be difficult and you might have to press quite hard and make several passes. I worked inch by inch.

Here’s a tip I wish I knew at the time: Cut the screen at the first corner at a 45 degrees angle to the corner. This way, the screen won’t bunch up.

OK, almost done! The final step is to trim the excess screen. Run the blade of the utility knife between the spline and the metal frame.

If you have a little metal bracket as I had, you can reinstall it after the extra screen has been trimmed.

The final step is to reinstall the patio door. Basically, you just need to reverse the order of taking off the door. Sounds easy, but in reality, it was much more difficult for me. I was able to do it by pushing the door upon the track and at the same time, pushing in the rollers at the bottom of the door.

To get more precise instructions on reinstalling the door, you might want to follow the instructions found here.

This is a good time to oil the wheels on the screen door as well.

All in all, rescreening my patio door was a relatively simple project. It’s a great place to start for beginner DIYers.

Tell me, what DIY projects are you working on?