Don Vandervort, Head Homeboy, has written more than 30 DIY home improvement books, been a segment host on HGTV, served as MSN.com's home improvement expert and written countless magazine articles.
If you notice a small hole or tear in a screen, patching it before it grows larger will prevent you from having to replace it. To glue a patch over a small hole in a fiberglass screen, cut a small patch from extra screen. Use epoxy or acetone-type glue, and layer the glue until the tear is filled.
For a tear in metal screen fabric, use tin snips to cut a patch of metal screening that is larger than the tear. Wear gloves to protect your hands from sharp edges.
Unravel the sides, bend the end wires at a right angle, push them through, and then bend them flat to hold the patch.
You can also remove a damaged screen and take it to a glass dealer for repair.
Or, you can entirely replace the panel of screening material yourself—this is especially easy to do with an aluminum-frame screen. See How to Replace Window Screening. With regular maintenance, your screens can last for years. Clean screens every year or so with a stiff bristle brush. If you have galvanized metal screening, apply thinned screen enamel, paint, or varnish to them, and paint the frames every few years. Clean aluminum frames with aluminum polish or steel wool, and coat them with a paste wax.
If your screens have wood frames with loose corners, reinforcing the corners with corrugated fasteners, wood screws, glued-in wood dowels, or metal reinforcing angles will extend their life. Simple glue will not work well unless you are gluing wood grain to wood grain.
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