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. The methods that follow work for repairing holes up to about 3 inches in diameter. For anything larger, replace the screen fabric or the entire screen.
Repair methods depend on the type of screening: Vinyl-coated fiberglass and metal (aluminum) are the two main types. Though they look similar from a distance, fiberglass screening is softer and more pliant, and metal screening, which is woven from tiny wires, is stronger.
A tiny hole in fiberglass screening is easy to fix. Just push the fibers back toward the center of the hole, daub the hole with clear nail polish, and allow to dry.
Larger holes require a patch, which you can either buy pre-made or make yourself from a small piece of like material.
To patch a hole in a fiberglass screen, cut a patch about 2 inches longer and wider than the hole. Center the patch over the hole and use clear household cement to attach the patch.
For a tear in metal screen fabric, cut a patch of metal screening 2 inches longer and wider than the tear. Unravel the edges of the patch, bend the end wires at a right angle, center the patch over the hole, and poke the wire ends through the main screen. Then bend the ends over (flat) to hold the patch. Weave the ends into the fabric to disguise and seat them.
You can also remove a damaged screen and take it to a glass dealer for repair. Or, you can repair it yourself—this is especially easy to do with an aluminum-frame screen, as shown here.
1) Pry out the vinyl splines that hold the fabric (use a screwdriver or chisel) and pull out the old screen fabric, as shown at left.
2) Cut new fiberglass screen mesh large enough to extend to the frame’s edges.
3) Using a spline roller, force the fabric into the empty channel along one side of the frame, as shown at right.
4) Lock the fabric in place by pushing the spline back into the channel with the concave wheel of the roller.
5) Pull the screen fabric taut and repeat along the other sides.
6) Trim off the excess fabric using a utility knife.
