The time has come to move out of your rental home and the last thing you need is to lose some of your bond money because of some minor damages that are easily repairable. One of the most common tasks that need attending to are fly screen door repairs. Fly screen doors are often damaged due to general wear and tear or particularly if you have a furry friend living with you. Our beloved, but mischievous pets are prone to climbing up our fly screen doors, scratching and ripping the fly screen or using the screen door as a chew toy. Thankfully, fly screen doors are super-easy to repair so keep on reading if you’d like to know how!
What You Will Need for Fly Screen Door Repairs
A quick visit to your local hardware will provide you with everything you need to have your screen door looking brand new again. All of these products were purchased from the local Bunnings store but can be found in any hardware store.
- Fly Screen
- PVC Spline
- Spline Roller
- Kitchen knife or Stanley knife
- Scissors
How to Repair Your Fly Screen Door
Firstly, you need to measure your door so you know exactly how much fly screen you will need. It’s much easier to repair your screen door if it’s lying flat, so remove your door, lay it on the ground and check the measurements. Most doors are a generic size, but you must always double check, particularly if your rental home is an older style as the doors may be a different size. Thankfully, this door is the standard size, so I was able to buy a pre-cut roll of fly screen that was already the perfect size for my door.
Remove the Old Fly Screen
You will need to remove the old damaged fly screen which is easy to do! You can use a kitchen knife or screwdriver to dig out the old PVC spline. The spline is the long piece of rubber (it looks a lot like a long string of liquorice) that holds the fly screen in place in the door. Once you have dug enough of the spline out, simply pull and the rest of the spline will come out, releasing the old damaged fly screen.
Once the damaged fly screen is out, it’s a good idea to give the door a clean to remove all the dust and grime. Then it’s time to for the new fly screen. In this case, I used the heavy-duty pet mesh because I have a cheeky puppy who likes to chew and scratch at the fly screen door. The pet mesh is more expensive but will last longer with pets in the house. However, if your house is pet free, the regular fly screen will suffice.
Installing the New Fly Screen
Lay your fly screen evenly across your screen door. You will need to have a bit of extra fly screen around the edges to allow for the PVC spline to hold it in place. Usually about an extra 100mm around the edge is sufficient but do not cut any excess fly screen until you’re finished just to be safe!
Now, grab your spline and spline roller and start at the short end of the door. Using the pointy end of the roller, push the spline into the gutters of your door. Once it’s firmly in place, use the roller to push the spline in all the way around your door.
Once your fly screen is securely in place, cut the PVC spline and push the end into the gutter of your screen door. Then, grabbing a kitchen knife or a Stanley knife, carefully trim off the excess fly screen. Be sure to leave about 5-10mm overhang and be extra careful not to cut your brand-new fly screen in the process! And there you have it. It really is that simple to repair your fly screen door.
Easy Fly Screen Door Repairs
So, there’s really no need to panic about losing your bond because as you can see, fly screen door repairs are cheap, easy and take next to no time to do yourself.
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