John’s Screen Repair Service

Palm Trees near your patio screen enclosure can wear holes in the screen just by sweeping accross it. It takes a while for the screen to wear through. Just trim the leaves that touch the enclosure.
Loose and dead limbs from other trees can fall and make holes in the screen. Keep all trees trimed to reduce the possibility of getting holes in the screen.
Bushes near the enclosure also make holes in the screen. Keep the bushes and plants next to the enclosure trimed at least 6-12 inches from the screen. For someone to repair the screen they will need 15-20 inches clear next to the screen.

John’s Screen Repair Service Wellington Florida, 33414. 

Phone 561-798-3132

So you are trying to put patio screen in yourself and for some reason you cannot get the wrinkles out. What do you do now. Fiberglass screen is somewhat like cloth, (in fact, it is called screen cloth by the manufacture). So you treat the screen a little like cloth, even though you may not know anything about cloth or sewing (ask your wife, she can tell you).
Now, back to getting the wrinkles out. Cut a section of screen about an inch larger than the space you are going to put the screen. Cut 12-15 pieces of spline (rubber like cord that keeps the screen in place) that are about 2 inches long each. Use the 2 inch pieces of spline to tack the screen in place. It is sort of like basting a seam in a dress before it is sewed. Or even like pins to hold something togather before you sew it togather. The 2 inch tacking pieces do not have to be the same size spline as the permanent spline you will use, it can be a little smaller.
The screen is now in place with the little spline tacking pieces. Next you cut the permanent spline about 2-3 inches longer than what you think you need for that side you are working on. First do the top side of the screen. Roll the spline in from one side to the other, taking the tacking pieces out as you go.
Do the top first then each side the same way and then the bottom. Since the screen is tacked in place before you put the permanent spline in place, your screen will not wrinkle, and if it does wrinkle a little bit, just smothe it out as you go along.
Good Luck.

John’s Screen Repair Service Wellington Florida, 33414. 

Phone 561-798-3132

  If you want to repair or replace patio screens yourself there are some safety tips you should consider.  Window screens are different so most of these things do not apply to repairing them.

  If you need to use a ladder, make sure it is a good, safe ladder.  Place the ladder firmly on the ground and make sure it is level (not in a hole or slanting to one side).  Place the ladder on the outside of the enclosure/patio.  On most enclosures you have to repair it from the outside.  Look to see if the spline track is on the outside or the inside.  That is the side that you will repair it from.

   Spline is the ribbon like cord that keeps the screen in place.  Is is usually black, but may be gray.  The spline track is the small track that the spline goes in when the screen is put in. The rails are alumiun and have a track for the spline to go into.  To screen is made of a fiberglass type of material.  It is blackish or gray in color.

    Metal screen does not go into a spline track, it can be stappled onto a wood serface and covered with trim. 

    Make sure someone else is home when you are working on a tall ladder on the screen or on the roof.  It can be rather unstable. 

   Check the security of the enclosure , especially where it is attached to the house.  Some of the bolts that attach the enclosure to the house could be missing or loose.  The wood could be rotted away and you could crash through the enclosure

John’s Screen Repair Service Wellington Florida, 33414. 

Phone 561-798-3132

   At times it seems that you can’t find a local contractor to repair or build something for you.  What do you do then?  Sears, Home Depot, and Lowes have a list of contractors that you can get.  Also, the contractor board in your county can tell you how to find a list of licensed contractors in your area.

   If you do decide to contract with someone that is out of your area, be a lot more deligent in finding out about their work and their reputation and license.  Talk to at least 3 people whome they have done work for in your area.  Find out if the job was finished to the customer’s satisfaction. 

    Call the contractor’s  supplier of materials and see how they do business.  You can also require them to give you information for a credit check.  Check the public records in the area where they say they are from (5yr) and see if they have any problems. Even driving record, or search for them on Google. Fly-by-nighters often have other kinds of problems.

   Do all you can to check them out.  The bigger the project you have for them to do the more careful you need to be.  Also, don’t forget your own safety.

John’s Screen Repair Service Wellington Florida, 33414. 

Phone 561-798-3132

   You should not have to put down any money for a screen repair that is less than $500, unless  some special order supplies or equipment are needed to do your work.  You will be expected to pay in full at the time the service is completed.  If the price for your repair is $500 - $2,000  then your deposit should not be more than 10%.

   Window screens are usually taken to a shop and you pay for the repair when you pick them up.  At times a repairman will repair the window screens at your home and you pay at the time of service.

   Payment with credit cards is not usually an option when doing business with small companies.  Sometimes with big companies and large jobs, paying with credit cards may be an option.

   If you want a new enclosure built or one rebuilt then you will be asked to put a 10%-50% deposit.  Only give this much deposit to a well established company that has a good reputation in your area.   Check on this web site for information about hiring a contractor.        www.ContractorFraud.net

John’s Screen Repair Service Wellington Florida, 33414. 

Phone 561-798-3132

   Replacing patio screens during cold weather is very difficult.  The spline (black or gray cord looking string/rope) is brittle and difficult to get into the track.  If you use smaller spline, it will come out easily.  You can try using a hair dryer to warm up the spline.  This only works if the tempture is above 60.  Spline is best put in when the tempture is above 70.

   You can put a temporary patch over the hole in the screen until the weather warms up.   One way to patch the screen is to cut a patch of screen that would cover the hole, then put some clear silicone caulking on the patch, then stick the patch over the hole (get the clear silicone caulking in the paint department).  Make sure the screen is dry.  If the screen is wet the patch will not stay.

  After a screen enclosure has been distroyed by a tornado there are several things you need to consider.  You still have the slab where the enclosure was but the slab may not meet the new building codes to build a new enclosure.  Should you rebuild your enclosure/patio/porch or put up a fence or do away with the whole thing?

   Try to get estimates from 3 screen enclosure/porch/patio contractors.  Don’ t take someone from out of state.  There are only a few areas that have screen enclosures and Florida has the majority, most of them are in South Florida. 

   Building codes and types of enclosures differ in each part of Florida.  The further south you go in Florida the more strict the codes.  There are no structures, that I know of, that will stay up in a major Tornado.  However, there are many structures that will withstand a catagory one hurricane.

   Make sure you check the references of the company you contract with to rebuild your enclosure/ patio/porch. Check with the contractor licensing board to see if the contractor has a license and for how long.  If the contractor has not had a business in your area for at least 2 years, then find someone else.

   It is easy to get in a hurry and hire just about anyone because they seem OK.  Do not pay more than 10% down for any work to be done.  Many people in South Florida paid more than 50% down and the contractor took off with their money. 

   Check out this website about hiring contractors.  It has a lot of good information,  www.ContractorFraud.net

  If your screen patio or porch gets totally destroyed by a tornado you can pick up the aluminum pieces and take them to a metal recycle location.  You can get about $.25-$.95 per pound, depending upon how clean the aluminum is, the current supply and demand for scrap and the location. 

   There are people who will offer to take away your scarp for free because they can sell it.  Other people want you to pay for taking your scrap away but you don’t need to pay someone if there is a scrap metal location in your area. The person who takes your scrap metal away can get paid from the recycle center. 

    You can check and see if there is a scrap metal recycle center in your area or a city near you, look in the phone book under Scrap Metal.

   Be careful when handling scrap aluminum or any other scrap metal.  It is very sharp and you can get cut easily.  Be especially careful when you are taking metal off the house or taking an enclosure down that has been damaged.  We know of workers who have been hit in the head by swinging metal pieces when they were taking it off the house.  Many people have been cut when handling scrap metal.

  If you plan to tent your house and you have a screen enclosure that is not going to be covered with the tenting, then you need to ask the exterminating company if any of the screens need to be removed or pulled back from the house before the tenting is done.  The exterminating company does not usually include screen removaland/or replacement as bart of their bid. 

    You will need to contract a screen repair company to remove the screen before the tenting is done.  After the screen is pulled back or taken out they will need to be replaced. 

   The screens cannot usually be put back in because of the age of the screen or the screen is cut short or it has been frayed and cannot be streatched.

  A screen porch can be covered with the tent but large pool screen enclosures cannot be covered easily, if at all.

   Screens should last 7-15 years, depending on the exposure to the sun and and grade of screen. The coating on the screen wears off and the screen becomes thin and easy to tare. If you have a pool enclosure and the top gets full sun most of the day the screen will wear out faster.
   You do not need to replace the screen until it tares or comes out. If several screen sections on your patio need to be replaced then you may want to replace all the screens so they will be more even in color. New screen is darker.