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Several windows in my house were missing screens altogether, and had been since we bought the house. I’m doing some DIY window screen building to remedy this situation.  I have been somewhat intimidated with DIY window screens myself.  Just recently while looking around at my local home improvement store, I saw some kits for DIY window screen building.  It looked a lot simpler than I could have hoped.

Materials needed for DIY window screen building:

• Window Screening, 36-Inch by 84-Inch, Charcoal
• DIY Screen Tool
• DIY Screen Window Frame Kit
• DIY Screen Window Spline

I purchased a square cut screen frame kit.  This DIY window screen kit will work for screen or storm windows, and required only 3 steps to complete:

1. Square-cut the screen frame to the proper size with a hacksaw. I used a miter box to ensure square cuts.

2. Assemble frame with the quick-attach corners.  These plastic insert corners only go in one way, so it is impossible to put them in incorrectly. Foolproof! On the top of my frames, I have inserted tension springs.  These get placed into the openings on the frame before the corners are inserted.

3. Overlay screening material and insert the vinyl retainer into channel. (These instructions are somewhat vague and luckily the screening has further details for DIY window screen building). I also inserted pull tabs designed to assist in installing the completed screen into the window opening.  The ones I bought were plastic, but I’d recommend metal if available.

Step 3 DIY Window Screen building: Screening installation / how-to replace screening.

Make sure that the screen material is at least 1″ overlapped on the screen frame groove. Lay the screening flat over frame on flat surface. Using the concave end of a screen tool, insert spline at one corner and roll into groove over screening.  Place you free hand on the screen surface to hold screen tight. Roll spline into groove on all four sides.  Finally, trim off all excess screening with a utility knife on outside edge of the spline groove.

This really was a simple DIY window screen project.  I was able to complete 4 screens in lest than two hours.