How to Install Fly Screen Door

By: The Meta Blinds Team, 20th Mar 2020.

As you know, pests enter your house through open spaces like doors and windows. However, you cannot keep your windows and doors closed all the time. Therefore, pests take advantage of this limitation and invade your house in no time.

So, is there anything you can do to keep them away without blocking the air entering your house?

Well, an easy and efficient solution is to install retractable fly screens or retractable fly screen doors. Flyscreen doors are wire mesh for your doors. Flyscreen doors allow the air and light to enter the house and keep the flies and pests away by limiting the entrance area. 

If you are an Australian, you know how bugs, pests and insects make our lives miserable. They enter our homes through doors or windows and make it their homes. It can become a risk hazard for you and your loved ones if you don’t do something to keep them away from you. Installing retractable fly screens is the best solution for the issue. They don’t just keep these unwanted guests away from your home, but also enhance the beauty and appeal of your home. 

In this article, you’ll get to know everything about fly screen doors. Here are some key takeaways of this article: 

• What is fly screen doors 
• The installation procedure of a fly screen door
• Tools that you need 
• Professional tips to make the process easier 

Therefore, let us begin with the first topic, i.e., 

What are Flyscreen Doors? 

Flyscreen doors are your ultimate savior against annoying pests and flies. Flyscreen doors limit the entrance area of your doors and allow air and light to pass. Flyscreen doors are ideal for keeping away pests and still enjoying the cool breeze during summers.

Flyscreen doors are categorized on the basis of their screens and mesh. Firstly, let us take a look at different types of screens available in fly screen doors:

• Siding FixedThese screens are ideal for sliding doors. When they are installed, they become a part of your door configuration. 
• RetraceableThese screens are ideal for any door or window. You can even remove it when not in use. They can be controlled with a pull wire, just like a blind, or can be controlled remotely. They provide better usage and flexibility. 
• HingedIn this fly screen door, you use a hinged framework to attach the screen on either side of your door. They are designed to open and close like a real door or a shudder. Moreover, they are cheaper than any other type of screen.

Now let us look at the variations available in the mesh of fly screen doors: 

• Stainless SteelWhen the talk is about security and strength, stainless steel mesh is the best. They are robust, reliable, and secure for any business or commercial property. Moreover, they are available in a wide slew of colors. 
• PolypropyleneThis is ideal for residential houses because of its cost-effectiveness and easy usage. They do not get damaged by cat clawing or any other attack by your pets. Therefore, they are ideal for every type of sly screen. 
• AluminumThe features of this mesh are highly similar to that of stainless steel. However, aluminum mesh lasts longer and does not rust easily.

Now when you know about fly screen doors and their types, let us have a look at how to install fly screen doors. From the necessary tools to the installation procedure, we’ll cover everything you need to know for installing a fly screen door at your home.

How to Install Fly Screen Doors

There are a lot of self-installing doors available in the market. Moreover, you can surely give it a try to install a fly screen door by yourself. Just make sure that the cheap fly screens door your purchase fits the size of your door accurately. Additionally, here is a complete video on installing fly screen doors.

Otherwise, you can consult a manufacturer who will provide you with the retractable fly screens online on the basis of dimensions of your property. Now, let us have a look at the tools that you’ll be needing to install the fly screen door efficiently.

Required Tools

• Utility Knife
• Flat Head Screwdriver
• Phillips Head ScrewDriver
• Drill & Drill Bits
• Pencil
• Measuring Tape

Once you arrange all these tools, jump to the next section to get step by step instructions for installing your fly screen door. 

Tips for Install Fly Screen Doors

1. Position the Door

Firstly, you need to decide the adequate size for your screen door. Once done, you need to position the door while keeping the hinges closed. Make sure that you keep at least 3 mm space vacant on all four sides, including the top and bottom. After you’ve successfully positioned it, keep something at the bottom to hold the position of the door and start working on the installation. 

2. Make Hinge Rebates

When you’ve successfully secured the door, you need to take a pencil and mark the position of your door on the doorframe. After that, just put aside the door and open the hinges that you closed. Now, you need to align those hinges according to the marks you created with a pencil. Once again, make an outline of the screw holes as well as hinges on the frame with a pencil. After that, make a 2mm deep cut.

3. Hang the Door

Now, you need to take a drill and make at least 1.5 mm deep holes in the marked positions of screws. After that, take the screen door and secure it on the frame at the exact position of your hinges. Make sure you use only one screw to do this for now. Now, ensure that the door closes and opens easily and smoothly. After that, fit all the remaining screws in your hinges. 

4. Fit the Handle

In this step, you need to position the door handles facing the hinges by making sure that the snib faces the upward direction. Now, attach the interior handle in the inside position of your fly screen door. After that, inside the rod that connects both the inside and the outside handle. Lastly, fit in the outside handle as well and tighten the whole setup with the help of screws. 

5. Insert Lock Cylinder

Now, get the key of your lock and check if it is rotating properly. When checked, do not remove the key and push the cylinder in the body of your lock and fit it with the help of a supple screw. Now, release the main bolt by replacing it with the help of an auxiliary bolt. Now, rotate the snib in the horizontal direction and ensure that the key works well in locking and unlocking the door.

6. Attach Striker Plate

Now, close the door completely and take a pencil to mark the position of the main bolt in your jamb. Now, place the striker plate on the marking and mark the interior as well as the exterior of your striker plate as well. Now, take a chisel and rebate the interior markings. Lastly, secure the whole setup with the help of screws, and you are done with it. Make sure that the rebate is at least 18 mm in depth. 

Bottom Line

So, that’s how you can install a fly screen door at your home with ease. Make sure that you follow each step carefully and pay attention while using tools. Lastly, say goodbye to annoying flies and mosquitoes forever.