Insect Screen for a Patio

Insect screen usually comes in panels for windows or doors, using a metal grooved extrusion. I wanted to make a large area of screen to enclose an area of roofed patio, without a lot of vertical and horizontal members to break up the open-air effect. I used custom wooden frames, modelled after a wooden screen door I'd seen in a hardware store.

Supplies

• Rolls of bulk screen. I used 72 inch width, the widest sold in my local store
• Roll of screening spline. This comes in various sizes. I used 0.18 inch diameter in a 100ft roll
• 2" x 2" spruce in 8ft lengths. Or other wood as desired. I used inexpensive unfinished spruce and ran it through an electric planer

Tools

• Screening spline roller
• Electric router with bit to suit

Finish the wood as desired (plane/sand). I ran the spruce through an electric plane to give a smooth surface, then took off the sharp corners with a hand plane.

Cut slots for the screening spline using a router, sized to fit. I didn't have a router bit of the exact diameter required, so I made two passes with a 0.1" bit to give an approximately 0.18" slot. Some adjustment may be required; experiment with a scrap piece of wood, mesh and spline to find a slot width that works.

I don't have a track router, so I made a guide from scrap wood - 2x1 screwed to a piece of 2x4, offset to let my router cut a slot where I wanted, with the spruce clamped against the 2x4. Push the router in the direction where the bit pulls towards the guide rather than pulls away from it. To make the second slot offset by an extra 0.08", I didn't move the guide, I used a metal shim between the router and the guide.

The slot tends to fill up with wood swarf. I ran the router back down for another pass to loosen it, then chiseled it out with a piece of scrap steel. Smooth off the finished slot with sandpaper; I folded a piece over some scrap plastic.

Cut the wood to length and assemble into frames to fit the space required.

I had a space approximately 7 foot by 14 foot, which I filled with 3 panels. The top and sides were defined by existing wooden posts, while for the bottom I had to fit a wooden plate across patio tiles in order to have something to screw the panels to.

I used 3 inch screws to make simple butted corner joints.

Once the frames are completed, extend the slots into the corners with the router. I clamped a wooden guide to the frame then cut across the half inch or so to make a fully rectangular slot.

If desired, finish the frames with stain or varnish.

Fit the mesh to the frames

Lay the frame on a flat level surface and lay mesh on top. There is a tendency for the mesh to bow in longer frames when it's tensioned so fit a temporary spacer across the middle to prevent that. I used scrap pieces of 2x2 to support the centre of the mesh before fitting it. Leave an inch or more of mesh overlapping each slot, or don't cut the mesh from the roll yet - some of it will be pushed down into the slot. The mesh instructions suggest temporarily taping it to the frame, but I didn't bother.

As a right-hander, I worked from the right-hand end of the frame to fit the spline, feeding it ahead of the roller and pressing down, then going back and pressing it firmly into the slot. When all for sides are done, cut off the surplus mesh with a sharp knife.

Fit the finished frames to the space, and screw them into position.