In the warm months, window screens are lifesavers, letting fresh air in and keeping pesky bugs out. But natural wear and tear after months (or if you’re lucky, years) of use will require you to repair those aluminum or fiberglass barriers. You have two options: Either patch the holes (if they’re no larger than a couple of inches) or replace the entire mesh screen. That might sound like a lot of work, but learning how to fix a window screen is no sweat.

“Replacing a window screen is an easy project and should take a novice one hour or less for the first window and even less as they move on to other screens,” says Robert Robillard, a Concord, NH, carpenter and contractor who makes DIY videos. Here’s what you need to know.

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Patching a screen is quick and simple, but the patch will show. In a pinch, it’ll reinforce a small tear and keep out bugs until you have an hour to replace the entire screen.

Replacing ripped screens looks so much tidier than patching. So, jump in! Here are the tools you’ll need:

Follow these steps to replace a window screen:

It depends on what your time is worth, because the material costs are minimal. Robillard says once you purchase the spline roller for $7, you can plan on doing these repairs yourself for about $10 per window screen.

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Of course, you can buy a new standard-size window screen for about $34. But would you pick up $17 you found on the floor? We would. That’s why we think that doing this easy repair is good for your pocketbook and conscience.

For more information, watch the video below courtesy of A Concord Carpenter.

http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMDuYmHTabU

Lisa Kaplan Gordon is an award-winning writer who's covered real estate and home improvement for realtor.com, Yahoo, AOL, and many others.

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