It is time to replace the screen on my front screendoor.
The shop that I discussed this with looked at photos of it,
and immediately told me it was made of aluminum screen, and
asked if I really wanted to replace it with aluminum screen.
I asked what else is available, and why is it better. The
clerk said that today most people get "plastic screen"
installed, and that it is actually made of fiberglass, and
lasts longer and doesn't puncture so easily. My screendoor
was built and installed (custom size) about 25 years ago, so
it seems reasonable to me that there may be better
replacement materials available today.

My question: What are the usual alternatives considered
today for the screen material in screen doors, and what are
the pros and cons of each? (In case it makes a difference
in the alternative you suggest, this door is sheltered by a
second floor, and the house is located near the beach in the
greater Los Angeles area, with a normal annual temp range of
40-100 degrees F, fog many nights a year, and an occasional
sprinkle of rain.

Many thanks.

--
----------
CWLee
Former slayer of dragons; practice now limited to sacred
cows. Believing we should hire for quality, not quotas, and
promote for performance, not preferences.

I didn't know you could even get aluminum screen any more! There are
at least 2 grades of fiberglass screen. Having a dog with sharp claws,
the heavier grade stuff works fine. Just lay the door down on a flat
surface, get the right size of rubber cord to use, and the roller
tool. You need a sharp knife as well. Maybe 15 minutes, top. Local
screen places will even do the job for essentially time and materials,
if you don't want to do it yourself.

CWLee wrote:
It is time to replace the screen on my front screendoor.
The shop that I discussed this with looked at photos of it,
and immediately told me it was made of aluminum screen, and
asked if I really wanted to replace it with aluminum screen.
I asked what else is available, and why is it better. The
clerk said that today most people get "plastic screen"
installed, and that it is actually made of fiberglass, and
lasts longer and doesn't puncture so easily. My screendoor
was built and installed (custom size) about 25 years ago, so
it seems reasonable to me that there may be better
replacement materials available today.

My question: What are the usual alternatives considered
today for the screen material in screen doors, and what are
the pros and cons of each? (In case it makes a difference
in the alternative you suggest, this door is sheltered by a
second floor, and the house is located near the beach in the
greater Los Angeles area, with a normal annual temp range of
40-100 degrees F, fog many nights a year, and an occasional
sprinkle of rain.

Fibergalss/plastic should be perfectly adequate. If you have a rowdy
pet, there is even a heavy duty plastic that tends to resist damage
better than the standard material. No matter the choice, any of them
will do a good job for you.HTH

Joe

professorpaul wrote:
I didn't know you could even get aluminum screen any more! There are
at least 2 grades of fiberglass screen. Having a dog with sharp claws,
the heavier grade stuff works fine. Just lay the door down on a flat
surface, get the right size of rubber cord to use, and the roller
tool. You need a sharp knife as well. Maybe 15 minutes, top. Local
screen places will even do the job for essentially time and materials,
if you don't want to do it yourself.

Hi,
Heavier fiberglass screen is really heavy enough for dogs or birds.
Rubber cord is commonly called spline and if you have a tool for it, it
is lot easier to work with.

On Oct 23, 6:42 pm, "CWLee" wrote:
It is time to replace the screen on my front screendoor.
The shop that I discussed this with looked at photos of it,
and immediately told me it was made of aluminum screen, and
asked if I really wanted to replace it with aluminum screen.
I asked what else is available, and why is it better. The
clerk said that today most people get "plastic screen"
installed, and that it is actually made of fiberglass, and
lasts longer and doesn't puncture so easily. My screendoor
was built and installed (custom size) about 25 years ago, so
it seems reasonable to me that there may be better
replacement materials available today.

My question: What are the usual alternatives considered
today for the screen material in screen doors, and what are
the pros and cons of each? (In case it makes a difference
in the alternative you suggest, this door is sheltered by a
second floor, and the house is located near the beach in the
greater Los Angeles area, with a normal annual temp range of
40-100 degrees F, fog many nights a year, and an occasional
sprinkle of rain.

Many thanks.

--
----------
CWLee
Former slayer of dragons; practice now limited to sacred
cows. Believing we should hire for quality, not quotas, and
promote for performance, not preferences.

Well, I have to disagree with the other posters. My fiberglass
screens seemed to become slack and brittle from sun exposure after
maybe a decade. It was also easily torn or punctured. I replaced them
with black-painted aluminum screening which in my opinion is stronger,
more durable, and looks better. It is probably a little harder to
install. -- H