Very useful additional details that I have not seen in other DIY videos. 1. Cutting screen corners at 45 degrees 2. Continue with the opposite screen side instead of the adjacent - helps even tension. 3. Using both convex and concave sides of the roller to press the screen into the groove. 4. Using the convex side to press the spline instead of concave - it helps deeper pressing of the spline. THANKS!
I was trying to re-screen with Phifer SeeVue (stainless) screen. My first attempt to install it like a fiberglass mesh left me frustrated - the spline wouldn't fit in the corners and screen tension was completely wrong. This video saved that roll of screen from landfill. You have to follow the instructions precisely. He has a reason for everything he is doing. Thank you for the video!
This method worked for a first-timer. I duct-taped the screen to a table. I lacked the nerve to cut the screen so close, rather I gave it 1-2" extra, & trimmed it later with curved-blade scissors. Also, the convex wheel tended to jump the track more than the concave, so I alternated wheels as I thought necessary. Prime Line gets ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This is 100% people! Easily the most information video I've seen for aluminum screens. I watched almost a dozen videos before settling on this for a first-time attempt at replacing a number of screens around the house. Didn't have your exact setup but understood the important principles behind each step to put together a makeshift jig using bricks on an MDF board. Worked out well. As easy as in the video. Only caveat would be for running the spline tool along the edge of the frame. If you use a metal (rather than plastic) tool, it could strip some of the finish off of the existing frame. Thanks Prime Line for being so clear and informative. You are a resource.
Thank you for this comprehensive video. You provided additional points that I did not see on other presentations. I am ready to give it a try. I am replacing 6ml UV plastic sheeting in my porch windows. I have called many screen companies and they do not want the job unless I pay $600 to $1,200 dollars. It is worth it to do it myself😎
Been doing screen repair for years. It takes time to get good at it. After trying every method this is the absolute best. The fastest and best quality results. Thank you for sharing with us. I do roll the spline in a couple inches temporarily on the corners and in the middle while I’m rolling the screen into the frame channel just to make sure the screen doesn’t move. If you dont hold the screen down in place while roling it in to the channel it will be to tight and bow the frame in.
I did just that using short 3/4 inch splines to hold the screen while rolling the screen into the frame. Yep this is about the best video .. it shows some critical points .. like tilting the tool to stretch the screen and positioning the concave roller to install the spline
Stupid Good Modelling here!!! I just did what you did (well, taped down my screen frame) and VOILA!!! BEST Aluminum Screen job EVER. Really, though, remarkable your precision! The trick with the conVEX end to intro spline to screen eliminates my past biggest goofs poking MORE 'n my fair share of new screenage... what a waste of screens and shame on me! REALLY, lots of insight here folks... if you missed it, watch again, this is a real Pro ya'll! Signed, NoLongerFearsAReScreen... YaY! THANKS!
Do you use the concave end at all? You're the only repairman to cut the 45' miters, set the screen with the convex & then the concave wheel, tilt it on the opposite short side to pull it taunt, & set the spline last with the convex end. It looks professional & done right.
i replaced my screen on a small window and thought that the spline material was bigger than needed. Plus i was using a plastic tool. Eventually, with the help of a screw driver I got the job done. It took way longer than it should have. I'm glad I only had one to do.
Nice, thanks for publish it... as a secondary comment, I will like to say that almost all people spent a lot of time showing "how to" but fail to show the "finished product" Observe it.
I worked in a screen shop for a while. There a lot of little things that can mess up a DIY job if you're unaware of them. Its one of life's "you don't know what you don't know until you realize you don't know it" situations. We got a lot of business from people making a small mistake that was easily fixed but annoyed the homeowner enough that they were happily willing to pay someone else to do it.
What do you Do if you cannot remove the frame from the window? My screens are in channels and there is no way to remove them without removing the sill.
I bought a metal spline roller from HD and it fits in the groove, but even when I gently, gradually roll the aluminum screen into the groove with the convex end of the tool, the roller cuts through the screen! What am I doing wrong? This is a 3' x 80" screen door, would that matter?
Happens to me, too. Even with a nylon or plastic roller, I cut through the aluminum screen. Drove me nuts. So, what did I do? Seeing no other option, I just gave up and used fiberglass screen.
My guess is that the screen pocket on your frame is a narrow one. Some screen frame manufacturers inexplicably use a narrow screen pocket and a thinner spline, but most screen rollers are a standard thickness. I have actually used a pizza cutter to install thin-pocket screen and spline! Worked pretty well but it's quite sharp so you have to be very careful! One pro tip: Keeping your shoulder above your roller or as close as you can will help to maintain control of your roller and more consistent pressure on your screen and spline. One more pro tip (LOL): Taking multiple passes with less pressure is a good way for beginners to achieve the same results with less risk of damage. Happy screening!
@@markfermoyle7295 even if I didn't prefer cats to human beings, that does nothing to resolve the issue of neighborhood cats coming and clawing at our screens.
There is a Screen Material made for Pets even Cats I installed it about 15 years ago no damage even noticed my Cats Climbing it. Still no tears or holes.
Wow, great job P.P.! I worked for a window company, and found it very interesting putting the spline in last, unique is a good word. Will do that on my next screen job. As you, I also used both ends, it's not there for looks huh? :-) "Great Job!"
I am trying to replace the screen in a full height wooden screen door which has a metal track similiar to the one in your video. I wanted aluminum screew as its a bit more resiliant. But when I'm tryin to roll it in, it keeps cutting or breaking straight down the inside edge of the track in multiple places, which makes it useless. I have one more roll of aluminum screen. If I can't install it this time without cutting it, I'm going to have to go back to fiberglass screen I guess. Also when I unrolled my aluminum screen, it won't lay flat. Keeps rolling back up on its own. Wouldn't be a big deal on a small window, but on this screen door dealing with a 7ft long peice of screen wire. Tried to reverse roll it, and it then would lay flat-ish... but it also caused waves in it 🙁
This method is quite different from many others I have seen, aluminum or fiberglass. Does the screen in this method form a complete U around the spline as it does in most other "spline then trim" methods, or is the screen sized and pressed so far that the screen material is only on one side(or one side and bottom) of the spline? Second part is that common aluminum screen is about twice as thick as common fiberglass(0.015 inch vs 0.007) so with the complete U around the spline the aluminum takes up an extra .015" and often one size smaller spline (eg .125 instead of .140) is used. If your method does not form a full U is the spline sized the same for Al as it is for fiberglass?
No, the first pass without the spline is to seat the aluminum screen down into the frame channel. Then you can roll the spline in. You'll have to cut the screen afterwards with a razor knife.
I’m confused about the term ‘right down the middle’ when cutting the screen. Middle of what? If you cut the middle of the frame there won’t be any screen left to go down into the slot.
Why not secure on the top end by installing the spline BEFORE starting on the bottom end with prepping it by rolling the spline tool in the groove? Don't you risk moving the screen material out of the groove slightly otherwise?
Tony Cellucci There's just less chance of the tool running out of the groove and damaging the screen. You can always go over it again real quick with the concave edge if the spline is not seated all of the way down. Rick (The guy in the video) builds hundreds of screens a year, and he does them real fast normally, so this is just a method to reduce mistakes. If you take your time, either way works fine.
I bought the Prime Line jig kit but it came with metal rails covered with metal dust from cutting them and not even an installation diagram. Is that too much to ask for before I drill holes into my worktable. I'm not a pro, but had trouble with hourglassing.
Thank you .made my life easy ..wish i had of watched this before i started as there was some swearing going on hahahahah..so much easier to do when you do it right ..thanks again ..i can now replace all my screen doors the easy way ..
I don't understand what you mean by put the tool in between the frame and the rubber material. Also you use the word spline to describe both the rubber tubing type material AND the channel that it goes in. I'm confused. But when you say put the rolling tool in between the outside of the frame and the spline, if I did that the tool would fill the channel and the rubber tubing would still be on top. The material needs to get pushed in with the tool does it not? If the tool is touching the bottom of the channel then how do you squeeze the rubber material in?
Aluminum screening is stiffer and is a little more tricky to work with than fiberglass screen. The fabric needs to be pushed down into the groove in the frame before rolling in the spline. When rolling in the spline, what is meant by "between the outside of the frame and the spline" just means tilt the tool from the outside of the frame, towards the inside. You should still be making contact with the spline to roll it in.
That was a great video! I been wanting to do repairs with aluminum but stayed with the vinyl since I didnt know how. Where can I get the screen? Home Depot doesnt seem to carry it.
+Tony Home Thanks for the compliment. I would check with some smaller screen shops, or hardware stores. There really doesn't seem to be a huge market for it so lots of places don't stock it. If you want to buy it online Home Depot does have it on their website. www.homedepot.com/s/aluminum%2520screen%2520cloth?NCNI-5
Cutting the corners is usually only done for aluminum screen fabric, since it's so stiff, if you don't the extra material in the corners might keep the spline from seating all the way down in the channel.
We do have some rigid screen spline, but it's not metal, it's vinyl. If you'd like for us to try and identify it, you can email a photo of the profile of the spline to info@primelne.net and we'll see what we can do.
I seen some strange spline in my days as a Glazer . Some are plastic with an angle . The factory may have made yours with metal but replace it with rubber spline .
I replaced my screen and spline on my Wallside windows. After installing screen and spline it. The window won't spring back enough to give way enough to fit back in the window frame . Help!
I found aluminium screen can distort a large frame so that it no longer slots back into it's window channels. A trick I read about was to place a couple of heavy books on the middle of the screen to prevent it pulling too tight, which didn't really fix the issue but the one I dicovered on my own was to hold a square at the frame corner and flex frame near corner with fingers while forming nearby channel with convex roller. Didn't need to be too perfect but the end result was the frame was nice and square and the frames fitted perfectly.
Hi great Video, I am interested in your table setup. What sort of frames you used to hold the flyscreen frames on the table? it seems to me it is scale able however how does it stay fixed on the carpet layout?
+sduru You can see the table setup and screen jig parts on this page: primeline.net/home4.wcs?nMenuid=2840&cProd=P&cSProd=032&cProd=P&cSprod=032&nPage=1&nPerPage=50 Also take a look at our Window & Screen Repair Catalog. (.pdf) here: primeline.net/home4.wcs?nMenuid=6410
Tried this multiple times and it didn't work. Using aluminum screening - nylon is easier - did the first side running exactly as Rick did it, then did the opposite side with the tool at 45 degree angle and the first side pulled out leaving me with a mess. Tried to put it back in and screen got worse. Tried the ruined piece on a second smaller screen and same issue. Everyone else puts the spline in as they go to hold the screen in place. I'll do what everyone else is doing and hope for far better results. Perhaps Rick's method won't work on the type of screen channel I have. I give this one a thumbs down.
Is there a different thickness for metal screen? Mine keep breaking everytime I press the spline all the way down, had to leave it barely below the metal so it wouldn't break.
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Very useful additional details that I have not seen in other DIY videos.
1. Cutting screen corners at 45 degrees
2. Continue with the opposite screen side instead of the adjacent - helps even tension.
3. Using both convex and concave sides of the roller to press the screen into the groove.
4. Using the convex side to press the spline instead of concave - it helps deeper pressing of the spline.
THANKS!
5. Tilting the roller on the opposite side for tension.
I was trying to re-screen with Phifer SeeVue (stainless) screen. My first attempt to install it like a fiberglass mesh left me frustrated - the spline wouldn't fit in the corners and screen tension was completely wrong.
This video saved that roll of screen from landfill. You have to follow the instructions precisely. He has a reason for everything he is doing. Thank you for the video!
Excited to rescreen my windows! It’s so nice out here in western Colorado
This method worked for a first-timer. I duct-taped the screen to a table. I lacked the nerve to cut the screen so close, rather I gave it 1-2" extra, & trimmed it later with curved-blade scissors. Also, the convex wheel tended to jump the track more than the concave, so I alternated wheels as I thought necessary. Prime Line gets ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This is 100% people! Easily the most information video I've seen for aluminum screens. I watched almost a dozen videos before settling on this for a first-time attempt at replacing a number of screens around the house. Didn't have your exact setup but understood the important principles behind each step to put together a makeshift jig using bricks on an MDF board. Worked out well. As easy as in the video. Only caveat would be for running the spline tool along the edge of the frame. If you use a metal (rather than plastic) tool, it could strip some of the finish off of the existing frame. Thanks Prime Line for being so clear and informative. You are a resource.
Good idea for the makeshift jig, thanks.
Thank you for this comprehensive video. You provided additional points that I did not see on other presentations. I am ready to give it a try. I am replacing 6ml UV plastic sheeting in my porch windows. I have called many screen companies and they do not want the job unless I pay $600 to $1,200 dollars. It is worth it to do it myself😎
Been doing screen repair for years. It takes time to get good at it. After trying every method this is the absolute best. The fastest and best quality results. Thank you for sharing with us.
I do roll the spline in a couple inches temporarily on the corners and in the middle while I’m rolling the screen into the frame channel just to make sure the screen doesn’t move.
If you dont hold the screen down in place while roling it in to the channel it will be to tight and bow the frame in.
I did just that using short 3/4 inch splines to hold the screen while rolling the screen into the frame. Yep this is about the best video .. it shows some critical points .. like tilting the tool to stretch the screen and positioning the concave roller to install the spline
@@magicnier211 Short splines--good idea.Those are temporary, right?
Stupid Good Modelling here!!! I just did what you did (well, taped down my screen frame) and VOILA!!! BEST Aluminum Screen job EVER. Really, though, remarkable your precision! The trick with the conVEX end to intro spline to screen eliminates my past biggest goofs poking MORE 'n my fair share of new screenage... what a waste of screens and shame on me! REALLY, lots of insight here folks... if you missed it, watch again, this is a real Pro ya'll! Signed, NoLongerFearsAReScreen... YaY! THANKS!
"..."taped down my screen frame"... that's a good idea that I will try.
Do you use the concave end at all?
You're the only repairman to cut the 45' miters, set the screen with the convex & then the concave wheel, tilt it on the opposite short side to pull it taunt, & set the spline last with the convex end. It looks professional & done right.
Outstanding demonstration. Thank you!!
Great! I have a 50 year plus aluminum window frame. Is this tutorial the same for my old screen frame?
Thank you. I learned more from you in a 7 minutes than I had ever learned before.
i replaced my screen on a small window and thought that the spline material was bigger than needed. Plus i was using a plastic tool. Eventually, with the help of a screw driver I got the job done. It took way longer than it should have. I'm glad I only had one to do.
These instructions were very helpful, thank you.
Nice, thanks for publish it... as a secondary comment, I will like to say that almost all people spent a lot of time showing "how to" but fail to show the "finished product" Observe it.
I wish I would have watched this before doing it my first window maybe would have saved me some material. 😳
I worked in a screen shop for a while. There a lot of little things that can mess up a DIY job if you're unaware of them. Its one of life's "you don't know what you don't know until you realize you don't know it" situations. We got a lot of business from people making a small mistake that was easily fixed but annoyed the homeowner enough that they were happily willing to pay someone else to do it.
Same
Nice video! Thank you! Now off to do our screening.
THANK YOU...very nice video and easy to follow!!!
What do you Do if you cannot remove the frame from the window? My screens are in channels and there is no way to remove them without removing the sill.
I bought a metal spline roller from HD and it fits in the groove, but even when I gently, gradually roll the aluminum screen into the groove with the convex end of the tool, the roller cuts through the screen! What am I doing wrong? This is a 3' x 80" screen door, would that matter?
Happens to me every single time. Wish I had the answer
Happens to me, too. Even with a nylon or plastic roller, I cut through the aluminum screen. Drove me nuts. So, what did I do? Seeing no other option, I just gave up and used fiberglass screen.
My guess is that the screen pocket on your frame is a narrow one. Some screen frame manufacturers inexplicably use a narrow screen pocket and a thinner spline, but most screen rollers are a standard thickness. I have actually used a pizza cutter to install thin-pocket screen and spline! Worked pretty well but it's quite sharp so you have to be very careful! One pro tip: Keeping your shoulder above your roller or as close as you can will help to maintain control of your roller and more consistent pressure on your screen and spline. One more pro tip (LOL): Taking multiple passes with less pressure is a good way for beginners to achieve the same results with less risk of damage.
Happy screening!
Glad to know how to do this. Fiberglass screens are pretty useless if you have cats.
Save yourself a ton of headaches and get rid of the cats! ;)
@@markfermoyle7295 even if I didn't prefer cats to human beings, that does nothing to resolve the issue of neighborhood cats coming and clawing at our screens.
There is a Screen Material made for Pets even Cats I installed it about 15 years ago no damage even noticed my Cats Climbing it. Still no tears or holes.
@@markfermoyle7295 Shit, no kidding. Can't believe someone said it - hats off to you.
Thank you! Great video. Actually got one done the first time.
Wow, great job P.P.! I worked for a window company, and found it very interesting putting the spline in last, unique is a good word. Will do that on my next screen job. As you, I also used both ends, it's not there for looks huh? :-) "Great Job!"
Yeah, aluminum screening is a whole other animal than fiberglass screening. Different techniques for different jobs.
I am trying to replace the screen in a full height wooden screen door which has a metal track similiar to the one in your video. I wanted aluminum screew as its a bit more resiliant. But when I'm tryin to roll it in, it keeps cutting or breaking straight down the inside edge of the track in multiple places, which makes it useless. I have one more roll of aluminum screen. If I can't install it this time without cutting it, I'm going to have to go back to fiberglass screen I guess.
Also when I unrolled my aluminum screen, it won't lay flat. Keeps rolling back up on its own. Wouldn't be a big deal on a small window, but on this screen door dealing with a 7ft long peice of screen wire. Tried to reverse roll it, and it then would lay flat-ish... but it also caused waves in it 🙁
Thank you very good explanation
Step 1: figure out how to make the screen stop rolling back up into itself.
Great information! Thx !
Thaks for that ,it was very informative .
Thank you 👍
Yeah….when I’m tucking my screen in it ends up cutting the screen….
This method is quite different from many others I have seen, aluminum or fiberglass. Does the screen in this method form a complete U around the spline as it does in most other "spline then trim" methods, or is the screen sized and pressed so far that the screen material is only on one side(or one side and bottom) of the spline?
Second part is that common aluminum screen is about twice as thick as common fiberglass(0.015 inch vs 0.007) so with the complete U around the spline the aluminum takes up an extra .015" and often one size smaller spline (eg .125 instead of .140) is used. If your method does not form a full U is the spline sized the same for Al as it is for fiberglass?
Thanks for bringing that up. I just bought aluminum to replace fiberglass, and didn't think about spline possibly being different size.
Good point about the spline size.
Hello, is the tool (convex part) supposed to cut the aluminium net during the first pass without spline?
No, the first pass without the spline is to seat the aluminum screen down into the frame channel. Then you can roll the spline in. You'll have to cut the screen afterwards with a razor knife.
I’m confused about the term ‘right down the middle’ when cutting the screen. Middle of what? If you cut the middle of the frame there won’t be any screen left to go down into the slot.
Can you use the aluminum mesh on plastic frames?
Why not secure on the top end by installing the spline BEFORE starting on the bottom end with prepping it by rolling the spline tool in the groove? Don't you risk moving the screen material out of the groove slightly otherwise?
Because when you do the other ends the aluminum can slide or stretch a bit in the channel
Wonder what gauge screen he is using?
Im curious why do you insert the spline tool on the side of the spline instead directly on top to push the spline down.
Tony Cellucci There's just less chance of the tool running out of the groove and damaging the screen. You can always go over it again real quick with the concave edge if the spline is not seated all of the way down. Rick (The guy in the video) builds hundreds of screens a year, and he does them real fast normally, so this is just a method to reduce mistakes. If you take your time, either way works fine.
makes sense...thanx
Perfect, Thank you!
I bought the Prime Line jig kit but it came with metal rails covered with metal dust from cutting them and not even an installation diagram. Is that too much to ask for before I drill holes into my worktable. I'm not a pro, but had trouble with hourglassing.
Thank you .made my life easy ..wish i had of watched this before i started as there was some swearing going on hahahahah..so much easier to do when you do it right ..thanks again ..i can now replace all my screen doors the easy way ..
I don't understand what you mean by put the tool in between the frame and the rubber material. Also you use the word spline to describe both the rubber tubing type material AND the channel that it goes in. I'm confused. But when you say put the rolling tool in between the outside of the frame and the spline, if I did that the tool would fill the channel and the rubber tubing would still be on top. The material needs to get pushed in with the tool does it not? If the tool is touching the bottom of the channel then how do you squeeze the rubber material in?
Aluminum screening is stiffer and is a little more tricky to work with than fiberglass screen. The fabric needs to be pushed down into the groove in the frame before rolling in the spline.
When rolling in the spline, what is meant by "between the outside of the frame and the spline" just means tilt the tool from the outside of the frame, towards the inside. You should still be making contact with the spline to roll it in.
Wher i found this tools
That was a great video! I been wanting to do repairs with aluminum but stayed with the vinyl since I didnt know how. Where can I get the screen? Home Depot doesnt seem to carry it.
+Tony Home Thanks for the compliment. I would check with some smaller screen shops, or hardware stores. There really doesn't seem to be a huge market for it so lots of places don't stock it. If you want to buy it online Home Depot does have it on their website. www.homedepot.com/s/aluminum%2520screen%2520cloth?NCNI-5
Tony Home Home Depot has aluminum screening. I found it in the online store.
This is much harder to do at home that a nylon net.
It's stronger, looks better, & will last, but aluminum is harder to work with.
What is the purpose of cutting a 45 bit out of the corner?
Cutting the corners is usually only done for aluminum screen fabric, since it's so stiff, if you don't the extra material in the corners might keep the spline from seating all the way down in the channel.
Just curious...my screens had metal spline...is that because the house was built in 1957?
We do have some rigid screen spline, but it's not metal, it's vinyl. If you'd like for us to try and identify it, you can email a photo of the profile of the spline to info@primelne.net and we'll see what we can do.
Thank you... I'm using regular...I was just curious... I'd never seen it and the guy in Home Depot hadn't either...
Have a FANTASTIC day...
I seen some strange spline in my days as a Glazer . Some are plastic with an angle . The factory may have made yours with metal but replace it with rubber spline .
I have the square metal spline in my Anderson 400 Series window screens. Installed them in 2002.
yes. replace with new frames and screen.
The way Tim Perry taught me.
Great if you have a frame to put the screen in rather than do it on the floor.
I replaced my screen and spline on my Wallside windows. After installing screen and spline it. The window won't spring back enough to give way enough to fit back in the window frame . Help!
I found aluminium screen can distort a large frame so that it no longer slots back into it's window channels. A trick I read about was to place a couple of heavy books on the middle of the screen to prevent it pulling too tight, which didn't really fix the issue but the one I dicovered on my own was to hold a square at the frame corner and flex frame near corner with fingers while forming nearby channel with convex roller. Didn't need to be too perfect but the end result was the frame was nice and square and the frames fitted perfectly.
Hi great Video, I am interested in your table setup. What sort of frames you used to hold the flyscreen frames on the table? it seems to me it is scale able however how does it stay fixed on the carpet layout?
+sduru You can see the table setup and screen jig parts on this page: primeline.net/home4.wcs?nMenuid=2840&cProd=P&cSProd=032&cProd=P&cSprod=032&nPage=1&nPerPage=50
Also take a look at our Window & Screen Repair Catalog. (.pdf) here: primeline.net/home4.wcs?nMenuid=6410
WHERE IS THE PULL TAB?
Two thumbs DOWN for Roundup!
Screening is curling up like mad. Not as simple as his example.
Flip the screen over.You want the curling facing down.
Small tight rolls of screen do roll badly. I feel for you. Struggling with this myself even though I have my screen weighed down to relax it first. 😕
Not sure about a number of things you said/did, but that's me not you . . .
Tried this multiple times and it didn't work. Using aluminum screening - nylon is easier - did the first side running exactly as Rick did it, then did the opposite side with the tool at 45 degree angle and the first side pulled out leaving me with a mess. Tried to put it back in and screen got worse. Tried the ruined piece on a second smaller screen and same issue. Everyone else puts the spline in as they go to hold the screen in place. I'll do what everyone else is doing and hope for far better results. Perhaps Rick's method won't work on the type of screen channel I have. I give this one a thumbs down.
Stupid teenagers' show🤮 off using very coplecated professionals words for the avarage gereral people.
Keep or simple!
Not a useful video for first-times. I ruined a lot of costly screen.
wrong
Is there a different thickness for metal screen? Mine keep breaking everytime I press the spline all the way down, had to leave it barely below the metal so it wouldn't break.