Whatever your choice, it’s best to use strong support for the screen in the form of a screening spline. Once you’ve got the materials required to fix your window screen, here are the ways how to proceed with this repair project.
Step 1. Using a screwdriver with a narrow tip, pry out the old screening spline and throw it away if it’s already hard and brittle. Don’t reuse it and buy a new one instead.
Step 2. Now, secure the frame to your work surface with wooden blocks placed along the inside of the frame. They will help prevent the frame from bowing inward as you are installing the new screen material.
Step 3. Place the new screen over the window frame, overlapping it by up to 1 inch. Then just slightly beyond the spline groove, cut each corner of the screen at a 45-degree angle in order to prevent the screen from bunching.
Step 4. Next is to install the new screening spline at a corner using a rolling tool to push it and the screen into the groove. In case there are bulges or wrinkles in the screen, take off the spline and re-roll. As you reach the corner where you started, any small wrinkles must now tighten up.
Step 5. Once everything is in good order and no more wrinkles or bulges, cut the excess screen material with a sharp knife. As you cut, position the blade on top of the spline, pointing toward the outside of the frame.