re-screening pool patio screen

[Evan Mann]

I attempted to re-screen 1 panel on my pool patio screen room. I purchased standard charcoal fiberglass screen and FLAT spline. The dried up spline I pulled out was flat so I got the ONLY flat splie Home Depot Carried.

Getting the flat spline into the grooves on the screen posts was futile. I managed to get 2 strips in but ended up cutting part of the screen with screen roller, and not the excess part! So I had to start all over. I gave up for the day.

Can I use ROUND spline or must I use the flat if that is what was used previously? Round comes in a variety of thicknesses and I think I can find one that goes in easier and stays tight. Anyone have experience?

[ameijers]

Shape of spline matches shape of channel. But what the hey, if you can't get the right size locally, I don't think you can hurt much force-fitting round in there. Worst case scenario- a wind gust, pet, or child pushes on the screen and it pops loose again, and you start over. I'd use the round with the ribbed or textured surface, not the smooth stuff.

Of course, if the screen panels come off the wall, I'd just take whole panel to window shop and let them do it. Right tools, and the big table, and experience, let them get it tighter and straighter than you can do at home.

aem sends....

[AJScott]

I've had to re-screen a whole bunch of stuff, and my experience has been this:

Take the damn thing down to your nearest Ace or True Value hardware store and have them do it. Some piddly crap you're trying to save a measly twenty bucks on just ain't worth the time and headache to screw with yourself. Use that time instead to smell some roses, sled down a hill with your kids, bang the wife, or some other more-joyful pursuit.

AJS

[Evan Mann]

This is an entire screnned in patio. You know, custom screen room. It's not a bunch of panels. It's metal frame with channel, so it has to be done on-site. I got a quote of $1250 to re-do it but I'm trying to save about half and do everything but the roof. I'm not sure if I've just got hte wrong spline or it is this difficult.

[Oldylocks]

You have the right spline tool, right?

I've rescreened a screen porch twice... the first time what I pulled out was flat but I replaced it with serrated round. It worked and looked fine but then I saw this one-way privacy screen on some TV show so I had to have it. We have neighbors that like to look at us.

I found Connecticut Screen Works online. I ordered my screen from there - kind of pricey - but there was a definite difference in the quality of the screen I got from there versus the roll I got from Menards.

You can order flat spline, too. I bet if you wrote or called them, they'd advise.

They have a lot of different kinds of spline tools, too. And they have this instruction guide: I'm in Wisconsin and for some reason waited to do this until October and nearly froze my little fingers off - I had to do it "on-site" too. Our screen porches in Wisconsin serve slightly different purposes than those in more temperate climates, I imagine. I live near a river and in Summer (August 4-17), we have West Nile carrying mosquitoes. In Winter, the porch is a giant, walk-in freezer.

-Oldy

[AJScott]

Oh .... *now* you tell us this.

AJS

[Hook0788]

I also replaced some screen in my pool cage. The old spline was flat but the Home Improvement store was out of black flat spline so I went with .190 round spline to replace it with. The round spline went in easier than the flat spline so I am going to use this from now on to replace it with. They had round spline that was less diameter but that was recommended for doors & window screens.

[gfretwell]

If you have flat spline framing, you really need to use flat spline.. The round will pull right out.

There is a little trick to rolling flat spline, you use the roller with the groove in it (not the rounded one) and push the spline down into the slot in the right direction. Sometimes if you are having a hard time getting started, use the rounded roller to push the screen in the slot and go behind it with the grooved wheel and the spline.

Keep the roller tilted to the outside of the slot so you don't cut the screen

Beginners may be better buying a roller with plastic wheels. They won;t hold up for a pro but they are less likely to cut the screen.

[dquarasr]

Old thread, new reply.

Thank goodness for my Home Depot person. He explained that you need to put the flat spline in at an angle on the narrow side of the frame. flat side out, rounded side in. Typically the frame will have a thin strip separating the spline track and the main frame, forming the slot that the spline goes into. If you look carefully, you will see that you can start the flat spline at an angle, a little bit *behind* the opening, then use the spline tool to push in the other end of the spline. I believe the "narrow" side of the frame is the side of the slot closest to the screen material, toward the screen opening. Starting the spline at an angle allows it to slot in, easy to push the other side in. Also, angling the spline tool away from the screen helps to NOT cut the screen as you are pushing in the spline.

Hope this is described correctly.

[Thomas]

replying to dquarasr, Thomas wrote: Correction dquarasr, Home Depot gave bad advise. The flat side faces in and the rounded side faces out. This animated video from Lifestyle screens shows the proper way to put in flat spline.

[Barbuscia]

replying to Evan Mann, Barbuscia wrote: I had the hardest time using flat on my fixed aluminum porch so I cu one end in an angle to make a pointed end.it went in easy after that.

[Elaine]

replying to Hook0788, Elaine wrote: Thank you, this helps me because I just replaced a screen 37.5 w x 78.5 L with the same spline you used, the 190 ... what I pulled out was a flat spline but that's very difficult to work with. The screen came out just fine, prayed through the whole process. I was worried that it might not hold but you're saying it held for you so that encourages me to move onto the next opening to screen in.

[gfretwell]

If you are using round spline in flat spline "patio" you will be doing it again. It won't take much wind to blow that out. With the right roller, using the grooved side, there is no real trick in putting the right spline in. You can use the rounded roller to get the screen seated in the groove, then run the spline in with the grooved side. Give it another pass with the rounded roller when you are done to be sure it is completely seated. Flat spline will tend to get tighter the harder you pull. Round spline will pop right out.