How to Fabricate Solar Screens

Protect your home's interior from harmful sun rays with solar screens.

Solar screens are placed in the windows and doors of a home to prevent solar glare. These screens can keep a home cooler during hot summer months more than regular windows and screens. This is a good option for protecting furniture and other objects in your home that can be bleached by sunlight. These screens will block the damaging UV rays that could damage upholstery, other dyed furniture and even pictures. There are the options of wood or aluminum frames for these screens. Installing these screens can be a do-it-yourself job.

Things You'll Need

• Wood frame (4 appropriately sized wood pieces)
• Staple gun
• Staples
• Hand saw
• Carpenter's glue (optional)
• Scissors
• Screen spline

Instructions

Wood

1. Measure your old window screen frame. Record the length and width of the frame.

2. Trim the four pieces of wood to fit the length and width of the old window screen. Cut the ends of the wood at 45-degree angles to create corners. This can be done with a handsaw. The wood pieces should fit together at 90-degree corners to create a perfect rectangle.

3. Staple together the four pieces of wood to create a frame. Use the staple gun to insert staples at an angle so that they go through both pieces of wood at the corners. Use carpenter's glue before stapling if you would like more support.

4. Cut the solar screen to be slightly larger than the wood frame.

5. Lay the screen over the wood frame. Starting at the top center of the frame, insert a staple through the screen and frame. Pull the screen tight and insert a staple in the middle of the bottom part of the frame. Do the same for each side of the screen and frame. Place staples every few inches around the perimeter of the frame. Keep the screen smooth and tight while doing this.

6. Trim the extra screen.

7. Install the solar screen in the place of your old screen. Use the latches that are already in your window frame to hold the new frame in place.

Aluminum

1. Purchase an aluminum solar screen kit. This is the best option for installing this type of solar screen because the kit has a frame cut to fit a standard window. It also supplies the latches needed to install the new frame in the window.

2. Cut the solar screen slightly bigger than the aluminum frame.

3. Press the screen into the groove around the perimeter of the aluminum frame. Use the screen spline to do this.

4. Trim any excess solar screen with a pair of scissors.

5. Install the frame and screen in the place of the old screen in the window. Snap the supplied latches into place to secure the frame into the window.

References

• The Screen Store: Assembling Your Solar Screens
• Quality Screen Co. LLC: Solar Screen Material Explained