What to Use to Enclose a Porch?

A screen enclosure for your porch keeps bugs out.

A porch can be the perfect place to watch the sun come up or go down or to simply relax with a glass of iced tea or lemonade on a mild day. Aside from a couple of wood sliders or old-fashioned rocking chairs and a small table to put your drink or lay to rest a book, one of the only things that can make a porch even more enjoyable is a screen enclosure so that you don't have to constantly swat away mosquitoes and flies.

Difficulty

Building a screen enclosure is a simple and quick do-it-yourself project that can increase the functionality of your porch. However, you'll have to manipulate long pieces of aluminum or plastic framing and large swaths of screening, so having a partner to help can make the job go significantly smoother and faster. Luckily, your partner doesn't need to be particularly handy either, since this is a pretty self-explanatory project once you have the tools laid out in front of you.

Tools

You likely already have all but a couple of the tools you need for your project at home. You will need a box cutter, screwdriver (preferably an electric one), a drill and small saw (a hand saw will do). You'll also need a spline tool, which is a small item that resembles a pizza cutter and can be found in the screening section of your local home improvement store. A tape measure will also come in handy.

Framing Materials

You'll need surprisingly few materials for your porch enclosure. You'll need the rails that will attach to your existing porch and serve as the frames for your screen mesh. These come in long sections, so you'll have to cut them to size. Because they are very thin, this is an easy job to do with your hand saw. But measure the length where they will go first to avoid cutting the framing too short or too long. In the same section you purchase the framing, you can also purchase the joints you will need to frame around corners. Like the framing, these simply attach to your existing porch materials by drilling holes and securing with screws.

Screening Materials

Screening comes in large rolls. There will be many to choose from. For instance, you can purchase metal, plastic or fiberglass screening. Some are light colored while others are dark; and some are thin and very see-through while others are thicker and meant to withstand pets' paws and claws. Purchase spline in a thickness that fits the grooves of your framing. Cut your screen slightly larger than the areas to be screened. Use the spline tool to secure the screen to the frame by pressing the screen and spline into the grooves. You can cut the excess screen hanging out to the sides with your box cutters.

References

• Structall: Screen and Accessories
• Backyard America: Screening Systems