Screen door is perhaps the most elegant way to keep fresh air into the house. At the same time, it helps in preventing insects and bugs to enter your house. Thus the screen doors help in proper ventilation by circulating fresh air inside without compromising with safety. Especially when the weather is hot, its really a great idea to have a screen door fitted in your house which lets the refreshing and soothing air flow into your house while inside closed home. However, if you are planning to hire a professional to have this work done then you might have to spend some more bucks. I will recommend you to get it done by yourself as building one screen door on your own is not a very difficult task indeed. Just follow these simple steps and you will eventually end up with a perfect screen door.
Complexity level: Moderate
Time required: 12-18 hours
Estimated cost: $150-$450
Resources required:
- Hammer and chisel
- Drill and bits
- Table saw
- Miter saw
- Brad nailer and nails
- Wood glue
- 6 feet of screen material
- Screen door latch
- 3″ hinges
- Screw gun
- Staple gun and 1/4″ staples
- Two 10’ pieces of screen stop (small trim)
- Clear Douglas fir (net thickness): two pieces of 8’ x
6” x 1” and one piece of 3’ x 8” x 1” (our door frame is 35-3/4” x 78”)
Instructions:
1. Build the frame for the door
- First of all measure the dimensions of the required door from top jamb to the floor. Do same with the side jambs.
- Have the lumber cut according to the dimensions with the help of a saw. Ideally the thickness of the frame piece is 1 by 2 inches.
- Make sure that the height of the door is shorter by half inch than the exact dimension for the smooth operation of the door.
- Also place the mid portion connectors at their place. These divide the door into three parts.
- Make sure that the joints are perpendicular to each other. Now do a mock assembly of the screen door and perform a trial run before joining everything permanently. Observe how well all the parts have fitted with each other.
- Do the necessary modifications and then make the joints permanent with the help of polyurethane glue and clamp the pieces together using C clamps. Now let the glue dry for some time.
2. Have the door painted or varnished
When the glue is dry, you can varnish the door as per your choice. This step is performed before installing the screen otherwise the task will become much complicated as the paint can damage the screen. Let the paint of the door dry for some time before installing the screen.
3. Install the screen material
You can staple the screen on the face of the door, but it will be better if you recess the screen with the help of screen molding thickness. You have to glue and nail cleats of size 3/4 x 3/4 inch cleats into the 5/4 frame of the door. Now you can install the screen onto the door and this arrangement will surely look much elegant than the stapled screen. Make sure that the screen is tightly attached.
4. Attach the door at the required place
Now that you are done with your door. All what is left is the fitting of it at its place. You can attach the screen door to the door jamb with the help of 3 spring hinges of the face mount. Finally screw a handle on each side of the door and install a lock from the inside. Your screen door is fully functional now.
FAQ’s:
Can you suggest type of durable wood for my screen door?
There are different varieties of woods to choose to build screen doors. Some of the most popular types employed for this purpose are pine wood, poplar, mahogany, oak etc. The doors made from these woods are durable and perfectly suited for exterior purposes. But before selecting any particular type, also consult an expert who can suggest you the type of wood that will be best suited for different weather conditions.
Quick tips:
- If you want to prevent the door from making noises when it is closed or opened then make use of rubber stoppers on the bottom of screen door.
- Galvanized hinges and brass pins can prevent your screen door from squeaking.
Things to watch out for:
- Try to carry out this on a dry day.
- Keep the tools away from the reach of children as they can hurt them.
