Screen glossary

A

Arched window screen

A screen built to follow a curved or half-round window top. Arched and other shaped windows are measured individually and the frame is formed to the curve. Learn more →

Awning

A roof-like cover over a window, door or patio that shades it from high sun. The U.S. Department of Energy notes awnings cut solar heat gain on windows, but low late-day sun can still reach under the edge. Learn more →

B

Bottom track

The rail at the bottom of a patio door opening that a sliding screen door rolls along. Dirt, pet hair and small dents in the bottom track are the most common reasons a screen door drags. Learn more →

C

Casement window

A window that cranks outward from the side. Because the sash opens outward, its insect screen mounts on the inside of the window. Learn more →

Cooling degree days

A measure of how much cooling a climate calls for, counted as the degrees each day's average temperature sits above 65 Fahrenheit. NOAA's 1991-2020 normals put Reno-Tahoe International Airport at about 1,038 cooling degree days a year. Learn more →

Corner keys

Small L-shaped connectors, usually plastic or metal, that slide into the ends of the frame stock to join a screen frame at each corner. Cracked corner keys let a frame twist out of square. Learn more →

Custom screen

A screen built to the measured size of a specific window or door opening rather than picked from stock sizes. Custom sizing matters because two openings that look alike can differ by a fraction of an inch. Learn more →

D

Double-hung window

A window with two sashes that both slide up and down. Its screen usually mounts on the outside and may cover half or all of the window. Learn more →

E

Exterior shading

Any shade placed outside the glass, such as solar screens, awnings or exterior shades. The Department of Energy describes exterior shades as most effective at reducing solar heat gain, because the heat is stopped before it passes through the window. Learn more →

F

Fading

The slow loss of color in carpet, drapery, furniture and wood floors exposed to sunlight, driven largely by UV and visible light. Blocking sun at the window slows fading but does not stop it entirely. Learn more →

Fiberglass mesh

The most common insect screen material, a woven fiberglass yarn with a vinyl coating. It is flexible, does not dent and is easy to see through, which makes it the standard choice for most windows. Learn more →

Frame stock

The long lengths of roll-formed metal channel that screen frames are cut from. Frame stock comes in several widths and profiles, and the channel along one face holds the spline and mesh. Learn more →

G

Glare

Uncomfortable brightness from direct sun or bright reflections, often on TVs, monitors and shiny counters. Solar screens and other exterior shading reduce glare by cutting the light before it enters the room. Learn more →

I

Insect screen

A mesh panel in a frame that lets air through an open window or door while keeping insects out. It is not made to bear weight and will not keep a child or pet from falling. Learn more →

Insulated glass unit (IGU)

Two or more panes of glass sealed together with a gap between them, found in most modern windows. The Department of Energy notes that heat-absorbing films can damage IGU seals and that many window makers void warranties when film is applied. Learn more →

K

Keeper

The small catch on the door frame that a screen door latch hooks into. When the latch and keeper do not line up, the door will not stay closed. Learn more →

L

Low-E coating

A microscopically thin, nearly invisible metal or metal-oxide layer on window glass that reduces heat flow through the window. Low-E glass and solar screens do different jobs and can be used together. Learn more →

M

Mesh

The woven fabric stretched across a screen frame. For window and door screens it is standard fiberglass insect mesh or pet-resistant polyester mesh, and the choice changes strength, view and airflow. Solar screen fabric is a separate product. Learn more →

Mesh count

The number of strands per inch in each direction of a screen weave. Standard insect screen is 18 by 16. Learn more →

O

On-site measure

A visit where each window or door opening is measured in place before anything is built. A-Affordable Screen measures on site and brings samples, then gives a free quote. Learn more →

Openness factor

The share of a shade fabric that is open space between the strands, usually given as a percentage. Greater openness means more view and light but less protection from glare and solar heat gain. Learn more →

P

Pet screen

A heavier, vinyl-coated polyester mesh made to resist tearing from claws and paws. It is tougher than standard mesh but not indestructible, and it is slightly less see-through. Learn more →

Pile weatherstrip

A fuzzy strip along the edges of a sliding screen door that brushes against the frame. It closes the small gaps where insects would otherwise slip past a closed door. Learn more →

Pull tabs

Small fabric or plastic tabs fixed into the spline at the edge of a window screen. You pull them to lift the screen out of its opening. Learn more →

PVC-coated polyester

Polyester yarn coated in vinyl (PVC) and then woven, the construction used in most solar screen fabrics and many pet screens. The coating protects the yarn from sun and weather and sets the fabric's color. Learn more →

R

Rescreening

Removing the torn mesh from a sound frame and rolling new mesh into the groove, held in with new spline or the same spline reused if it is still good. It keeps the frame and hardware and is usually the lower-cost option when the frame is still straight. Learn more →

Retainer clips

Small clips or turn buttons fastened around a window opening to hold a screen in place. Missing clips are a common reason screens rattle and blow out in wind. Learn more →

Roller adjustment screw

A small screw near each corner of a sliding screen door that raises or lowers that roller on doors built with one. Learn more →

Rollers

The small wheels at the top and bottom of a sliding screen door that let it roll along the track. Learn more →

S

Sash

The movable or fixed frame that holds the glass within a window. Which way the sash moves decides whether the screen mounts inside or outside. Learn more →

Screen door latch

The catch on a sliding screen door that holds it closed against the keeper. Learn more →

Screen frame

The rectangular metal frame that holds a screen's mesh. A straight frame with tight corners can be rescreened; a bent or cracked one usually needs replacing. Learn more →

Security screen

A screen door or window screen with a reinforced frame and heavy mesh made to resist forced entry. It is a separate product line from insect and solar screens.

Shade fabric

An open-weave fabric used to block sun while letting air pass, as in solar screens and patio sun-shade walls. Tighter weaves block more sun; more open weaves keep more view and airflow. Learn more →

Sliding screen door

A screen door that rolls sideways on rollers in the track of a sliding patio door. It lets the patio door stay open for air while keeping insects out. Learn more →

Solar heat gain

Heat from sunlight that passes through a window and warms the room. Stopping sunlight outside the glass, with exterior shading, is the most direct way to reduce it. Learn more →

Solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC)

A rating between 0 and 1 for how much of the sun's heat a window or film lets through; the lower the number, the less heat gets in. The National Fenestration Rating Council publishes SHGC on window and film labels. Learn more →

Solar screen

A tightly woven shade fabric in a frame, usually mounted outside a window, that blocks a large share of sunlight before it reaches the glass. The Department of Energy lists reduced heat gain, UV damage and glare as its benefits. Learn more →

Solar screen fabric

The dense, usually vinyl-coated polyester weave used in solar screens. It is sold by openness or by a percentage, such as 80 or 90 percent, that describes roughly how much sun it is designed to block. Learn more →

Spline

A rubber cord pressed into the channel around a screen frame to lock the mesh in place. Spline comes in different diameters to match the channel and can harden with age and sun. Learn more →

Spline roller

A hand tool with a grooved wheel used to press mesh and spline into the frame channel. Most have a convex wheel for pushing in the mesh and a concave wheel for seating the spline. Learn more →

Standard sliding door height (80 inches)

The most common height for sliding patio doors and their screen doors, about 6 feet 8 inches. A custom 80-inch screen door is built to the exact height of your tracks. Learn more →

Sun-shade screen wall

A panel of shade fabric that closes in the open side of a patio cover or carport to block low afternoon sun. It shades the space while still letting air move through. Learn more →

T

Tall sliding door height (96 inches)

A taller patio door size of about 8 feet, common in newer homes. Stock screen doors often do not come in this height, so the screen door is usually custom built. Learn more →

Tension springs

Small flat springs set into one edge of a window screen frame. You press the screen against the springs to fit it into the opening, and they hold it snugly once in place. Learn more →

Top track

The upper rail of a sliding patio door opening that guides a screen door's top rollers. If the top rollers sit too loose in it, wind can lift the door out. Learn more →

Track

The pair of rails, top and bottom, that a sliding screen door rides in. Learn more →

U

UV (ultraviolet radiation)

The invisible part of sunlight that burns skin and bleaches fabrics and floors. The EPA notes UV rises about 2 percent for every 1,000 feet of elevation, so the Reno-Sparks valley gets more than a sea-level city. Learn more →

UV Index

The EPA and National Weather Service scale for the strength of the sun's UV on a given day, from low to extreme. It peaks around midday and in the spring and summer months. Learn more →

V

Visible transmittance

The share of visible light that passes through a window, film or fabric, given as a number between 0 and 1. Higher numbers mean a brighter room and clearer view. Learn more →

W

Washoe Zephyr

The local name for the westerly afternoon wind that picks up in the Reno-Sparks area, strongest from spring through summer. NOAA's hourly normals for the airport show summer afternoon winds near 13 miles per hour, mostly from the west. Learn more →

Window film

A thin polyester film applied directly to the glass to cut heat, glare or UV; tinted films are often called window tint. Unlike a solar screen it is permanent until removed, and heat-absorbing films can stress insulated glass. Learn more →