Window screens
Rescreen or replace a window screen?
If the frame is straight, square and has solid corners, rescreening (new mesh rolled into the old frame) is usually all it needs. If the frame is bent, bowed, cracked at a corner, corroded or missing, a new frame with new mesh is the better fix, because fresh mesh cannot fix a frame that no longer fits.
Updated · A-Affordable Screen, Sparks
Two different repairs
Rescreening means removing the torn mesh and rolling new mesh into the groove of the frame you already have, held in with new spline, or with the same spline reused if it is still good. The frame and corners stay; worn springs or tabs can be swapped at the same time. It is the most common screen repair and the cheapest way to get a clean, tight screen back in the window. Our screen repair and rescreening service is built around it.
Replacing means building a new frame to the measured opening and screening it. You get new corners, new mesh and, where needed, new springs or pull tabs. HomeGuide's cost guide makes the same split: rescreening costs less, but when a frame is worn, faded or dented, doing the frame and mesh together is the better option. A new frame is what we mean by a custom window screen: built to the measured opening, not picked off a shelf.
Rescreen or replace at a glance
| Situation | Rescreen (new mesh, old frame) | Replace (new frame and mesh) |
|---|---|---|
| Torn or punctured mesh, frame straight | Yes, the usual fix | Not needed |
| Mesh faded, brittle, loose or shiny with age | Yes | Only if the frame is also tired |
| Frame bowed in the middle | Sometimes, if the bow is slight and eases out with correct tension | Yes, if the bow is kinked or the screen falls out of the channel |
| Cracked or separated corner | Only if a new corner key fixes it and the frame is sound | Yes, if the frame metal itself is cracked |
| White, powdery corrosion on the frame | No | Yes |
| Screen missing, or never fit the window | No | Yes, built to the measured opening |
| Switching to heavier pet mesh | Yes, on a sturdy frame | Yes, on a thin or tired frame |
| Worn springs, tabs or pull rings only | Yes, parts replaced at the same time | Not needed |
| Sliding screen door racked out of square | No, it will keep jumping the track | Yes, a new custom door |
General guidance. On a free on-site measure we check each screen and list the choice per screen.
A two-minute frame check
You can sort most screens yourself before anyone comes out. Take the screen out of the window and work through these checks on a flat floor or table.
- Lay it flat. Press on each corner in turn. A good frame lies flat without rocking. A rock usually means a twist that new mesh will not fix.
- Compare the diagonals. Measure corner to opposite corner both ways. If the two numbers are within about 1/8 inch, the frame is still square. Our measuring guide shows how to take them.
- Look at the corners. All four corner keys should be whole and tight, with no gap where the frame pieces meet.
- Run a finger along the groove. The spline groove should be open on every side, not crushed, split or packed with old broken spline.
- Sight down each side. Hold the frame at eye level and look along each long side. A gentle bow inward is common; a sharp kink is not repairable.
- Test the fit. Put it back in the window. It should seat in the channel, the springs or tabs should work, and there should be no daylight gap.
Signs it is time for a new screen
- The frame bows in the middle, often from mesh rolled in too tight during an earlier rescreen.
- A corner is cracked or has pulled apart. Corners take the stress of every install, so a broken one rarely holds for long.
- The frame is kinked from a ladder, a fall, or being forced into the channel.
- There is white, powdery corrosion along the frame. RiteScreen's measuring guide lists corrosion as a sign the frame, not only the mesh, has reached the end of its life.
- The screen is missing, or it came from another window and never fit.
- The paint or finish is so faded it no longer matches the other screens on the house.
How long screens usually last
RiteScreen, a large screen maker, puts the average window screen lifespan at about 15 years, and says it varies with weather, whether screens come off in winter, cleaning and damage. The same guide flags mesh that has gone loose or shiny as a sign of age.
Around Reno-Sparks, screens sit in strong high-desert sun, dry air and regular afternoon wind. South and west sides of a house tend to show wear first, so it is normal to find a few screens that need new frames and many that only need new mesh.
What Reno-Sparks weather does to frames and mesh
Three local conditions wear screens faster than the national average suggests. The first is sun. At about 4,400 feet, the valley floor gets roughly 9% more UV than sea level by the EPA's rule of thumb that UV rises about 2% for every 1,000 feet of elevation. UV is what turns fiberglass mesh brittle and fades frame paint, which is why the sunny sides go first. Our Reno sun data page has the numbers.
The second is wind. NOAA's 1991-2020 normals for Reno-Tahoe International show afternoon winds averaging about 13 mph from April through July, mostly from the west, and the airport logged about 45 days a year with a gust of 40 mph or more between 2016 and 2025. A screen that sits loose in its channel rattles all afternoon, and a loose one can blow out. The Washoe Zephyr guide covers wind in detail.
The third is cold. The same normals count about 122 nights a year at or below freezing. Plastic corner keys and old spline can go hard over many winters, and that is often when a corner that was fine in October splits in March.
Older homes and newer homes
The age of the house is a fair predictor of which way the choice goes. Census figures (ACS 2020-2024) put the median home in central Sparks ZIP 89431 at 1973, with about 69% built before 1980. Screens on houses of that age have often been swapped, bent or lost over the years, so replacing frames is common there.
Newer areas look different. The median home in Spanish Springs was built in 2002, and in South Reno ZIP 89521 it is 2007, with about 76% of homes built since 2000. Frames on those houses are usually still straight, so most need only new mesh. The exception is the thin roll-formed frames that came with many builder-grade windows, covered below.
A rescreen is a chance to change the mesh
Because the old mesh is coming out anyway, rescreening is the easy moment to switch materials. A screen that a cat keeps shredding can take heavier pet-resistant mesh, and a sunny window can take solar screens as a separate product. Our screen mesh guide compares the options, and the pet-proof screens guide goes deeper on claws and paws.
Heavier meshes put more pull on a frame, so a thin or tired frame that would carry standard fiberglass may need replacing before it can carry pet mesh.
Sliding screen doors follow the same rule
A sliding screen door with a straight frame and good corners can be rescreened with new mesh in the frame it has. A door frame that is racked out of square, bent at the bottom rail or cracked at a corner will keep jumping the track no matter how good the new mesh is. At that point a new custom door is usually the better value. If yours sticks rather than tears, start with our guide to a sliding screen door that will not slide.
Hardware can be renewed either way
A worn spring, a torn pull tab or a cracked plastic corner key is not a reason on its own to throw away a frame. Those small parts can usually be renewed while the screen is being rescreened, as long as the frame they attach to is straight.
Screens that came with vinyl replacement windows are often built on thin roll-formed frames. They rescreen fine with standard fiberglass, but if you want heavier mesh or the frames have started to bend, a new, sturdier frame may be the better long-term choice.
When only the mesh has aged
Sometimes the frame is perfect and the mesh has simply worn out: faded, brittle, loose in the middle or pulling away from the frame along one side. That is a straightforward rescreen. So is a single tear in an otherwise good screen, unless you would rather patch it; patches work on small holes but tend to show.
If you are handy and only have one or two, a standard fiberglass rescreen is a fair weekend job. Our DIY vs pro rescreening guide walks through where it goes wrong.
Moving out, selling or managing rentals
Torn and missing screens are a common item on move-out and pre-sale lists. For a sale, a full set of matching, tight screens is a small detail buyers notice; our selling your home page covers the usual list. For rentals, rescreening the damaged ones and replacing only the frames that fail the check keeps the cost sensible across a unit; see landlords and property managers.
Whatever the reason, the free on-site measure lists each screen and door on the quote as a rescreen or a new frame, so you decide screen by screen. Several windows at once may qualify for the multi-window discount on our discounts page.
Questions
Straight answers
Is rescreening cheaper than a new screen?
Usually, because the frame, corners and hardware are reused. A new frame costs more, but it is the right call when the old frame is bent, cracked or corroded.
Can a bowed screen frame be straightened?
A slight bow can sometimes be eased out when the mesh is replaced at the right tension. A frame that is kinked or badly bowed does not stay straight and should be replaced.
Can I rescreen a frame with a broken corner?
Only if the corner key can be replaced and the frame pieces are sound. If the frame itself is cracked at the corner, a new frame is the reliable fix.
Do you replace just the screens I choose?
Yes. The quote lists each screen, so you can rescreen some and replace others.
How do I know the mesh itself is worn out?
Mesh that has gone loose, shiny, brittle or faded is near the end of its life, even without a hole. RiteScreen lists loose or shiny mesh as a sign a screen is due.
Will a new frame match my other screens?
Ask about frame colors at the free measure so a new frame can be matched to what is on the house. If most frames are faded, it can make sense to replace a whole side so the color stays even.
Can solar screen frames be rescreened too?
Yes. A sound solar screen frame can take new solar fabric the same way an insect screen takes new mesh.
Related
Keep reading
Sources: HomeGuide: window screen replacement cost (viewed Sept. 30, 2026) (opens in a new tab) · RiteScreen: How to Measure Windows for Screen Replacement (white paper, PDF) (opens in a new tab) · Phifer: how to replace a window, door or patio screen (opens in a new tab) · NOAA NCEI: U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Reno-Tahoe International Airport) (opens in a new tab)
Since 1997 · Sparks, Nevada
Ready for a free quote?
Call or text us. Or leave your details and we call or text you back.
Monday-Friday 8:00 am-4:00 pm
We come to you anywhere in the Reno-Sparks area to measure and quote, at no charge.
