Screen mesh types: standard insect mesh vs pet mesh

How to read a mesh spec

Screen makers describe mesh in a few numbers. The mesh count is how many strands run each way per inch; a common window screen weave is 18 by 16. Openness factor is the share of the surface that is open air: the higher it is, the better the view and airflow. Heavier meshes also list weight per square yard and thickness, which is a fair guide to how much abuse they take.

The brand names below are examples so we can cite published specifications. They are not a statement of which product goes on your job; ask what material your quote includes.

Standard fiberglass

Most window screens in Reno-Sparks homes are fiberglass mesh. Phifer describes its standard product as screen woven from glass yarn and coated with a protective vinyl, resistant to rust, corrosion and staining, and says it passed 1,200 hours of accelerated weathering testing. It comes in charcoal and silver gray. Charcoal is the usual pick because it is easier to see through from inside.

Fiberglass does not dent or crease the way metal does and is forgiving to install. Its weakness is puncture and claw resistance: a dog's paw or a cat that climbs will tear it. It is what goes into most new custom window screens unless you ask for something else.

Solar screens are a separate product

Solar screens, such as 80% and 90% fabrics, are heavier sun-control fabrics mounted over the outside of the window to stop heat before it reaches the glass. See our solar screens page, and the guides on the 80% vs 90% comparison and whether solar screens are worth it in the high desert.

The practical difference is use. A window or door insect screen keeps bugs out and lets air through. A solar screen is for a west or south window that stays shut through a hot afternoon, when shade matters more than airflow.

Charcoal or silver gray

Standard fiberglass comes in two colors. Charcoal and black read as darker from outside but are easier to see through from inside, because they reflect less light back at you. Silver gray looks lighter from the street but can look hazier from indoors, especially on a sunny side. Most homes choose charcoal and keep one color throughout so the house looks even.

Either color looks different in a store than on your window, especially on a sunny wall. At the free on-site measure anywhere from Spanish Springs to South Reno, we bring samples so you can hold them up to the actual window and look out through them before you decide.

Matching mesh to each opening

Walk the house and think about each opening, not the house as a whole. These are the choices that come up most often around Reno-Sparks.

1. Patio slider. The most-used screen in the house and the one pets push on. Pet mesh if there is a dog or cat; standard fiberglass otherwise.
2. Low windows in rooms where pets sit. Pet mesh on the lower windows, standard mesh above.
3. Bedroom windows you open at night. Standard charcoal fiberglass for the most air.
4. West and south windows. Standard mesh keeps bugs out while you ventilate. If a window stays shut through hot afternoons, ask about solar screens, a separate product.
5. Front windows facing the street. Match what the neighbors on your side of the house see, usually charcoal, so the house looks even.