24/7 Emergency Glass Repair
Broken window, smashed door or a break-in. Board-up and make-safe any hour, glass replacement to follow.
Learn more →What a screen has to do
Keep insects out, let air through, and last in the sun. In Melbourne the third one does most of the killing — UV degrades cheap mesh and the plastic corners of budget frames, and a screen that faces north or west is in direct sun for years. Extruded aluminium frames with PVC-coated mesh are the standard answer because they cope with that.
The other job people forget is sealing. A screen with a 5mm gap down one side is decoration. Most mosquitoes and midges getting into a house with screens are coming through a gap at a corner, a lifted bottom rail or a door that no longer closes square.
The types
Fixed window screens. Sit in the window reveal, held with clips or spring-loaded pins. The simplest and cheapest, and the right answer for most awning, double-hung and sliding windows.
Sliding screen doors. Run on a track alongside a sliding glass door. Rollers and tracks are the wearing parts, and a screen door that drags is nearly always a roller problem rather than a frame problem.
Hinged screen doors. On a hinged entry or back door, with a closer. Straightforward, and the closer needs the occasional adjustment.
Pleated screens. Mesh folded like a concertina that stacks into a narrow side channel, with no spring cassette to fail. They suit wide openings — bi-folds, stackers, servery windows — where a conventional sliding screen would be unwieldy. Keep the bottom track clean and they run smoothly for years.
Retractable roller screens. Mesh rolls into a cassette. Neat and out of sight when not in use, with a spring mechanism as the part that eventually wears.
Rescreening, and when to stop
Rescreening an intact aluminium frame is the cheapest job in glazing. New mesh is rolled into the spline channel and the frame goes back in. It is worth doing on any frame that is still square.
Replace when the frame is bent, when the corner stakes have loosened so the frame flexes, when a sliding screen's track is chewed, or when the unit was a plastic-cornered budget screen that has gone brittle in the sun. Trying to rescreen a frame that has lost its shape produces a screen that will not sit in the reveal and never seals.
With the rest of the opening
Screens are usually ordered alongside other work on the same opening, either glazed doors or window repairs, and measuring them at the same visit avoids a second call-out. Worth noting that screens and the glass behind them are independent: a broken pane is an emergency job, a torn screen is not.
More services
Explore our other services
Window Repair and Replacement
Reglazing timber and aluminium windows, plus custom awning, double-hung, sliding and louvre units.
Learn more →Shopfront Glass
Laminated shopfront panels, entry doors and after-hours board-ups so the shop still opens in the morning.
Learn more →Shower Screens
Framed, semi-frameless and frameless screens in toughened safety glass, made to the opening you actually have.
Learn more →Glass Splashbacks
Toughened 6mm splashbacks for kitchens, laundries and bathrooms, colour-matched and templated on site.
Learn more →Double Glazing
Insulated glass units for Melbourne's cold snaps and hot northerlies. Retrofit or full window replacement.
Learn more →Mirrors
Cut-to-size bathroom, wardrobe, gym and studio mirrors with polished or bevelled edges.
Learn more →Glass Balustrades
Frameless and semi-framed balustrades for stairs, balconies and decks, built to the fall height rules.
Learn more →Glass Roofs and Skylights
Overhead glazing, awnings and skylights in laminated glass, because overhead glass has its own rules.
Learn more →Pool Fencing
Frameless and semi-frameless glass pool fences built to the Victorian barrier rules.
Learn more →Glass Doors
Hinged, sliding, stacker and bi-fold glazed doors, plus reglazing the door you already have.
Learn more →Smart Glass
Switchable privacy glass that goes from clear to opaque, for partitions, consult rooms and bathrooms.
Learn more →Table Tops and Furniture Glass
Cut-to-size table tops, shelving and cabinet glass with polished, bevelled or pencil edges.
Learn more →Scratch and Graffiti Removal
Polishing scratched and acid-tagged glass instead of replacing it, where the glass can take it.
Learn more →
FAQs
Frequently asked questions
Can my existing screen be rescreened instead of replaced?
Usually, and it costs a fraction of a new unit. If the aluminium frame is straight and the corner stakes are tight, the old mesh is rolled out of the spline channel and new mesh rolled in. Replacement makes sense when the frame is bent, the corners have opened up, or the rollers and track on a sliding screen door are past saving.
What mesh should I choose?
Standard fibreglass mesh coated in PVC is the default and is fine for most windows. Aluminium mesh is stiffer and holds shape better in large openings. Pet mesh is a heavier weave that resists a dog pushing at it. Fine weave mesh keeps out midges and sandflies but reduces airflow and visibility noticeably, so match it to the actual problem.
Are fly screens the same as security screens?
No, and it matters. A fly screen keeps insects out and offers effectively no resistance to a person. A security screen is a different product with a structural frame, stainless or steel mesh and tested fixings, and it is certified against forced entry. If security is the requirement, a fly screen is not a partial answer to it.
Do pleated screens suit wide openings?
That is where they earn their keep. A pleated screen stacks like an accordion into a slim side channel with no spring cassette, so it can span a wide bi-fold or stacker opening and retract almost out of sight. The trade-off is a bottom track that must stay clean, because grit in the track is what makes a pleated screen stiff.
Free, no-obligation