Short answer
A screen that is torn, bent or blown out is a part you replace, and the window stays where it is. Lay the screen flat and look along its edges. A frame that is still flat and square takes new mesh and new spline, and that is the cheapest fix there is. A frame that is bent, twisted or pulled apart at the corners gets rebuilt to the size of the opening, which is still far cheaper than any glass or sash work.
Tell a re-screen from a new frame in five minutes
- Lift the screen out of the opening. Window screens sit in a track or clip in with two spring tabs.
- Lay it flat on the floor or a table. A frame that rocks on a flat surface is twisted.
- Sight down each of the four sides. A bowed or kinked side means the frame is bent.
- Push a corner. Corners that open up have broken plastic corner keys inside.
- Press the mesh with a finger. Mesh that is torn, holed or pulled out of its groove needs replacing whatever the frame is doing.
- Measure the opening, width first, then height. Give the contractor the opening size, not the old screen.
- For a gable vent, look at the louvers from the ground. Cracked, warped or pulled-away vinyl is a vent problem, not a screen problem.
If the frame lies flat and square, you need mesh only. If it rocks, bows or opens at a corner, the frame gets replaced.
Repair or replace
| Situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| Mesh torn, frame flat and square | Re-screen. Same frame, new mesh and spline. |
| Frame bent or twisted, glass and window undamaged | Replace the screen assembly. Build it to the opening, leave the window alone. |
| One corner open, frame otherwise straight | Repair. New corner keys cost a few dollars and the frame goes back together. |
| Screen blown loose behind a gable louver, vinyl uncracked | Repair. New insect screen and new fasteners behind the existing louver. |
| Louver or vent housing cracked, warped or pulled away | Replace the vent. New screen behind a loose louver blows out again. |
| Glass, sash or window frame damaged too | Fix the window first. The screen is the last thing to fit. |
What it costs
Runhome contractor estimates for these jobs, including the trip and assessment.
| Option | Range |
|---|---|
| One window screen, new frame and mesh, ground level | $140 to $360 |
| Two gable vent screens, new mesh and fasteners behind the louvers | $180 to $375 |
Can I do it myself?
Yes for a ground-level window screen. A hardware store or screen shop re-screens a straight frame while you wait, and a new frame kit cuts to size with a hacksaw and rolls in with a spline tool. Budget an hour for your first one. Take the old screen or the opening measurements with you.
Hire for this when the screen is in a gable vent or above the first floor. That work happens on a ladder at roof height, often leaning over a slope, and a fall from there is worse than any screen. A pro also gets into the attic side to check the vent is still sealing.
What a contractor will ask you
Have these ready and you skip the back-and-forth.
- A wide photo of the whole window or the whole gable end, not a close-up of the tear.
- Whether the frame is bent and twisted, or the screen just popped out of the track.
- Ground level or upper floor.
- How many screens are damaged, not just the worst one.
- Rough width and height of each screen.
- Whether the glass and the window frame are undamaged.
- For a gable vent, whether it is a plain screened opening or louvers with screen behind them.
- The age of the house or the vents, and whether the surround is wood, vinyl or metal.
- Whether any vinyl or trim around the vent is cracked, warped or pulled away.
Last reviewed .