Makeshift window screens for non-standard sized windows

April 29, 2024 6:52 AM

Up next on This Old House… My current residence has triple track non-standard size windows, and is in need of an interim screen solution before custom screens can be procured.

What are some options? DIY replacing the window screen mesh isn’t the answer, because the screens in question are missing entirely or the wrong size. I am aware that “triple track” windows complicate a lot of window based advice. Do those adjustable width screens work in “triple track” windows? Otherwise I’m looking for a solution that will last anywhere between say a month (until the window AC unit goes in) and potentially all summer.

posted by oceano to Home & Garden (9 answers total)

Adjustable width screens work best when the width thickness of the side of the frame can fit neatly into a window track so they stay in place and can't be pushed out or blown in.

If you buy an adjustable screen and it doesn't slot into the track, you can always glue a strip of wood to each side of the screen's frame which does.
posted by RonButNotStupid at 6:58 AM on April 29 [2 favorites]

I've used those adjustable screens a lot in old houses where window openings weren't always perfectly plumb and/or square and found painter's tape worked fine to seal gaps.
posted by mareli at 7:38 AM on April 29 [5 favorites]

I live in the UK, where window screens aren't a thing, and my very hacky solution is to Velcro-tape net curtain material to the window frame (on the room side). I can peel up the netting to open the window, then stick it back down.

It's not perfect, the aesthetics leave something to be desired, and if the paint on the frame is fragile then the force of opening the Velcro can pull it off completely (which means you have to redo the job) - but it might be good enough as a stopgap.
posted by ManyLeggedCreature at 7:39 AM on April 29 [1 favorite]

The adjustable-width screens fit underneath the raised inner sash, and expand into the track that the sash runs in. They don’t interact with triple-tracks at all.
posted by jon1270 at 8:32 AM on April 29

Adjustable screens are cheap; try one. A lot of doors don't have screen door options these days, and the mesh screens with magnets work well. I have some non-standard windows, and may trim the magnetic mesh screens to fit, because projects suck all my time, and they may be an interim solution. It's an unusually warm day in Maine, the doors are open, the tiny bugs are happy to visit. I've used these screens on the deck door every year, in my experience, they are all the same, no discernible difference in quality, so buy the cheap set. They last several years, unless you have a rambunctious dog or very klutzy family; I have both.
posted by theora55 at 12:44 PM on April 29 [1 favorite]

For a very cheap solution, you can buy rolls or sheets of mosquito netting for very cheap, cut it to the size you need, and secure with tape or Velcro/magnet strips. Depending on how many windows you have, their shapes and sizes, this would probably be your cheapest solution, though the PITA Factor can be pretty high if you often open and close the windows.

I can't screen in my front porch because of the accessibility ramps my wife needs (also I didn't have the money just lying around), so I made myself a screen room on the porch with mosquito netting, for less than 25 dollars. Even though one side is unsecured on the bottom, and my "doorway" is just a flap on that side that I pull aside to enter, no bugs on me, even at night with the light on. In Florida.
posted by Vigilant at 3:21 PM on April 29 [1 favorite]

You might find that something like FlexScreen gives you a bit more leeway on sizing/spacing. But the cost is not conducive to a temporary solution.
posted by hydra77 at 6:17 AM on April 30 [1 favorite]

My local hardware store custom-makes window screens: they will do so for whatever dimensions you bring in, the turnaround is quick (a few days), and the pricing is surprisingly reasonable. (This is an Agway/Ace Hardware, formerly an Agway/True Value.)

For the amount of time you mention, I'd probably just make do with adjustable screens or some other diy solution like those that folks are describing here. But if you'd prefer a more elegant solution that fits snugly into the frame, I recommend checking with your local hardware store.
posted by marlys at 9:57 AM on April 30 [1 favorite]

Color matters for DIY screens. Use black net so that you can see through without changing the colors of vegetation.
If the bugs are horrible, they do not like permethrin. Do some research on the product first, but it is an alternative to DEET.
posted by TrishaU at 5:09 PM on April 30