For over 200 years, people have been using outdoor screening for porches, doors, and windows for one single purpose: to keep the bugs out! With the passage of time, many innovative ideas came along which transformed the way people installed the screening.
Today’s products for outdoor screening offer more than just protection from unwanted insects and bugs. Decorative screens today are available in all sorts of sizes. These screens provide numerous benefits. For example, not only do they increase your privacy but the screens also skilfully hide unattractive elements in the home.
Continue reading to learn how to effectively choose and install the best outdoor screen for your patio.
First, begin by selecting a design for your outdoor patio cover. There are hundreds of outdoor patio screens on the market to pick, and, when it comes to style and designs, you have an incredible range of variety.
Here are some of the most commonly used designs for outdoor patio covers:
- Fiberglass: This is an inexpensive screening and it offers amazing visibility owing to lack of sunlight glare. Fiberglass is also the most popular type of outdoor screen for porches. Unlike metal screening, fiberglass doesn’t crease. Its flexible nature makes it the easiest to work with. Fiberglass screening is available in charcoal, black, and silver gray color design. Of these, black produces the least glare.
- Premium Metals: This screen is available for many upscale jobs and can be obtained in a range of color ranges. For instance, it comes in bronze, stainless steel, Monel, and copper. All these types are equally strong, durable, and desirable. People tend to use these premium metals because they offer more elegance appeal than standard screening.
- Aluminum: This is considered as one of the finest standards of outdoor screens and is three times more expensive than fiberglass. Though aluminum offers excellent visibility yet it has a strong blare effect. This screening is harder than fiberglass to install and is prone to creasing but aluminum is far more durable and stronger than fiberglass. Aluminum screen is available in gray, black, and charcoal colors. Out of these, black aluminum offers the best visibility.
- Sun Control Screens: These are the ideal screening option for porches and sunrooms that tend to overheat during the summer. The sun-blocking screen comes in a range of styles. The concept behind these screens is not only to keep bugs away but also to prevent the porch from getting overheated by blocking glare from the sun. The benefit of a sun-control screen is that it lets light pass while maintaining the good exterior looks.
- Pet-Resistant Screening: It is only natural for this type of screening to be several times stronger than a standard mesh. For this reason, it is believed to be a perfect outdoor patio cover screen for owners of pets. Remember that it is more expensive and offers lesser visibility than a standard screen. It is suggested to install it along the lower portion of the wall.
- Prefabricated screen panel: This is essentially an outdoor decorative panel which brings you privacy and sends a strong style statement. These screens come in a large variety of sleek design materials. Weathered steel, power coated aluminum, and hardwood are some of the most popularly installed screen panels.
Aside from the regular window screens, there are certain kinds of windows that are made for special purposes. These screen offer stronger resistance to wear and tear but on the downside, they are not as delicate and graceful as you’d want them to be.
Some of the most commonly employed special screenings are made of bronze, copper, brass and stainless steel. Screening made from copper wire consists of 90 percent of copper and 10 percent of zinc. But this is way more expensive than the aluminum.
- Copper, brass or stainless steel screens: If you want to buy copper, brass or stainless steel, you might want to pay even a higher price. Excepting brass, all of these are usually made from a .010 wire size and the mesh is in 14 x 16 or 16 x 16. Brass, however, is made in a heavier wire.
- Bronze screens: Bronze screening is the least expensive of all. It will only cost you about one dollar per square foot. It is followed by copper and stainless steel in terms of expensiveness which are somewhat closer to $1.20 per square foot. Brass window screen is the most expensive of all. It is $2.15 per square foot! However, when you are ordering from the specialty window screen, you must make a minimum order of $100. Orders less than a hundred dollars are usually not entertained by most businesses.
- Retractable screens: Retractable screens are another kind of special window screens. Loaded with spring, this shade perfectly retracts into the head of the window when required. You can easily slide it down between side-mounted guides. This can be locked from the bottom anytime you want the screen. The retractable screening is made up of vinyl-coated fiberglass, and the hardware is either white colored or champagne colored.
This process will be carried out once you have decided which design you wish to install. At this step, you might want to take measurements. For example, you should calculate the area and the length at which cutting is needed.
Also, note that different types of screens have different cutting requirements. You should ensure on your end that you understand them fully.
According to some people, installing outdoor screens could be a do it yourself (DIY) task. However, you should seek the services of professional installers to help when undertaking a larger, more demanding project. A professional carpenter or contractor has experience and skill at their back and understands perfectly what needs to be done.
And at last, but not least, don’t forget to take into account the overall aesthetic of your outdoor design & decor. You may decide to choose a cover that fits well with the coloring scheme of what’s on the outside.
That’s it! When you do your homework and make all the necessary efforts on your end, it becomes easier for you to choose the most appropriate patio cover style for your outdoor.
