What Type of Material is the Best for My Screen Door?

A screen door allows you to enjoy the outdoors while inside your home without inviting unwanted bugs and pests. As its name implies, screen doors are doors with screens.

The frame of a screen door can be made from a variety of materials, the most common of which is a wooden frame.

Screen doors are one of the most practical accessories you can install in your home. Consider these reasons why it is a wise decision to have a screen door in your home.

I. Benefits of Screen Doors

Screen doors not only add beauty and appeal to your home, they also come with many benefits.

• Ventilation

Cool breeze flowing into your home reduces stress while keeping your mind peaceful and fresh. Screen doors allow you to open your home to allow fresh and cool air to enter while keeping you safe inside.

• Keeps Away Insects

Screen doors keeps insects and bugs from entering your home while you enjoy the cool air and the magnificent view of the outdoors.

• Enhanced Security

A locked screen door will ensure the safety of your home while allowing cool and fresh air. When made of aluminum or stainless steel, screen doors can act as protective barriers.

• Enhanced Value and Curb Appeal

Attractive and beautiful screen doors can increase the value and beauty of your home. Screen doors come in various styles, designs, and colors.

I. Types of Screen Doors

A screen door does not only let the cool breeze enter your home while keeping the insects out, it can also add some charm to your home.

• Classic Screen Doors

These are simple hinged screen doors. They slam and bang when opened although dampeners can be installing to prevent them from slamming.

• Retractable Screen Doors

These screen doors allow you have a full view of the outdoors, enjoy the cool breeze while keeping bugs away. When not in use, a spring system pulls and hides screen into the canister and makes it disappear and completely invisible. They are commonly used in front doors.

• Pivoting Screen Doors

These screen doors are mounted on a pivoting hinge.

• Sliding Screen Doors

These screen doors come with sliders (tensile springs or rollers) that open and close on a track. You can add a sliding screen door to your glass sliding door.

III. Best Materials for Screen Door

Different people have different reasons for installing a screen door in their home. Are there many bugs in your area? Do you have a bunch of rowdy kids? Do you want cool air to enter your home? Are the wind and sun rays strong?

• Durability. Do you need a screen door that can withstand the elements?
• Airflow. Enjoying fresh and cool air and having proper ventilation while keeping the bugs away may be your priority.
• Visibility. If enjoying the picturesque view of your outdoor surroundings is what you want, screen doors can give you a crystal-clear view without the bugs and insects entering your home.
• Insect Protection. Having screen doors is like having an open door without allowing insects and bugs from enjoying your home.

These factors, along with the desire to bring down your energy bills and enhance the aesthetics of your home impact the tyle of screen door you choose.

A standard screen door may have an 18×16 mesh size. This means, it has 18 strands per inch in either horizontal or vertical directions and 16 strands per inch in the reverse direction. This mesh size is ideal for your porch or patio.

An 18 x 14 mesh size is a wire with a larger diameter. It is stronger and has larger openings. A 20×20 mess size is the best choice if you want to keep tiny insects and bugs out of your home.

1. Wood

Wood screen doors are available in many styles. There are also a wide range of wood species you can choose from. The type of wood depends on the style of your door. Some of the most common wood species for screen doors include:

• Fir can be stained or painted and are ideal for standard screen doors.
• Oak is durable and heavy and can be easily stained.
• Poplar comes with a yellowish-brown or sometimes olive-green color. It is lightweight and can be stained or painted.
• Mahogany is an exotic wood specie. It is the best material for wood screen doors

Wood screen doors are easy to install. You can also opt for custom wood screen doors. They are strong and durable. The screen inserts in wood screen doors allow fresh air to enter your home while keeping unwanted insects and bugs away.

2. Glass

Glass screen doors offers a heavy mesh topped with a plastic laminate. You can use this type of screen door as a patio enclosure or in the bottom portion of your pool. It can provide privacy and keep out grass clippings.

3. Aluminum

Aluminum is sag-proof, rust-proof, and an easy to clean material. This makes aluminum one of the best materials for screen door mesh.

Door screens with aluminum wire screens are durable and strong. The protective finish strengthens the weave and prevents corrosion. Aluminum screens reduce the glare that enter your home to provide better visibility. It can also withstand UV rays over time. It is resistant to high temperatures and corrosion-resistant.

Aluminum screen doors are ideal for ideal for high-traffic spaces in your home. If your screen door will be prone to high winds, aluminum is the best material. The strong weave of aluminum allows it to withstand creases and dents from outdoor elements.

Aluminum door screen mesh is usually available in black, charcoal, and silver. Silver aluminum screen door mesh, however, can produce glare. Black and charcoal, on the other hand, are almost invisible from inside your home.

Aluminum screen door mesh is more expensive than other materials. An aluminum sliding screen door is one of the most common application of this material.

4. Metal

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Bronze or copper screen doors are salty air-resistant. They are not prone to oxidation like aluminum screen doors. This makes them ideal to install in high-humidity inland and coastal areas.

The bright colors of bronze and copper are similar to a dark-bronze finish and can, therefore, blend well with other architectural elements of your home.

Screen materials that are 90% copper cand 10% zinc can be expensive as compared to aluminum. They are, however, more unique and durable. Bronze is less expensive, and so is copper.

Bronze screens can preserve and highlight the grandeur of a historic home. Over time, your bronze screen door mesh will turn into a deep burnished finish.

Copper-bronze door screens offer many similar benefits as aluminum screens. Both materials are durable and long-lasting. Copper-bronze will also nit rust, thus it can be expensive as compared to other screen door mesh materials. Copper-bronze is ideal if your home is exposed to extreme weather conditions.

When new, copper screen door mesh comes with a bright golden shine. Bronze and copper, however, will tarnish over time and will have a verdigris patina.

If you are opting for a copper or bronze screen door, avoid using aluminum screen door frames. Aluminum frames can corrode with copper or bronze.

5. Steel

Stainless steel screen door mesh provides a clearer and better view of your outdoor surroundings. It provides excellent airflow and superb outdoor visibility. It is rust-proof, too when treated with non-rusting products. Stainless steel screen door mesh has, for decades, been the best material in keeping insects and bugs away from homes.

Stainless steel is the strongest material for screen door mesh that will remain silver and shiny over time. It also allows you an unobstructive view while keep you safe inside your home.

The superior durability and strength of stainless-steel mesh combines with the right locking system makes it the best screen door when safety if your top priority.

Stainless steel screen doors can provide maximum ventilation. It is an excellent choice for high-traffic areas in your home. Its durability, ability to offer maximum airflow, and providing a clear view of the outdoors makes it one of the best screen door mesh material.

6. Vinyl

Clear vinyl screen door mesh allows you to control the temperature in your porch or patio. In hotter climates, vinyl screen mesh can trap cooled air in your outdoor space, in cooler climates, it can keep your living space warm.

This makes vinyl an energy-efficient screen door material. Since it is able to retain the temperature inside a room in hot and cold climates, it reduces the time needed to run your heating or air conditioning systems.

When used with a retractable screen door, the vinyl material can improve the comfort of your indoor living space while giving you an unobstructive view of the outdoors. When used in your porch or patio, it can protect these outdoor spaces from snow or rain.

Clear vinyl screen doors are tough and heavy-duty; thus, it will not get damaged even when pets constantly shred your screen door.

Vinyl screen doors can keep you, your family, and house guests comfortable at all times whether inside your home, the porch, or patio. Vinyl screen doors are also easy to clean allowing you a clear view of the outdoors at all times.

7. Fiberglass

Fiberglass is an affordable screen door mesh material. it can keep your home cooler at all times. It is an inexpensive material, too. The only downside of fiberglass is, it can fade over time.

Aluminum and fiberglass are the top choices for screen mesh material because they efficiently keep the bugs and insects away. The holes in the weave of these materials are too small, bugs and insects are not able to penetrate them. Fiberglass, though is a better material to keep these unwanted guests out.

Fiberglass is a flexible material. it is easy to install, too. It will not dent, unravel, or crease. Charcoal is the most popular color for fiberglass screens because it offers the best maximum outward visibility.it is however available in almost any color and style.

Unlike, aluminum, fiberglass will not corrode, rust, or stain. It is also more durable and flexible. Additionally, fiberglass will not scratch or rip allowing you to enjoy your screen door longer.

Fiberglass screen doors are ideal for high-traffic areas in your home. It is also one of the best materials to use if your screen door will be exposed to high winds.

Fiberglass screens are basically low-priced. They are easy to install and provides good outdoor visibility. High exposure to UV rays, however, can make fiberglass fade.

8. Plastic

Plastic screen door nesh is usually made of PVC, nylon, polyethylene, and other plastic materials. Plastic screens come with either a twisted weave or a plain weave. Being lightweight, flexible, resistant to insects and UV rays, relatively cheap, plastic screens appeal more to homeowners.

Plastic screens are beautiful and lightweight. They are flexible and come with high-tensile strength. They are heat, wind, rain, and UV- resistant as well. They also efficiently allow light and cool air to enter your home. Plastic screen doors are often used in areas near an outdoor space because they are also acid and alkali-proof.

Plastic screens are easy to install and clean. They are long-lasting while being eco-friendly. More importantly, plastic screens keep bugs and insects out of your home allowing you to enjoy the outside view,

Conclusion

Having a screen door in your home is one of the best ways to enhance the aesthetic appeal of your home. The main reason homeowners install screen doors in their indoor spaces is to allow cool air to enter your home while keeping bugs and insects away. Screen doors can also make you enjoy more of your patio or porch minus, again, the intrusion of insects and bugs,

The best material for your screen door depends on the function of your door.