Constructing a Screen Door from Scratch

When even your favorite garden wall decor or flowers wall art can’t chase away the winter blues, you know that spring fever is setting in. There is something really wonderful about opening the house on the first days of spring and letting in the fresh air. Being able to leave your doors open is a wonderful part of that ritual, and having screen doors lets you enjoy the fresh air while keeping bugs and critters out. You can always buy a screen door for your home, but it is also very easy to make a screen door with just a few simple materials and tools. A screen door's design is pretty basic, so depending on your needs, the process can really be quite simple.

Gather Supplies

Before beginning your project, you should assemble all of the tools and materials that you will need to get the job done. The materials that you will need are thin wood stock to construct the door and a hardware frame. Then you will need screen meshing and screen molding measuring one quarter inch by three quarters inch. Then have on hand paint brushes, glue, varnish and one inch finish nails. You will also need a hammer, knife, tape measure, staple gun, chisel and clamps.

Constructing the Door Frame

When you are constructing the frame for your door it is best to use thin wood stock, about five eights inch thickness. Use stock that is well cured to avoid warping. Measure your door accurately so that you know how big the frame should be. If you have a work table, it is very helpful to clamp the door pieces to a work table while you are working. When you are constructing a corner, you need to slice one piece of wood to half of its thickness so that when you assemble the two pieces, they will be the proper thickness. To ensure that the joint stays strong, spread polyurethane glue onto the wood pieces, and then clamp them together and let them dry. After the glue is completely dry, you can sand the door and stain or paint it to finish the frame.

Attaching the Screen

Now that your frame is constructed, you can measure the open portion in the frame and cut a piece of screening to insert into the door. When you are cutting a piece of screening, make sure that it is at least a little bit larger than the opening. You will trim it to size later. Lay your piece of screen over the opening in the door and staple it to the frame stretching it taught as you go. Since a screen tends to stretch over time, it is important that you pull the screen as tightly as possible without damaging it. After stapling the screen to the door, you can use your thin strips of molding to hide the stables. However before you apply the molding to the edges of the screen, make sure to trim off the excess. After you have completed trimming the edges of the screen, you can apply the molding to cover the ugly staples.

Completing the Screen

After building the door frame and covering it with mesh, it is time to hang your screen door. If you use spring hinges, your screen door will automatically close itself, which is kind of handy. Add a simple pull handle, and your screen door is completed.