In Southern California, the window screen is one of those crucial household elements that lets residents thoroughly enjoy the terrific climate. With so many days of sunshine and fine weather, it is a great convenience to be able to have our windows open to the world and yet keep the insects and small animals outside the home. Human habitats have come a long way from our days as cave-dwellers.
When people moved out of caves and started building structures to live in, they soon discovered that they wanted a view to the outside world from inside their safe havens. That was how the window came into existence: the first windows were just holes cut into the wall. Often they would be covered by a simple animal skin or large piece of woven fabric.
Gradually, people developed ways of covering the open spaces. In Asia, they started using paper over the window openings. It was translucent, and so let in light, but it also kept insects out. In Europe, several other materials were used. The Romans seem to have developed glass for windows around A.D. 100, but it tended to be thick and rather opaque. Other things used were thinly sliced marble or mica, or flattened animal horn, which were somewhat translucent. Flat glass panes in windows did not really come into use until the 17th century.
These days when we have to tackle a window screen repair, we don’t have to consider the difficulty of cutting mica or marble carefully to make sure the window opening is filled. We don’t have to worry about paper being torn by someone accidentally ripping the material. Even old skin or cloth coverings were more easily damaged than the meshes we might use these days in a mesh screen door.
A second development connected to the window opening was the creation of shutters. A window shutter gives the window a solid covering that can be opened or closed as one desires. Made with a frame that fits the window opening, and set with solid panels or louvers of some sort, shutters provide another way of filtering natural light into a habitation. Shutters might be used to manage the amount of light let into a room, or to allow privacy when it is desired. They can give security or even protect the interior from weather.
Shutters are used in a wide variety of placements and appearances. Some shutters are installed inside and open inward. External shutters tend to be heavier and open outward. Some shutters are large and tall, others might cover half the window. Even a door window might have a protective shutter.
These days when we want a view to the world from the inside of our homes, we have a wide variety of options. Our windows can be large plate glass or smaller pieces in shaped frames. We can have functional or decorative shutters. But we can also have screens that do an even better job than shutters at letting in air and keeping out bugs. Even when installing replacement window screens we have the the opportunity to change the view outside the window frame: fine mesh fabrics or sturdy metal weaves give different views with different advantages. Modern window dressing has come a long way from the ancient days of a hole in the wall.
Ever since they were first introduced in the early 1800s, the window screen has been an important part of making a home comfortable, especially when the weather outside is good. The window screen allows residents to have an open view to the out-of-doors without letting insects and other flying creatures invade the house. They have been made with many different materials since their introduction.
Although metal wires of different sorts had been used for many centuries before the invention of the window screen, the need for very thin wire that could endure exposure to the elements. Iron wire might become brittle as it was subjected to the ordinary weather of the neighborhood. If the wire is made heavy enough to resist that rusting and brittleness when woven into a screen, it may end up too heavy for its duty in a window or door. Aluminum became popular for this task. The lightness and flexibility of the metal made aluminum wire very useful for the wire-weaving that provides material for screen. This continued the stability of the screen in difficult circumstances.
But growing use of screens in opening the household to the outdoors meant that additional materials had to be sought out. In some cases, homeowners wanted lighter more flexible materials to be used in screens for porches, for instance. On a porch, where greater openness to the outdoors is desired, a mesh screen door might be in order, calling for something lighter than woven metal wire.
The types of non-metal fibers that get used in screens can vary greatly. One of the most obvious, is of course, plastic mono-filaments. This material is lighter and more flexible, but it is also more susceptible to loss of shape due to heat. And if a plastic woven screen is near the outdoor grill, it could be melted by grill heat or sparks.
A fine screen similar to one provided for tents might be made from silk threads or strands of rayon or nylon. When this type of fiber is used, you can create whole sheets of woven fibers, allowing for whole screen “walls” that can be draped from the overhang of an open porch area. “Mosquito netting” would easily be considered a type of screening.
Fiberglass is also used in some screens. Because it is easy to use, fiberglass insect screens are more commonly used in homes these days. It is not very expensive to be used for window screen replacement. Because it is also rather long lasting, homeowners are inclined to choose it if they are redoing all their window treatments. Of course, pets and children can be hard on fiberglass screens, given their high activity levels involving direct contact with the screens.
The mesh used for screens can be as tightly or loosely woven as the homeowner desires. Fiberglass mesh is usually made with a weave that has 18 wires per inch by 16 wires per inch. Many patio screen doors use this type of mesh. If you need an even tighter mesh to keep out very tiny insects, you can find meshes that are 20 by 20 strands per inch. This finer mesh comes in black and gray colors, which helps cut the sunlight a bit. Even security screen doors can take advantage of lighter materials, when combined with protective bars.
Talk to an expert on window and door screens for what materials and weaves will work best for your home situation.
Are you looking to install or replace that mesh screen door or those window screens in your home? You might be interested to know that screens have evolved over the years to become a reliable defense against an insect invasion! The most common material used for window and door screens is a cloth made from aluminum and fiberglass wires.
But before wire cloth was used to protect us from insect invasions, people often used cheesecloth to cover their windows. Cheesecloth is loosely woven and so will allow air to circulate, but it is delicate and easily torn. Wire cloth was woven of fine metal wire, originally for sieves to sift flour and strain food.
During the Civil War, the Gilbert and Bennett Company, a Connecticut firm that made sieves, found they were in a surplus of supplies, largely due to the loss of business in the South. One employee hit on a great idea: he coated the wire cloth with paint to prevent rust and sold it for window screens. The idea became so popular that the company made wire cloth a major part of its business, and it became a major manufacturer of screens for doors and windows.
Later, the company introduced rust resistant steel wire, which eliminated the need for painting the screen material. Initially, homeowners used wooden window frames or door frames, and affixed the screen material with nails. As time went on, ready-made screen doors and windows became available and proliferated across the country, so much so that checking and repairing screens on doors and windows has become a standard part of getting ready for warm weather for many people.
Aluminum is generally available in natural aluminum or in an applied black or charcoal color, which make the screening much less visible. Fiberglass is available in light gray as well as charcoal colors, the charcoal again offering better viewing and appearance. Fiberglass is less expensive, and has the advantage of not “denting” when hit or pushed, but it is somewhat more opaque than aluminum. For this reason, dark aluminum allows a better view of windows from the exterior, detracting less than fiberglass from the architectural effect of traditional divided-light window styles. For applications requiring greater strength, such as screened doors, nylon and polyester screening are also available.
But keeping out critters isn’t all a good screen door can do for you. Denser screen types reduce sunlight and heat gain, and offer significant potential energy savings in hot climates. And if you’re not a big fan of the look, there are screens that disappear into a pocket when not in use. These retractable screens are available for casement windows as well as other types of window and door openings.
Do-it-yourself screen and frame replacement kits are widely available at hardware and home improvement stores. Screen replacement kits usually consist of a roll of nylon screening fabric and a generous supply of rubber spline. But for the best results, always consult a screen door and window professional. Keeping bugs outside and protecting your family inside is the bottom line, and you will find a myriad of options available for your screen needs.
