How to Build a Screen Door
How to Build a Screen Door
After a winter of having the heavy wooden front door closed to the elements, it’s nice to leave it open to the refreshing spring breeze. Spring, however, also brings bugs and small animals. A new screen door is just the ticket for a refreshing bug-free spring.
Difficulty - Easy to Moderate
Building a screen door can be one of the simplest projects imaginable or one of the most elaborate. It really depends upon what you are looking to accomplish with the end product. If you have a cabin in the backwoods, a highly stylized screen door is not what you need to get you to your favorite fishing spot. A home on a summer resort island may require quite a bit of style.
The Layout
A thinner stock is generally what’s required for a screen door. For an outback cabin any inexpensive or personally milled wood will do, but for a more elaborate door a pine may be preferential. In either case a five-eighths thickness is common. Layout each piece to its corresponding location in the door and make a mark on each so you know which side is up and what goes where.
Cutting Aspects
Cut rails and stiles (horizontal and vertical pieces) to length. If the wood was not fully dried remember it may shrink or swell with humidity unless sealed. Clamp the boards to a work table. Use a Skill Saw or table saw to take just about half the thickness off of one side of the end of the rails and stiles. When you put them together they should equal the thickness of one full board. In this way you are essentially joining the two pieces of wood together. Do the same at the mid-point of the door stiles to add support.
Assemble the frame pieces using polyurethane glue with a disposable brush. After gluing, clamp the pieces together and set aside - a C-clamp can be used, or a stone improvised for the same purpose.
As you go about cutting the frame there are many stylized things you can do to a screen door before the screen goes on. Making a half lap joint will let you put designs into the open spaces of the door frame.
Screening Aspects
Now is the time to paint or stain everything. Let it dry. If a cover bracket for the screen edges is desired simply use a piece of thin stock, cut it to size, and paint it. To screen the door take your screen and lay it out on top of the frame staple on the top of the frame and pull tightly toward you at the bottom of the door. Theoretically the screening can be stapled right to the door frame but if a cleat is desired place the cleat where needed then tack it in to place after stretching width wise and length wise. There will be a certain amount of screen stretching over time.