May 09, 2018

Build Your Own Garage Door Screens for Less Than $60

They aren't pretty, they aren't motorized, and they aren't built-in. But they are easy to build, sturdier than fiberglass, they're cheap, and best of all, they keep the bugs out and the cat in.


When we started talking about building a barndominium, my dream garage had garage doors with built-in-screens. Then I looked at the price of those garage doors and quickly marked that off the list. In our last house, we had an air conditioner in the garage. It worked well, but at a high cost. We wanted our barndominium to be efficient and cheaper to live in, so an air conditioner in the garage was out. Besides, with four big garage doors in a drive through garage, we probably wouldn't be able to find one that could make a noticeable difference. Last spring and early summer, we kept the garage doors open most of the time and with the cross breeze, the temperature inside wasn't bad. But the flies were beyond bad. That's what happens when neighbors have livestock, and most of our neighbors have cattle. I tried fly strips, plastic bags filled with water, and bug spray. All were completely worthless. We had to have screens.

I knew from our last house that grasshoppers can eat through fiberglass screens, so I began looking for some kind of metal screen material. There is stainless steel screening but it is pricey and not available locally. At Lowes, I found a roll of aluminum screening. It looked like it had been returned, and didn't have a brand label or price on it. Because no one knew what it was or if it was all there, they told me I could have it for $30. Sold! From the website, it looks like it might be one that normally sells for $120.

The screens pictured above are 76 inches tall and 41-1/2 inches wide.  Most wood window screens are made with a much thinner wood, and if you are going to leave your screens in place, you can use a 1x2 and it will be much lighter.  I used 1-1/2 x 1-1/2 inch wood for two reasons.  It was cheaper, it fit my garage door, and it's sturdy enough to take a lot of abuse.  Moving screens in and out of a garage door opening every day during the summer, having a garage door pulled down on them, leaning them against the wall, and the inevitable falling to the floor is a lot of abuse.

A 2x4 is 1-1/2 inches wide which is exactly the size of the channel between my garage door track and the door frame.  Yours should be the same, but measure it before starting.  My opening on two doors is 124-1/2 inches wide and I made three screens for each door. I first made screens that were 62 inches tall and 41-1/2 inches wide. I wanted to be able to turn two on their sides on windy days when less air was wanted. But Hubby couldn't see out when he was standing up and wanted me to make the next set 72 inches tall. I made one and had to use a cross brace to keep the frame equal in the center. Hubby didn't like the look of that one and the weight was too much for me to handle by myself. So we compromised on the 76 inch frames. I can install them by myself but I can barely reach the top so taking them down is hard for me. So those are some things to consider before you start building.

To make these screens, you will need:
25 feet of screening that is 48 inches wide Nine 2x4x8s 3 inch exterior wood screws Kreg jig (optional) Kreg screws 2-1/2" (also optional, and adjust screw size to the size of your wood) Staple gun and staples (I used a hand held stapler) Stain or paint (optional) I ripped each 2x4 lengthwise into 1-1/2 inch pieces. Making them square wasn't really necessary and I could easily have just ripped the boards in half. If you decide to make your own screens and opt to do that, you'll have to recalculate the next measurements. I then cut those lengths into the following pieces:
six pieces 76 inches (I made the first one 77+ inches and adjusted it down to 76 after I fitted it to the inner frame with screen.
six pieces 73 inches
six pieces 38 inches (Again, I made this a little bigger first and adjusted it down to 38.)
six pieces 35 inches


Assemble by making the inner frame first, long ends outside as pictured.
I put the original rounded edges on the inside to make it easier to attach the screening.
I used a Kreg jig because I was working alone and I think there is less chance of splitting wood with it.




Cut the screen about 4 inches bigger all around than your frame.  The extra length will give you something to hold onto as you attach it to the frame.
Start at one of the long ends and staple the screening to the outside of the frame.
Then do the opposite end. With aluminum screening, we found that you don't have to pull hard, just enough to make it flat. If you pull too hard it will tear where it wraps the frame. Unlike fiberglass, it won't sag. There are some permanent fold marks in ours but they aren't noticeable unless someone stands next to them. Then staple the sides.


Next, assemble the outer frame, rounded sides out.  The shorter pieces should end even with the outside edge of the inner frame and screening.  If you cut your piece long, you can adjust it now.
When you have three sides together, place it around the screened inner frame before attaching the fourth side.  It's much harder to get the finished outer frame around the inner frame if you don't.






Your completed frame should look like this.
With 3 inch screws (longer if you ripped your 2x4 in half instead of ripping into 1-1/2 inch pieces), attach your inner frame to your outer frame.  I put mine where the red arrows are.






To install the screens, I made some turn latches out of scrap wood.  In the above picture, you can see two of them on top.  That is the middle frame and it is different than the outside frames.  Each of the outside frames have two latches one side, front and back, to hold the middle frame in place.  I originally put two latches, front and back, on top of each frame but found that that isn't necessary.  One set of latches on the middle frame is enough to hold it in place in a stiff wind.  I put a washer on each side of the latch to make it turn easier.


The smooth side of the outer frames slips into the channel of the garage door.  See the arrows at top and bottom of that channel in the upper left photo.  The upper right photo shows the frame in the channel.  When all three fames are in place, the garage door is pulled down on top of the frames.


When both outer frames are in their channels, I pull out the side latches on the outside of the frames.  I couldn't get a decent picture from inside the garage, but this is what it would look like from inside.  Then place the middle frame between the outer frames, and pull out the latches on the inside of the frames to lock the middle frame in place.







Pull the garage door down, and pull up a latch on both sides of the garage door.  If the wind isn't blowing more than 10mph, latching to the garage door isn't necessary.




Over the last year, the wood shrank a little.  In the first picture against the light, you can see the gaps.  I have some rubber window seal but haven't used it yet.

If I didn't have a cat, I would have put a magnetic screen in the middle frame. But if Buddy can figure out how to open a hinged screen door, I'm afraid those magnetic ones would be his chance at freedom.

I hope you find this useful, and if you make any screens, please let me know.  I'd love to see yours and know if you have made any improvements.

12 comments:

  1. That's brilliant. What a great way to keep flies and other flying insects out and keep the kitty in, but still getting all that fresh air.

    Have a fabulous day, Marti. Scritches to the kitty. ♥

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  2. Marti: They are great many have screens like this that they made, so nice to keep bugs out.

    Blessings
    Catherine

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  3. You are clever indeed! The flies can be horrible - we had that problem before we fenced the acre around the house. We lease for cattle, and when they were there - so were the "pies!" Each time we opened a door - we got flies in. You did a great job!

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    Replies
    1. The neighbor's cows are over an acre away, but we are downwind usually so maybe that's why we get so many flies from them.

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  4. WOW! What a project. I am truly impressed. Have a wonderful weekend!

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  5. That's great ! Pawsome project ! We'll bookmark your post ! Purrs

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    1. Thank you. It keeps Buddy in, but he's never tried to put any weight behind getting out. We take them down at night because I think a deer or bobcat could easily go right through it.

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  6. Those are really cool! (no pun intended)

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    ReplyDelete