Window screens · Montreal
Torn screen? Get it rescreened before bug season
A torn moustiquaire, the window screen, rarely calls for a new one. Usually the frame is still straight and only the mesh, the toile, has given out. Replacing it is called rescreening, or retoilage. We connect you with an independent local pro who rescreens window screens, rebuilds frames that are past saving, and tells you plainly which yours needs.
- New mesh in the frame you already have
- Casement and hung-window screens
- Shop drop-off or a home visit, depending on the pro
Mesh or frame?
Rescreen the frame rather than replace it
Look at the frame before the mesh. The frame decides the job.
A tear, a hole or mesh pulling loose
If the frame is square, new mesh goes into it along with a new spline, the rubber cord that locks the mesh in its groove.
A kinked or cracked frame
A gentle bow can sometimes be eased back. A kink or a split corner usually means a frame built new to the old size, covered under screens made to measure.
Choosing the toile
Fibreglass, aluminum or pet-resistant mesh
Fibreglass is the usual choice: soft, easy to fit, and it won't dent. Aluminum is stiffer but creases if an elbow finds it. Pet-resistant mesh is a heavier, coated weave for screens a cat climbs; it's darker to look through, so it tends to go only where the animal reaches. Name your choice when you ask for a soumission, the written quote.
Window types
Casement and hung-window screens
On a casement, the fenêtre à battant that opens with a crank, the screen sits on the room side all year, held by clips or turn buttons. Hands reaching for the manivelle tear the corners. On a hung window, the guillotine found in many older flats, the screen usually sits outside the lower sash in channels or on spring clips, and one that falls out in a gust needs its hardware checked too.
Door screens are built differently. Our doors and screens section covers hinged gallery doors, and patio door screens have their own page.
Where it's done
At home or at the shop
Bringing screens in
Many glass shops rescreen over the counter. For one or two screens, dropping them off is often simplest.
A pro who comes to you
Handy for upper floors, many screens or a screened gallery. Not every pro offers it, so we don't promise it; ask, and we'll tell you what's available.
Before July 1
Rentals: screens to check before July 1
Most Montreal households rent, and July 1 is moving day by long custom rather than law. A torn screen is among the first things a new tenant notices, so checking each empty flat's screens in June saves a string of small requests later.
Tenants should report a torn screen to the landlord in writing, with a photo. The Tribunal administratif du logement explains how repairs in a rental are handled for both sides. Owners of several buildings can see our page for property managers.
What affects the quote
What changes the price of rescreening
- How many screens, and whether they share a size
- The mesh you choose
- Frame condition, and any missing clips or corners
- Shop drop-off or a home visit, and which floor
A photo of each screen with its width and height is enough for a first soumission.
Questions
Window screen repair questions
Explore your options
Other screen jobs we can help with
Independent pros rescreen window screens across the island and nearby, including the Plateau, Rosemont, Villeray, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce and the West Island.
Count your screens and send a photo
Tell us how many screens need work and what windows they fit. A local pro who rescreens will quote it, and say so if a frame is past saving.