Regardless of whether the screen’s lifespan is 20 years or 3 years, all pool enclosures will eventually need rescreening. Damaged or algae-covered screens detract from the value of your home and its usefulness without offering you anything in return. When screens reach this point they no longer serve any purpose at all.
Replacing the screen yourself is definitely not an option. Rescreening requires specialized knowledge and skills. You will also need to purchase special tools and learn to use them. Most importantly you have to worry about safety. If you don’t have the appropriate ladders and walk-boards, working on a large pool enclosure yourself could be unsafe. However, learning about the process in the article below will help you to make better decisions when it’s time to have your Orlando pool enclosure rescreened. Here are a few things you need to know about rescreening pool cages.
- THE DIFFERENCE IS ALL IN THE SCREEN TYPE
When requesting estimates for your Central Florida pool enclosure rescreen, you may receive a wide range of prices. While it is most certainly tempting to select the company offering the lowest price, you need to be aware that the difference in prices may have more to do with the quality of screen used than it has to do with someone simply giving you a good deal. To be sure your new screen is worth the time and money, you should stay away from cheap Artisan screens. Instead, elect to go with Phifer screen or better.
The polyester screen is stronger than both the Artisan screen and Phifer fiberglass screen. The polyester screen manufacturers stand behind their products with a 10-year warranty. However, it’s pretty standard that these screens last 20 years or longer being that they’re not only tear and puncture-resistant but also have stability from UV damage.
- CHOOSE A NO-SEE-UMS SCREEN TO KEEP TINY BUGS OUT….
Both polyester and fiberglass screen come in a No-See-Ums weave. What are no-see-ums? No see-ums are the super tiny bugs with wings that are very plentiful here in Florida. Many people who have lived in Florida their entire lives may not notice them anymore because they’ve grown so accustomed to them. However, people new to the state of Florida often spend little time outside due to the annoying little no-see-ums. The no-see-ums screen will completely eliminate this problem for you. The mesh is so fine, and closely woven that even bugs too small to see are unable to penetrate the screen.
L.A. Construction – Lake Nona Full Rescreen Using Phifer 20×20 Screen
- RUSTED FASTENERS – it’s best to replace fasteners AT THE SAME TIME YOU HAVE A RESCREEN
A complete fastener replacement without rescreening is difficult and very time-consuming. The work by itself can actually cost more than just a full rescreen. Having the fasteners on your pool cage changed at the same time as rescreening is much less expensive than getting the two jobs done independently. Many pool enclosures are put together with cheap builders grade screws that rust in just a few years, and in turn, weaken the structural integrity of the entire structure. In addition, these rusted fasteners become a serious eye sore. Fortunately, better fasteners are available! Nylo-tec and Pro-tect fasteners maintain their appearance and strength significantly longer.
- A complete rescreen is MORE COST EFFECTIVE than panel-by-panel replacement
You might only notice a few panels on your pool cage that are completely blown out/missing, or damaged. The first thought is to only have those few panels replaced. A lot of times this is ok. The main determining factor in this will be the overall age of all the screen. The main downside to replacing individual panels is that it’s much more expensive to go this route. Instead, with a full rescreen, you pay for only one service call, as opposed to paying the several service call fees associated with replacing a few panels every few months. The full rescreen will save you a significant amount of money on labor costs.
With a standard 18×14 screen, a full rescreen will typically cost 20% as much as replacing all the panels on the pool cage panel by panel over the course of five or six service calls.