Whether temperatures have cooled after a heated summer or spring has finally thawed the freezing weather, or it’s the height of the warm season, we love our patios and porches. One of the easiest and most wonderful additions to a home is a sliding screen door. These doors allow us not only to pass to our favorite outdoor comfort spots but open a wide space for the clean air to blow through without letting any insects into our home.

Yet, like all things over the years, wear and tear can begin to take its toll on your sliding screen door. Toddlers, pets, accidents, weather, and time itself can all conspire to make your sliding screen doors look dingey and worn out. How do you know for sure it is time to replace your sliding screen door? And is there some way you can save a little cash and do it yourself? If so, what is the best sliding screen door replacement made simple for handy folk and non-handy folk alike?

If you’ve asked these questions and more, let us answer all your questions and make it easy to find the best sliding screen door replacement for you.

How to Know if Your Sliding Screen Door Needs Replacement

There are three major signs that your sliding screen door will give you when it is time for a replacement. As you find yourself no doubt using this door daily come spring, summer, and fall—and if you live in warmer climates, perhaps all year round, you know how important it is to you that the door function properly. Daily use and exposure to the elements naturally cause screen doors to wear out over time, and this is especially true if perhaps the patio screen door was created with subpar materials as well.

Here are the three major signs indicating it’s time for a sliding screen door replacement:

The door no longer opens or closes correctly.

We’ve all had a screen door occasionally come off the track. Either by accident or random happenstance, but if you find yourself daily struggling to slide your door, it may be time for a replacement. Healthy, well-made, good quality screen doors should not stick when pulled, should not make a squealing sound with pulled, and you shouldn’t need significant effort every time you want to use it. There’s also the chance that you may notice damage.

The screen is visibly damaged.

With your screen door being the only barrier between any insects, dirt, or debris that may be on your porch or patio if there are significant damages to the screen it is not going to protect your home. Insects, dust, dirt, and other small critters may easily make their way inside if you decide to leave the patio door open for some fresh air. Your sliding screen doors can become damaged for a multitude of reasons: age, hailstorms, severe wind, small children or pets that press against the screen, and so on. It is important to replace your sliding screen door as soon as you notice it is wearing out, especially if the damage is easily noticed. If it is torn, frayed, bent, or if you note that parts are entirely missing, a replacement is needed as soon as possible.

The screen no longer fits into its frame.

It is unfortunate, but not every sliding screen door is created with the best components available, nor are they created equally. Not every screen door is manufactured to fit every patio door. It’s easy for a homeowner to mistakenly think there is a magic one-size-fits-all approach, perhaps believing a ‘close enough,’ fit will do. It is essential, however, that your sliding screen door fit perfectly into the doorframe. Otherwise, your sliding screen door will begin to exhibit signs such as excessive shaking and rattling in the wind, letting in large amounts of bugs or dirt, or visible gaps around the frame. If you notice any of this, it is time to replace the sliding screen door with one better suited for your home’s design.

What’s the Best Sliding Screen Door Replacement That is Simple to Install?

The best sliding screen door replacement is the one that is made to be simple to install. Not everyone is a handy person around the house or has the time to DIY from scratch, and many of us may not have the budget to hire a professional window treatment contractor. Therefore, the best sliding screen door replacement is one that provides you with every single item you need, with clear instructions, and is quick as well as easy to install. You should only need the measurements of your patio door, the width in inches, the width in height, and be able to order that precise fit for your patio door.

The best sliding screen door replacements will have features such as:

• Ability to enter in your patio screen size in inches. Width, width fraction, height, and height fraction should be available to allow you the most precise, correct fit.
• The ability to choose gorgeous contemporary colors to fit better with your home’s exterior. Colors such as the classics like white, bronze, tan, silver, and champagne.
• The ability and freedom to choose what screen type to have within the sliding screen door replacement. Some of the optimal choices available to you should be fiberglass insect screen, No-See-Um for tiny insects, Nano screen, Pet screen, and solar screens.
• The replacement screen door should be shipped fully assembled and ready to go so that you only need to do the minimal work of fitting it into your sliding screen door tracks.

With these tips on how to know when your sliding screen door needs replacement and guidance on how to choose the best sliding screen door replacement made simple, you’re well-armed to make the right, informed decision. When it comes to your sliding screen door, your home deserves the best, simplest, cost-effective solution. So make sure to upgrade your home’s protection as soon as possible.

Image by David Mark from Pixabay