What's the best way to repair a window screen?

duct tape

There are little screen repair patches that you can buy. Another option is to sew it.

Depends on the type of screen. The flimsy metal ones are easy to put a new screen in. Some types can be more difficult to replace the screen. I would personally replace the screen. But I like doing that stuff and have tons of free time.

Both ways will work. If you just want it to work and don’t care how it looks use tape. And it sounds like your SO wants an easy fix. If you want to replace the screen you should go ahead and give it a try.

you need a tool that looks like a pizza cutter so you can put the rubber spleen back in.

I know a lot of people who need to have rubber spleens put back in. People who
were born with regular spleens but messed them up with drug use and had to switch to rubber.
Misplaced these and come crying to me to sew them back in. I’m tired.
Tell me who does this. I can make a lot of referrals. I’ll even give up my pizza cutter….

Oh, wait, you mean SPLINES….. Well that’s another can of worms.

haha, smart ass

Take it to a shop that repairs screens. Less headaches.

you can use some upholstery thread to catch the the tear together if it is a small one. It will look hokie but it will keep the bugs out. The best way is to replace the screen cloth. HD should sell the screening and the little tool to fix it. You will need a flat work surface to do this. also a way to keep the frame square when putting the new screen in place. This is where a helper comes in handy, or not. Cut the piece about an inch larger than you need both directions and set it over the frame assuming the frame is not damaged and can be reused. Use the screen wheel to force the cloth into the groove all the way around. It should retain the shape some so when you start with the spline it will go in there easier. The spline will still have the original corners shaped into it so that way you can see how much further to go on each side. Start in a corner and stretch the spline a bit as you go. This causes it to be slightly thinner when stretched and makes it go in the groove.When pulling on the spline you want to angle it just a bit towards the inside so if you slip out of the groove the wheel will pop out on the outer edge instead of going into the inside and possibly cutting a slit in the new cloth. Doing that will cause much grief as you will need to start over. As you go around the frame it will start to tighten the cloth some. This is where people screw up if they get it too tight which will cause the frame to suck in and cause an hourglass shape. when that happens the cloth will be too tight and the frame deformed so it won’t fit back in the window. But if you can avoid that and keep the spline going straight theres a good chance you will make a successful repair. It truly is one of those things that needs a lot of practice, or luck if doing it for the first time. Also it will greatly help if you are handy with tools to start with. Just make sure you have xtra screening and patience and you will learn as you go. If you get the spline tucked in there and its looking like you have it, you then will need to trim off the excess screen cloth that will be hanging out past the splines. Use a sharp box knife or x acto blade to carefully trim this off. Press the blade against the aluminum frame and cut. Did I say be careful on this step? Because this is also where people screw the pooch after getting the job almost done and they slash the screen. Gently pull on the end of the x tra screen as you cut and it should peel off perfectly taking care in the corners where the cloth will be puckered a little.