How To Make Solar Screens For Windows

Make your own sun screens

Every time I've walked into our new kitchen during the late afternoon / early evening with its west facing windows, I remember to myself "information technology'southward time to make sun screens." Well, I finally got around to it so now the dominicus doesn't blind u.s.a. and nosotros have improved energy efficiency, which is important in sunny and hot Texas. Because the built-in screens for our windows only cover the function of the window that opens, I had to create new screen frames for the windows, rather than just but using the screen frame that was there. Converting existing screen frames into sun screens is much easier, something I've washed before as well.

Ugh, the lord's day shines right through the kitchen window on the w side of the house!

To brand a dominicus screen, first measure out your windows and caput to the store to get supplies. Lowes and Home Depot sell screen frame kits that basically take everything you lot need, except the screen cloth and the screen spline roller tool. Since I had some screen frame pieces left from our previous house, and I needed to create ii frames, I bought my supplies separately. Here's what you need:

Supplies:

Metallic screen frame pieces
Screen that blocks fourscore or 90% of sunlight. Information technology's ok, you lot'll still be able to see out just fine.
Spline (get the thinnest size that they offer, it will make your life easier)
Screen corners
Something to hang the screens with – I used plastic screen clips

Tools:

Screen spline roller
Cutting utensils: scissors, box cutter
Drill, screw driver
Metal saw (ignore the saw in my picture below, apparently it'due south a wood saw. Make certain yous have a metal saw)

Supplies and tools all collected

General instructions:

Measure your window to decide what size to make the screen frame. Make sure information technology will comprehend the window, but leave room to hang the screen using your called method. Factoring in the screen corners, cut the metal frame pieces to size. My screen corners added 3/4″ to each side of my screen, so I had to subtract i.5″ from each side of my screen frame and then that it would be the appropriate size. After cutting iv pieces, get together them with the screen corners.

Assembled frame

Then, cut a piece of screen to fit over the frame, leaving at to the lowest degree an inch or more on each side. Lay the screen over the side of the frame that has the channel for the spline. The roller tool has ane terminate that is narrow and another stop that'south wider with a groove. The narrow side is used to push the screen down into the aqueduct before forcing in the spline. This helps you brand sure the screen doesn't get ripples and is positioned correctly.

Utilize the roller to push the screen downwards into the frame before using the spline.

Next, use the other side of the roller to push down the spline into the channel, starting at one corner. This is where it helps to have the thinnest spline that will work for the frame.

Spline in the channel of one side of the frame.

I don't worry about cutting the spline at each corner, I simply make the turn and proceed going. Make sure to hold the screen fairly taut while rolling in the spline, which tin have some force. Information technology helps to have ii people for this function, especially if information technology's the first time you've tried making a screen. Once you lot're finished, use the box cutter to cutting the excess screen off, close to the frame. Exist careful that you don't cut your new screen! I position the razor blade towards the frame to reduce those chances.

Screen, before trimming excess

To hang the screens, we drilled into the metal window frame at the top and the bottom and used the plastic screen clips:

Installed sunday screen on the kitchen window.

And now we can finally go out the blinds open in the evening, without being blinded by the sun in the early evening!

Bonus!

This weekend I took care of another exciting business firm projection – organizing our plastic container storage! The Container Store had just the thing, an elfa handbasket that be installed in a cabinet on a track then that you can pull it out of a chiffonier for easy admission. You tin besides easily lift out the basket to get at anything you have stashed in the very back of the chiffonier.