Picture this: It’s a beautiful summer night in July. You’ve got friends and family over for a get-together on your backyard patio. You’ve got steaks on the grill, cold drinks in the cooler and good music on your music player. Everything’s going perfect.
Then the mosquitoes show up. One after the other, they just swarm you and your guests and try as you might there’s nothing you can do to keep every single one of them away. As great as summertime is, it also signals the arrival of some unwanted guests. Recent figures indicate that there are more than 200 million insects for each human on the planet and there are more than 3,000 species of mosquitoes. That means there’s a lot of creepy crawlies to deal with in the summer.
So what can you do to keep the mosquitoes at bay in the summertime? A good step would be to find the right mesh screen fabric for your patio screen doors and windows. You don’t want any holes or tears in mesh screen fabric. Holes and tears mean the bugs are getting into places you don’t want them.
There are many types of screen mesh material to choose from, whether you’re putting up a pool screen, porch mesh screening, or screens in your front windows. The options can help you decide which material is best for your needs:
- Solar screening: If you’re trying to make your home greener and more eco-friendly, solar screen (also called sun screen), is a good option for patios. Solar screening blocks heat gain and absorbs it. You’re probably wondering what that means for your home. Quite simply, it means your air conditioner won’t have to work as hard and your patio furniture won’t bake in the sun. Solar screen offers plenty of shade, so you can stay cool on those hot summer days.
- Polyester: This type of mesh screen fabric is coated with vinyl and is resistant to punctures and tears, which will help keep the bugs away. If you’re looking to install porch screening, polyester screening offers many benefits in addition to being puncture and tear-resistant. Polyester mesh screen fabric offers protection from insects, sun control and can be used in many different areas, such as doors and windows.
- Aluminum: Two of the biggest benefits of aluminum mesh screen fabric is that its long-lasting and durable. As an added bonus, it offers plenty of visibility and won’t sag or rust. One important thing to keep in mind about aluminum screen is that it can be dented or creased a lot easier when compared to materials like vinyl.
- Fiberglass: When it comes to picking the right mesh screen fabric, fiberglass screening offers a lot to the average homeowner at an affordable price. Fiberglass screening doesn’t dent and is an ideal screening option if you live on the coast or in an area with high humidity. One thing to keep in mind though, is that fiberglass screening also dents and depending on what you’ve got, you may find it dents even easier than aluminum.
- Bronze: If you’ve got a luxurious older home, bronze is another option for mesh screen fabric. It offers homeowners a rich finish and plenty of visibility, adding a little extra something to your backyard for future gatherings.
If you’re hesitant about trying to replace the mesh you’ve got, magnetic screens are another option. They allow for hands-free entry and exit for homeowners and their pets and it literally takes just minutes to install.
Whether you hire a professional to install it or whether you’re a DIYer who’s going to replace your screen doors yourself, taking time to figure out what your needs are and which mesh screen fabric works best for you is essential. Whether you’re putting in screens for your front room windows or putting up screens for your patio doors for the summer months, ultimately you want a material that’s going to keep the bugs out and away from you when you’re outside relaxing.
