Our Broken Screen

We named our neighborhood squirrels. There was White Tuft, Tilty, Sandy, and a slew of others. Too cute to ignore, we often provided food for them. Providing food for squirrels can help them survive in an urban environment where natural sources of food may be scarce.

Feeding squirrels can be a fun and rewarding activity for people who enjoy watching and interacting with wildlife. It can also help keep them from scavenging for food in trash cans or other areas that may be disruptive.

There are downsides, feeding squirrels can sometimes cause them to become reliant on handouts.

Patching up a Hole

One day, we were not fast enough with the peanut, and to get our attention White Tuft kicked things up a notch. Not only did he clamber up our screen door, he proceeded to gnaw a large chunk out of the screen hoping to catch our eye. The hole was right at eye level, so our screen was destroyed.

Giving a Screen Patch a Try

I decided to try out a screen-patch instead replacing the entire screen. The cost difference between a patch and a whole new screen was minimal, but I thought it would be a good opportunity to try repairing something instead of throwing it out.

Feeling good about the patch, I went home to tackle White Tuft’s creative artwork.

Out came the metal cutters to tidy up the chewed edges into a neat rectangle. It turned out our screen was actually made of plastic not metal. No wonder it was an easy chew!

My rectangular opening was now ready for the patch. Upon opening the packaging, it turned out that the patch was nothing more than a sticker. The patch had lining on the front, adhesive on the back, and allowed absolutely no air flow.

No matter what I did, the patch looked awful and ended up being an eyesore.

Replacing the Full Screen

Back to the hardware store, this time to buy a full replacement screen.

A Few Basic Tools needed to Replace an Entire Screen
  • a new screen
  • a roll of screen spline
  • a spline roller
  • a utility knife or scissors
  1. Begin by removing the old screen. If the screen is held in place with spline, use a utility knife or scissors to carefully cut the spline and remove the screen.
  2. Once the old screen is removed, use your utility knife to carefully trim the new screen to size. Make sure to leave enough excess screen around the edges to wrap around the frame of the door.
  1. Begin installing the new screen by starting at one corner and using your spline roller to press the screen spline into the groove around the edge of the frame. Work your way around the frame.
  1. When you reach your start corner, trim any excess screen or spline with the utility knife.

Completed & Beautiful!

Now, if only White Tuft & Sandy would learn to ring a bell for their next meal…