familyservicehub It’s wonderful to be able relax in your porch. A solid roof and floor beneath your feet offer protection against most elements. You may want to reduce the amount of outside air in your home when you are bothered by bugs, or feel a cool breeze. Screening your porch can be a cost-effective solution if you want to increase your protection. Rough River Hardware is here to help you! This project doesn’t need expensive materials or complicated tools. Just a little know-how, and some precision. We’ll walk you through the process.
It’s not enough to simply stretch the material between posts when you screen a porch. To ensure the porch is properly supported, you need to attach a support structure to it. You will need to create rectangular wood panels and then stretch a screening over them. Then, install these panels on the roof and floor of the porch.
Materials and Tools
- Speed Square
- Circular Saw
- Drill
- Laser level
- Staple gun
- Scissors
- 8-foot 2x2s
- Glass window screens
- Corner Braces
- Nuts, screws, washers and bolts
Measure the area you wish to cover in order to determine how many 2x2s will be needed. You will require three 2x2s per panel. Each panel will be 4 feet wide.
1. Nail boards for ceiling and floor
Install nailing boards to the ceiling and floor of your porch. Install the 2x2s about 1 1/2 inches away from the edge of your porch’s floor or ceiling. This will give you enough space to attach the panels. The panels should be flush against the porch floor and ceiling if installed properly.
2. Create your own frame panels
After you have installed your nails, start making your panels. These will be the main part of your new screen porch. Cut one 2×2 in half to get two pieces of 2×2 that are four feet long. This is the bottom and top pieces for your first panel. Use the speed square and screws to secure the corner brace to each half piece. Add braces at all corners. Repeat the process on the opposite side.
3. Frame panels can be enhanced with a central rail
Add a horizontal center rail at the panel’s middle to add extra strength and stop people walking through the screen. Cut another 2×2 according to the size. You’ll want to measure 45 inches. This is equal to four feet less an inch on each side. This rail can be attached with screws and braces.
4. Frame the screens with screen material
The next step is to add the fiberglass screen material. Stretch the screen as far as you can across the entire panel. Attach the screen using the staple gun along all four sides and center rail. Make sure the screen is flat on your panel. You can get the best fit by folding the screen along the edge of the panel. Use scissors to trim off excess material.
5. The screened frames can be attached to the nailing boards
Install your screens once your panels have been covered. Start in the corner and brace the panel against the corner board on one side, and then the nails boards at top and bottom. Drill through the panel to the nailing boards at the bottom and the top. Drill from the interior of the panel to the corner posts.
Attach the panels you have completed to your porch. Attach the panels together as well as to the nailing boards at the top and the bottom. It will also prevent any gaps in the installation. Continue installing the panels on your porch until you reach the opposite end.
You can enjoy your outdoor area with some added comfort that you have created.
Rough River Hardware is always available to help you. We will provide exceptional customer service.
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