Screen repair questions
Straight answers on rescreening, screen doors, mesh choices, condo rules and cost for window and door screens around Honolulu and the rest of Oahu.
BEFORE YOU CALL
Count the screens
Windows, doors and lanai panels, roughly.
Note the damage
Torn mesh, bent frame, or a door that drags.
Check house rules
Condo boards often decide lanai and door changes.
Tell us where
Any part of Oahu, coast or inland.
FAQ
Window and door screen questions
Cost and timing
The mesh you pick, the size and number of screens, the state of the frames and whether it all fits in one visit. The cost guide covers each one.
Panel size and count, the mesh you choose and the state of the frames all move the number, and you get a written quote after we see the panels.
A single window screen takes a practiced hand about ten to fifteen minutes. Ten to twenty screens is usually one visit of a few hours. A full lanai can take most of a day for two people.
Mesh and materials
Fiberglass and the vinyl-coated polyester cloths have no metal in them. Among metals, bronze and 316 stainless hold up best; plain aluminum oxidizes near the coast. See window screen replacement for frames.
On doors and low windows with a dog or cat, usually yes. The maker calls it seven times stronger than standard insect screen. It is thicker, a little duller to look through and harder to install. More on pet screens.
Mounted outside the glass they stop most of the sun's heat before it gets in, which matters most in a house cooled by fans and breeze. Details on solar screens.
That is corrosion. It is usually worst where aluminum touches a steel corner piece, a screw or stainless mesh, because the aluminum is the metal that gives way in that pairing.
Doors and windows
Rollers set too high, a bent track lip, worn wheels or a frame out of line. Most are fixed with new rollers and adjustment. See sliding screen doors.
Usually: tighten or re-anchor the hinge screws, then brace the frame if it has racked. Details on screen door repair.
Either. Inside screens sit on springs and pull out by tabs; outside screens hold with turn clips. The jalousie screens page explains how to tell.
Rules and permits
Honolulu's 2023 code update exempts exterior screen doors on houses and individual apartment units from a building permit unless the opening must be fire-rated.
Usually, with board approval. Hawaii condo law treats a unit's lanai, doors and windows as its own limited common elements, but a change that alters the building's look can need an owner vote. Read your house rules first, then see lanai screen repair.
No. Enclosing a lanai in a building already at its size limit goes through a city zoning adjustment with architect-stamped plans. Rescreening existing panels is a repair.
Australia has tested them for years. The first North American standard, AAMA 1901, was published in June 2025. See security screen doors.
Still have a question?
Call, or use the form with a short note and a photo if you have one. We answer with a written quote, not a sales pitch.