Sash window fly screen replacement

Hi all,

I have a 1 piece sash window - top half is glass and the bottom half is flyscreen. Slides up into wall cavity if you want the screen and back down for the window ... or the other way around ... you get the idea.

Anyway, the flyscreen needs replacing and I want to do it this weekend. Obviously not the 'modern' twine and roller jobby which would be easy.

From memory (it is not at my house), the flyscreen part looks as though it is actually held in place by the timber beading of the window.

Any advice out there?

Do I chisel the beading out, place new flyscreen in and replace with new beading (or can I reuse the existing)? How do I fix the beading? How do I get the tension on the screen.

I guess that the type of flyscreen would be the stiffer/cheaper stuff rather than the flexible/fibreglass stuff?

Remove the timber beading (which'll probably be nailed in) with an old chisel....it won't hurt to have new beading ready to go since the old stuff is usually weathered or brittle or both. The new beading can be nailed back in.

As for the screen, the floppy fibreglass is cheapest, the powdercoated aluminium stuff is stiffer but more expensive and the bronze stuff is expensive but typically lasts longer....and stainless gauze is best but hard to find and quite pricey.

Tension? cut your screen to a size a smidge bigger than the entire frame, place over frame then place a timber batten over one side and clamp. Repeat for the three sides then fit your battens and cut the screen to size. If you can't remove frame from window then alternative is to fit screen in-situ and tension using a staple gun then fit battens over staples.

Thanks mate - good advice.