The Guide to Screen Porch Options

For thousands of years, homes have been built with covered seating areas that allow homeowners to enjoy the outdoors in comfort. Since the 19th century, porches have been a standard feature of many American homes, particularly in the warmer South. By providing protection from the sun and encouraging air circulation, porches create an area of the home that is often cool and refreshing.

Today, many people choose to enhance their porches with screens. These screens provide various benefits, from additional heat and sun protection to increased privacy and control over the porch environment.

However, there are many types of screen porches available, and choosing the right one is important. This guide to screen porch options will make it easier for you to find the perfect screens for your needs.

Screen Porch Installation Systems

How a porch screen is installed can affect many aspects, from its durability to how much visibility it provides.

Stapled Porch Screening

With an extremely simple design, stapled porch screening is a cost-effective option that delivers great results. Stapled porch screens use a staple and lathe system. The screening is stretched and stapled to the porch frame with studs and rails. Thin wood lattice strips — lathe — are nailed or screwed over the staples to add security. This is by far the most budget-friendly method, as it requires basic, inexpensive materials like screen mesh, staples, wood strips and basic hand tools.

Small Extrusions

Designed to be minimalist in their appearance, small extrusion porch screens are perfect for those who enjoy the view from their porch. Thanks to their lower profile, small extrusion porch screens create large openings that allow you to keep your view. Thanks to the self-tightening construction, these screens remain strong throughout the year, even when faced with strong winds or other forces.

Thanks to their low profile, small extrusion porch screens are easy to install without any large-scale changes to your porch. These screens are also highly customizable, allowing you to easily find the perfect screens for your porch.

Extruded Systems Porch Screening

Thanks to their strength, extruded systems porch screening allows for larger screens that create an open porch with clear views. With a heavy-duty frame, extruded systems often enjoy a long life and deliver great value for money. They also offer several customizable features, such as:

• Chair rails, which are placed around 40 inches from the deck height and provide additional structural integrity and character to your screens.
• Kick panels, which protect ground-level screen sections and provide even more possibilities for customization.
• Spindle systems, which local regulations may require in porches that are a certain height above ground level.
• Flat spline, or flexible strips pressed into the groove of a screen frame, which hold the mesh firmly in place and keep the screen secure.

Removable Porch Panels

For those wanting more flexibility with their porch screens, removable porch panels are a great option. The screens can be used when you need a form of pest control or want additional shade or privacy, but can also be removed to enjoy unobstructed views and sunshine. Removable screens can also be removed during harsh weather events, increasing their longevity.

Thanks to their simple design, which doesn’t require a spline or staples, removable screen porches are easy to install or remove as needed. You can also weatherize your porch to make it user-friendly in winter, thanks to additional acrylic or vinyl panels.

Different Porch Screening Types

Beyond the type of installation you choose for your porch screening, there are some special types of screens that can help to ensure your needs are completely met. Screen types that homeowners regularly choose include:

• Retractable screens: If you want to avoid removing screens, you could opt for retractable porch screening instead. These screens often use a motor to make the task even easier.
• Pet-resistant screens: Pets don’t always behave, which is why pet-resistant screens can be useful. Made from heavy-duty mesh, these screens are tear-resistant and durable.
• Winterized screens: Using vinyl panels, winterized porch screening can protect your porch from the elements, keeping it more comfortable through the cold months.

These screen types may not be available with every type of installation, so research which screens and installation types are compatible.

Different Screen Finish Options

You can refine your porch screens by choosing a finish. Each finish offers different benefits:

• Standard screens provide effective pest control, along with great airflow and visibility.
• Tough screens are designed to be more durable and are able to withstand more wear and tear.
• Solar screens offer more protection from ultraviolet (UV) rays, shielding you from the sun and keeping your porch cool.
• No-See-Um screens feature insect-control fabric designed to protect against the tiniest insects that may fit through typical mesh screens.

How to Choose the Right Screen Porch for You

There are many options and customizations you can choose for your screen porch, but it’s important that you find the right one for your home and needs. This requires considering your home and how you plan to use your screen porch.

Seasonal Use

First, consider how often you may want to use your porch. If you’ll only want to use your porch during the summer, consider solar screening to protect you from intense UV rays. If you want to enjoy your porch throughout the year, you may benefit from winterized screening. You may also wish to have removable or retractable screens, so you have the freedom to adjust your porch to the weather.

Pets and Children

If you have pets or children, you may want tough or pet-resistant screens to prolong your screens’ longevity. If you want your pets to be able to access the porch as they please, pet doors could also be highly convenient.

Customization

There are many customization options available with extruded screening systems. They can be tailored to fit inside, outside or around existing columns and pillars and be bent to follow radius wall curves. Extruded porch screens allow for large, uninterrupted spans, enhancing the airy feel of vaulted ceilings. Extruded systems can include chair rails, pickets and various door options such as swinging, sliding or French doors.

Cost and Durability

Stapled screens are widely considered to be the most cost-effective solution if money is your primary concern. With fast and easy installation that requires minimal adjustments to your porch, stapled screens are budget-friendly. However, while long-lasting, they may not last as long as other types of screen installation. For those who want their investment to last as long as possible, extruded systems could be the best option.

Find Your Perfect Screen Porch

Even using a guide to screen porch options, there are so many choices available that it can be hard to decide which is best for you. When this happens, it can be useful to chat to an experienced porch screen installation specialist.

With four decades of experience, we know how to match screen porch systems to our customers’ needs. When you come to us with your wants and needs, we’ll provide several options and explain the pros and cons of each for your porch, allowing you to make an informed decision that helps you enjoy your porch to the fullest.

To find out more about our porch screen options and how we can help you find the perfect one for you, request an estimate today.