A Singaporean In Australia

There are only 3 things you want to do with your fly screen.

a) Install a brand new one

b) Change the fly screen. (either from fiber glass to aluminum or replacing a broken screen)

c) Tighten up a dislodged fly screen

Since I eat-full-nothing-to-do (am free) today, I thought it would be a good idea to write a simple guide so you can do this yourself too. I am going to do fix up my fly screen but the procedures are similar for all 3 tasks.

1) The problem

This is how my problem looks. It happened after my daughter (who was 2 back then) kept leaning onto the door as if it is a solid door. Of course it wasn't. There was only a flimsy fibre glass fly screen on it. Needless to say, the area she kept leaning on eventually came loose out of the groove that was holding it tight.

During Summer, these gaps will be easy options for flies to enter the house.

Since the net was only pulled out of position and not broken or tore, there is no need to replace it. We just need to re-spline it.

2) How to remove a fly screen door

To remove this, we have to understand how the screen door works. I removed the door so that I can show you the locking component of the door to hold the it to its tracks, to prevent the door from snapping out of its track anytime during usage. All doors should work in a similar way. In my case, a screw acts like a pin to stop the roller (or wheel) from moving. When the screw is removed, the roller can be pushed up. It will spring back to position when we let go. (see below)

Thus when we remove the holding pin (screws) of all four corners of the door, the whole door will be easily removable by pushing it upwards and outwards towards ourselves.

3) The Spline System

The fly screen net is held by a spline system. A spline is a coil of gasket-like rubber and it fits into a perimeter of grooves around the door, just tight enough to hold the fly net beautifully.

If your spline is broken or shattered to bits by prolonged sunning, it is available on the cheap at any hardware supplier near you.

All you need for the door is a pair of scissors (or shears if you are using an aluminum net) and a tool they call the spline roller.

The spline roller is available in many forms, ranging from $3.50 to $15.00. Every model does the job. So if you buy the most expensive one to do a once-in-a-while job, you are not showing your friends that you are rich, just an idiot. So don't be an idiot and do the right thing.

4) Roll the spline while stretching the net

The sub title described it all. Stretch out the net so your end product will look smart and taut. While you stretch, use the spline roller to force the spline into the groove. That portion pressed down net will locked down firmly. Proceed to the next portion until you reach the corners. Cut off excess spline when your the entire perimeter in completed. For minor repairs, you will only need to roll the loose portions of the net. It took me less than 5 minutes to fix my net in.

5) Fix your door back

Do the reverse steps for the removal of the door. The key thing to take note is to push the door up slightly (you can do this alone or with a helper) when you tighten the screws at the top corners. The purpose of this is to make your door slides freely. If you want a tighter door or if you are comfortable with the smoothness of your sliding already, you can skip this step. Make sure all 4 corners are secured. 

We are done! Easy as ABC. You can do this yourself at home easily by following these steps. If you are still uncomfortable in doing it, you can contact me (Perth Metro only) and I'll be happy to lend you a hand.


This is yet another example why migration to Australia is a bad idea. You have to do these shit yourself. So please don't come.