Screens decide whether you can enjoy an open window in mosquito season, so it’s worth knowing the cheap fix from the real one. A hole under about half an inch? A dab of clear nail polish or a small mesh patch will hold it for a season. Tears along the frame edge, holes your fingertip fits through, or mesh that’s gone brittle and gray — patches won’t hold, and the whole mesh needs replacing.
Replacing screen mesh is a satisfying DIY job: pull the rubber spline, lay new mesh, roll the spline back in, trim the excess. The tools cost less than one service call. Where screens sit in old, warped frames, though, the mesh tears again within months — the frame is the real problem.
If several windows need frames sorted rather than just mesh, CMG Bridge can measure and handle them in one visit. $125 covers the first hour, Staten Island only.