The screen door to my laundry room has been an eye sore for several years now. The previous owners had done various modifications to it and then someone had knocked holes in the screen. It still had its original spring hinges, which were a real pain when trying to bring loads of clothes in and out of the room. I always ended up wedging something in it to hold it open. Another issue was wind. The windows in the room need to be replaced and if the wind blew a certain way, it would blow the door open and then slam it since there was no latch on it. So, I decided to remedy these issues.
The first step was to carefully remove the molding around the screen. This is simple, since its just held by tiny finish nails. After removing the moldings, I then took all the old screen off and threw it away. If I had more time I would have then removed all the nails and staples, but since I only had a few hours I just used a hammer and knocked them all in flush with the wood. I then took a new roll of window screen and rescreened it, being sure to hold the screen tight as I stapled it in place. A pair of scissors easily cut the material to size. I then reinstalled the molding using new 3/4" finish nails.
The next step was to repaint the door. Normally I would have done this before putting the new screen on, but because the screen was grey rather than black, I painted it all together.
Next I removed the old spring hinges and replaced them with a dark bronze finish hinges. These look better with the door and allow it to stand open.
I next installed a gate latch, so that the door wouldn't open on its own from the wind. It opens just like a gate and then you just push it closed and it latches itself back.
And there you have it. Just a couple of hours work and this door is like new again.
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