Seasonal outdoor patio screens are a great option for homeowners that want to extend their living space and get more use out of their backyards throughout the year. Outdoor screens for patios provide excellent sun and insect protection and boost the curb appeal of your home. To get the most value out of your retractable screen door, it’s important to take your time choosing the one that fits your budget, structural dimensions, and aesthetic taste.
Here are some great tips for choosing high-quality outdoor screens and roller shades for patios or backyard doors.
Consider How Often the Screens Will Be Used
Retractable patio screen doors can only be used for three seasons during the year, but by adding a heat source to your covered porch, you can extend your patio season even longer. When purchasing one for your home, it’s important to consider how often the screens will be used and what the purpose of installing them is. Most outdoor screens are designed to provide shade, natural airflow, sun protection, and to keep insects out, so you can maximize your enjoyment of your outdoor space.
If you’re planning on going on vacation and will be gone for an extended period of time, it’s important to retract the screen into its home base to protect it from potential damages when you’re not around.
Make Sure It’s Properly Installed and Maintained
Proper installation and maintenance from the get-go is crucial to enhancing the performance, functionality, appearance, and longevity of your retractable screen. Outdoor screen providers typically offer professional installation services or if you’re handy, installation instructions are also provided. Plus, they’re incredibly low maintenance and only need to be wiped down with a damp soft cloth every once in a while to remove dust and dirt particles.
Look for Durable Shade Screens
Outdoor patio screens are designed to withstand all kinds of external elements including dust, dirt, some winds, rain, and more. Featuring heavy-duty materials such as fiberglass and polyester mesh along with some aluminium components, outdoor roller shades protect your screened in patio from a variety of weather conditions. Shade screens from Dreamscreens Canada Inc. also have our exclusive Wind Bar technology that protects your screens and prevent damages.
The WindBar not only helps keep the screen fabric from billowing, but it also helps create tension on the fabric from side to side resulting in a consistently taut screen. The longer the screening remains taut, the better it will roll up and down and the longer it will last.
Another great feature about the WindBar is the ability to replace a single panel of screening on site. Should the screening become damaged for any reason, we can simply replace the damaged section on site in most cases without even taking the unit down. Competitive products, if damaged, need to be taken down and shipped back to the factory for entire screen replacement and then shipped back to be reinstalled. This can get very costly.
Mesh Lock technology uses thousands of tiny bristles that crisscross through the screen to hold it in place. Under enough pressure from wind or a heavy impact they are designed to release the screen before it rips. If the screen does come out of its tracks, simply raise it to the upper limit and when you lower it, the screen will automatically go back into the track.
Ask about Warranty Options and Costs
While retractable screens are built to last a long time an tolerate a number of environmental factors, they can still sustain some minor damages from time to time, especially with frequent or improper use. Find out what type of warranty the supplier offers and how much it costs to install and repair various components of your outdoor patio screens.
For over 20 years, Dreamscreens Canada Inc. has been offering custom high-quality outdoor screens for patios, backyard doors, and garages. We’re a proudly Canadian family-owned and operated business that serves Toronto and the GTA. Contact us to learn about our products and get an estimate.