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Frame Selection...

Selection of the frame material is an extremely important decision. This material (and the manufacturing process for manufacture orders) is going to make up the bulk of your materials costs.

Our first recommendation to any customer is to limit your selection list to the Connecticut Screen Works Screen Wall System^® or to our FRM1716 frame material. These two materials are adaptable enough for almost any application, size, or shape.

For porch applications we would rate our stock frame materials as follows:

Material	Rating
CSW Screen Wall System	Superior
FRM1716	Excellent
FRM1716E	Excellent
FRM716	Good
FRM516E	Good
FRM516	Poor

Please understand that there is a huge difference between the top three materials in terms of pricing, quality, and ability. Select a frame:

That can be manufactured in the sizes and/or shapes required
Is available in your required color
Is of the quality that you would want in terms of life expectancy, finish, and assembly.
Is within your budget.
Will work with your mount selection.

You should place a higher priority on your framing material. Screen can always be upgraded or changed. "Superior" and "Excellent" materials will withstand more rescreenings, last physically longer, and are able to withstand weather conditions far better than "good" or "poor" materials.

For more detailed information about our stock frame materials use the frame materials link at the end of this column.

Screen Selection...

Selection of the screen material is also an important decision. In almost all cases, our standard 18x14 fiberglass will work just fine.

Once you pass beyond this material you will incur up charges - some are substantial and all are effected by market commodity pricing of base raw materials.

For porch applications we would rate our stock screen materials as follows:

Material	Rating
SCR18X14FIBCH	Good
SCR20X20FIBCH	Good
SCR18X16ALBLK	Good
SCR18X14BRZ	Superior
SCR18X18SS304	Superior
SCR18X18SS316	Superior
SCR18X14SSBPC	Superior
SCR20X20SSBPC	Superior

Just as with the frame material, there is a huge difference between all materials in terms of pricing, quality, views, etc.

Always determine your manufactured frame sizes in conjunction with your screen material selection. Maximum available widths of screen material may cause you to adjust your manufacture sizes greatly.

Do not throw your money away selecting a high grade screen material and a lower grade frame material. The screen material will be useless once the frame fails.

For more detailed information about our stock screen materials use the screen materials link at the end of this column.

Mount Selection...

This selection is critical to the success and longevity of your project and should be an area where a great deal of time and planning is spent. The best we can provide here are suggestions since every porch and installation is different.

Review all of our suggested mounting options even if you already have a mounting plan. Our suggestions may provide some ideas or issues you may have over looked. These are not a finite list of methods - merely the most common that our staff has used over the years. You may need to modify these or come up with your own.

The rule that our field staff always followed - keep it simple and secure. Simple: The harder or more involved the installation - the harder or more involved a removal will be if a repair is needed.
Secure: You don't want your screens blowing across your yard during a storm so be sure to secure all panels fully.

For more detailed information about suggested mounting methods please see our PORCH PANELS page and the CONNECTICUT SCREEN WORKS SCREEN WALL SYSTEM^®page.

Selections Conclusion...

In a nutshell: Frame material, mount, panel sizing, and screen material selection are all intertwined in overall planning. Each will most likely have an effect on the other which is why proper planning is so important.

Raw Goods ...

Manufactured Goods ...

Current Specials...

CURRENT SPECIALS

Help With Your Porch Project

Your preparation and research will determine how long you will be able to enjoy your finished project before repairs or replacements are required AND how easily those repairs will be able to be performed when required.

You should know that there is no "Book of Rules" that must be followed when screening your porch, balcony, or whatever it is your trying to screen. Any method is generally acceptable provided it meets any local code in affect in your area AND you are happy with the results. We recommend that you strive to obtain a screening method that:

Will best compliment your structure
Will last as long as possible
Provides the largest possible openings
Can be installed without specialized equipment and from the inside standing level
Can be repaired without specialized equipment and from the inside standing level
Can be repaired without having to basically redo the entire project
Provides a finished product that YOU want

You may be able to accomplish all of theses recommended goals and at times you may only be able to accomplish a few. You should also prioritize the goals to best fit your requirements. For example, if you have a ground level deck, being able to accomplish installation and repairs from the interior might not be a high priority unless there were shrubs or something else in the way. And remember, these are our recommended goals, you may have other goals specific to your situation that may need to be addressed during planning.

Considered the following questions before selecting materials (or a design) for your project:

First: What life expectancy am I looking for?

Most people would answer as long as possible. You must consider two elements with this question - the life expectancy of the screen material and the life expectancy of the frame material. See question 2.

Second: What is my working budget?

While you may want to answer "as little as possible", you must realistically calculate your project budget. Quality comes at a premium - spending as little as possible today may be a sound idea at the moment but you must consider your actual or expected costs over the life of the selected materials. You should calculate this out on a "cost per year" basis.

A low cost product that has a limited lifespan or one that requires yearly or bi-yearly repairs or "tune-ups" will actually cost you more (in time, money, and aggravation) over the usable life of the product than a higher cost product that is designed to last longer and require little or no maintenance.

Reality - You should understand that there are basic correlations between system / materials costs and materials expected useful life span. The key here is not to make your purchase by price tag alone. Elements to consider include:

Expected life span and quality of applied finish
Expected life span of material including assembly components
Ability of the material to be re-screened repeatedly without deforming
Ease of repair
Product Warranty
Other issues particular to your situation

Third: Is my porch built already or am I in the planning and design stages?

This is important since your selection of materials can be influenced by a currently built porch. In place structures may require modifications to accommodate installations. In some cases, modifications may be impossible which may cause you to be limited in product selection.

Building projects in the planning stages can be designed to accommodate installation requirements, if any, during construction. You should consult with your contractor and/or architect to be sure all aspects are considered.

In both situations, always finish your modifications or building prior to ordering any manufactured screen panel(s). Be sure that any modifications or designs are within the manufacture tolerances or maximums for the product(s) selected. It is generally not a good idea to order manufactured panels prior to building completion since manufacture tolerance is not forgiving and predicted opening sizes are almost never accomplished.

Fourth: Are there any special needs?

Privacy, special protection from smaller insects, over-sized panels, odd shapes, environmental conditions, winterization or off season protection, high abuse conditions, etc. All of these issues, and more, will play into your selection of materials, installation and panel sizing. Be sure to think this through carefully, special needs may limit your product selection(s) or design options greatly.

What do I do now?

Review this page completely and answer questions presented.

Review our Porch Page links to determine which, if any, of our products might be - or are - appropriate for your application.

Assemble a basic idea of the project that you would like to complete. Rough sizes, colors, installation locations and methods, special requirements, etc. Write this information down, even draw out your project...this will help when seeking conflicts or mistakes.

Review your basic idea for conflicts in sizing, colors, screen materials, etc.

Manufacture orders: (Connecticut Screen Works^® builds your panels)

Finalize all of your sizes and submit a quote request or place order.

Do it yourself orders: (You build all panels)

Assemble a cut sheet. This is your cutting plan - how you intend to get all of the pieces cut from the lengths of frame material you're going to order. (Don't lose this, you'll need it later) This will tell you how many lengths of metal to order. Always order additional to be safe.

Determine screen material usage. Calculate how you intend to obtain screen pieces required from standard rolls. (standard rolls are full foot widths x 100' lengths) (You'll need this later too so don't lose it) This will tell you how many rolls of screen to order.

Assemble the small parts list. Proper spline, assembly corners (4 per panel), hardware, etc.

Finalize your materials list and submit for quote or place order.

Contact our sales staff if you have any questions about our products or your project. CONTACT US