If you are looking for new or window screen replacements, you may be wondering “what screen is best for windows.” If you have begun researching, you will quickly find that there are many different types of window screens and even more types of mesh available. For the person unfamiliar with window screen mesh, the number of choices can be overwhelming.
If you want to learn about window screen types, check out one of our latest blog posts called "What Type of Window Screen Do I Need For My Project?" Today, we are going to talk about some of our most popular window screen material types and the benefits they can provide you.
Whether you are shopping for premade window screens or bulk window screen material, you have choices. These choices allow you to get more value out of your window screens. For example, some mesh types provide more visibility (UltraVue, UltraVue 2, and BetterVue) which can be perfect for million dollar views and simply seeing through your windows more clearly. Other types can provide increased durability against pet wear, sun damage, and other damage (super screen and pet screen).
These are just two of the many types of insect screen and their benefits. Other benefits can include solar protection, air-filtering, and defense from no-see-um bugs.
Below are some of our most popular window screen materials and how they can benefit you.
Super screen is indeed super. It is made from vinyl-coated polyester that is 3x stronger than fiberglass screen. It offers strength and durability:
Super screen is one of the best screens for porches and is sometimes called “pool enclosure screen” because it is a popular material for creating pool and porch enclosures. It can also, however, be used in screen doors and window screens. Because of super screen’s strength and better visibility than pet screen (see below) it is an excellent pet screen for windows.
Put simply, super screen can be used anywhere in your home where you want increased durability. We offer fixed-panel replacement window screens with super screen, sliding screen doors, as well as bulk screen rolls.
If you’ve ever given up having screens because your pets destroy them almost as fast as you can replace them, then pet screen may be a perfect solution. Our pet-resistant screen is made of vinyl-coated polyester and is 7 times stronger than fiberglass. Pet screen offers these benefits:
Pet-resistant screen can be used anywhere in your home. However, because of its decreased visibility (due to its enhanced strength) most customers do not use it for their new or replacement window screens. Many, though, do use it in their screen doors, porch enclosure panels, and catio or pet enclosure structures. We offer a variety of colors to match your home’s architecture so a pet enclosure or screen enclosure enhances or blends in with your home’s aesthetics.
One customer who gave our pet-resistant screen five stars said:
“Our six cats like to climb the screened walls of their catio. After nearly a year of abuse, there are no signs of wear. One day I looked out to see all three of our big male cats hanging on one section determined to get to a bird on the other side. No damage occurred. Truly a remarkable fabric and well worth the expense.The linen color has not faded in the West Texas sun and matches our beige stucco perfectly.”
Shop our pet window screens, sliding screen doors, bulk screen rolls, or learn more about all of our pet products and accessories – we offer pet screen doors!
If durability isn’t your primary concern but the best window screen visibility is, then UltraVue or BetterVue may be best for your needs. Both screen types provide the best visibility of any screen on the market. UltraVue is best used in window screens, and BetterVue, which is stronger than UltraVue, is best for screen doors and porch enclosures.
In addition to visibility during sunny conditions, UltraVue has water-shedding technology that keeps water from building up in your screen during wet conditions and it also keeps dirt build-up at bay for long-term visibility.
Invisible screens can be used anywhere. Many people with million-dollar views put UltraVue in their picture windows but anyone who wants crystal clear visibility will benefit from UltraVue. As mentioned, UltraVue is best for window screens but can be installed anywhere. BetterVue is best for places where greater durability is needed.
Shop our invisible window screens, bulk rolls of UltraVue, UltraVue 2, BetterVue, and our sliding screen doors – choose your mesh type choice at checkout.
When energy efficiency, sun glare, heat, or sun damage are issues, then it’s time to shop solar screen. Solar screen comes in various strengths to block a percentage of the sun’s UV rays and light. Benefits of solar screen include:
The stronger the solar protection, the darker and more opaque the screen will appear. Use the information below as a guide for choosing solar screen. You can also always contact us with your questions.
Solar screen fabric can be used anywhere in your home where you want to mitigate the effects of the sun including in window screens, sliding screen doors, and your porch enclosure.
We offer uv-blocking window screens, also called “dark window screens,” as well as solar screen rolls, and sliding screen doors. Shop all these products online and contact us with any questions!
AllergyGuard offers window-filtering advantages. We’ve all been there when our allergies affect our enjoyment of fresh air. This screen type offers filtering benefits so that pollen is caught in it before it can enter your home. AllergyGuard provides even more advantages by filtering pollution, dirt, dust, bacteria, and more.
AllergyGuard can be used anywhere in your home but keep in mind that because of its filtering structure it may affect the visibility of your window, door, or enclosure. Remember, you don’t have to use the same type of screen everywhere in your home – you can mix it up.
Shop our air quality solutions when you shop AllergyGuard window screen filter screens, Allergy Guard window screen filter screen doors, and our AllergyGuard screen rolls.
BriteBronze is a copper window screen that is designed for use on any home or business but is a great choice for vintage and historic buildings or homes on the coast. When first installed it is a bright bronze color that patinas to a deeper color with time and wear.
Use BriteBronze copper screen anywhere that you would install standard window screen in your home or business. It coordinates with copper architecture elements such as roofing, dormers and gutters to give your home a nostalgic, elevated look.
Shop BriteBronze copper window screens and copper mesh screen rolls, and contact us with any questions. We also offer rolls of pure copper screen that can be used in RFI shielding, Faraday cages, and other technical applications.
If you live in the south or on the coast, you may be particularly familiar with small bugs like no-see-ums, gnats, or sand flies that can get through standard fiberglass window screens. We offer no-see-um mesh, also called “tiny mesh” or “20 x20 mesh,” that has holes small enough even the littlest bugs can’t crawl through.
Tiny mesh can be installed anywhere in your home or business where you have window screens, a sliding screen, or porch panels. Because of its tight weave, it offers strength and durability for all applications and makes a suitable choice for porch, pool, and patio enclosures.
Buy no-see-um mesh rolls or shop our replacement window screens and sliding screen doors and select tiny mesh at checkout.
We offer a couple stainless steel options. SeeVue Stainless Steel mesh is a fine mesh designed to provide enhanced durability and excellent visibility with other benefits. We also offer 0.23 diameter stainless steel screen that is the most weather- and the most pet-resistant screen available. We use this mesh to construct our security screens that are also vandal-proof and can provide enhanced window safety and golf-ball protection depending on the construction of your window screen. The benefits of 0.23 stainless steel include:
SeeVue can be used anywhere you would install window screen mesh and is an ideal option for coastal homes. Stainless steel mesh screen comes in mill (silver) color as well as black, and is best for use in window screens to provide more durability and security. It can be used in sliding screen doors as well as it is the ultimate pet-resistant window screen. Commercial clients sometimes use it as a particle filter as well.
Shop security screens and rolls of mill and black stainless steel window screen mesh. For window screen applications, we suggest black as a mill finish can be highly reflective and decrease visibility. Contact us with any questions you may have.
Aluminum window screen offers enhanced durability when compared to fiberglass window screen, though it is less strong than stainless steel. It is sometimes called tight window screen because it can be easier to keep tight than fiberglass.
Keeps screen tight
Easy-to-clean
More durable than fiberglass
Aluminum screen mesh is best used in sliding screen doors but can also be used in window screens. It offers increased durability. For best visibility, choose charcoal or black aluminum screen.
Shop aluminum window screens, aluminum sliding screen doors, or aluminum screen rolls online.
Fiberglass window screen is the economy choice for window screens, screen doors, and porch enclosures. It is affordable and comes standard with most windows that are sold with a window screen. Here are the benefits of fiberglass screen:
Fiberglass can be used anywhere in your home, but it is best for window screens: it does not provide the durability or strength that most people need for their sliding screen doors as well as porch screen enclosures.
Fiberglass is an economy option for most of our screen products. Shop our pre-framed window screens, sliding screen doors, porch panels and fiberglass screen rolls.
With so many choices it may be difficult to choose which mesh type is best. The easiest way to think about it is to ask “which do you need the most – durability or visibility?” Most screen mesh types offer one quality more so than the other. In other words, if it is more durable, it most likely offers less visibility.
You can also mix and match the screen types that you buy based on application and location. For example, use a more visible screen in your window screens like UltraVue and use a more durable screen like BetterVue or super screen in your screen door and porch enclosure.
Another example is to use AllergyGuard in your bedroom windows to avoid waking up with allergy symptoms in the morning but to use UltraVue or security screens elsewhere in your home for best visibility or improved safety.
If you are unsure which type of window screen mesh you need, read another of our latest blogs and/or you can give us a call or drop us a line. The screen experts at Metro Screenworks would love to help you. You can also request a sample of any of our screen mesh types to see it before you buy; if you are in the Denver-area, you are also welcome to stop by our showroom in Highlands Ranch.
We offer pre-made products such as pre-framed window screens and sliding screen doors as well as porch panels for easy installation into your porch enclosure. We also offer bulk window screen material with our screen rolls – as well as many other products. If you need a solution, we can help. Shop with Metro Screenworks for high-quality and affordable options that you can count on.