Mosquito nets on the windows are essential during the summer to ensure good ventilation of the house and to keep annoying insects outside. In this article you can find instructions for building one with an aluminum frame that can be cut to size.
Steps
Step 1. Measure the height and width of an open window frame
Most of these aluminum and vinyl structures have a groove in which to fit the mosquito net; you must therefore take the actual measurements inside this housing and subtract 4-5 mm. Older windows with wooden frames present a few more difficulties and their angles may not be straight. Theoretically, you should use an original mosquito net as a template to get the measurements of the new one.
The looms that Not they are mounted with a quarter-joint joint and are equipped with corner joints (in vinyl or plastic that are visible from the outside). In that case, you need to subtract the dimensions of these grafts from the width and length of the frame to find the exact size at which to cut the various elements of the frame and conserve space for the corner joints. Usually, the grafts are 20 mm wide, so you have to cut the various elements 40 mm shorter than the size you have detected.
Step 2. Cut the aluminum pieces of the frame using a hacksaw and respecting the values you calculated
You can easily saw soft metal like aluminum with a hand saw, making sure the blade has the right number of teeth per centimeter of length. Consult the table that you can find on the packaging of the blades or online to know this specification in relation to the material you need to cut.
- If you need to create a groove joint, just draw a line at 45 ° with the help of a protractor (or use a hacksaw with a cutting guide).
- If you are building a large mosquito net, you must also provide the central crosspieces to be inserted at the midpoint of the vertical and horizontal element, to give greater strength to the frame.
Step 3. Use a metal file to remove the rough edges left by the hacksaw
Step 4. Join the various elements you just cut with the 4 corner inserts of plastic or aluminum
If they are provided, mount the center crosspieces in the middle of the outer side of the frame.
Step 5. Secure the frame
The frame is made of aluminum, a very soft and flexible metal, and can easily deform or become out of square when the mesh or rubber edging is applied.
- Put the frame in the window to check the work; next, you need to flip it over so that the side with the rubber edging faces inward.
- Alternatively, if you have an area of the floor that you can work on to mount the mesh, lay down a plywood panel; Nail or screw scrap pieces of wood onto this panel to act as a "guide" to keep the frame square as you apply the netting and edging.
Step 6. Spread the net on the frame keeping it straight
Make it protrude about 3 cm from all sides of the frame; in this way, you can temporarily fix it in some places with scraps of edging until you have wedged it all around the perimeter.
Step 7. Pull the net to keep it a little taut first lengthwise, then widthwise
Be careful not to warp the frame or leave wavy areas of the mesh.
Step 8. Insert the mesh into the groove using the convex end of the wheel that serves to fit the edging
You can use leftover pieces of this gasket to hold the fabric in place until all the rubber is wedged around the perimeter.
Step 9. Press the rubber bead into the frame after inserting the mesh into the groove
For this you need the concave side of the wheel. Apply the gasket on all four sides by removing the temporary fastening fragments as you come across them
Alternatively, if you are using a vinyl or fiberglass mosquito net, you can immediately insert the gasket (always with the concave end of the tool) as soon as you have spread the net (with the aluminum frame it is difficult to do this in one step and it is better to provide to a temporary fixation with the edging pieces)
Step 10. Carefully cut out the excess mesh using a sharp utility knife
You can use a ruler as a guide to prevent the blade from slipping on the central portion of the mosquito net.
Step 11. Turn the frame so that the side with the border faces inward
Position it in such a way that it rests on the spring clips on the upper side of the frame; then slowly lower it to snap it into the edge, groove or bottom clips.
Advice
- If the frame is intact but the rubber surround has come loose, simply slide the wheel along the groove to re-attach it instead of building a new flyscreen.
- If the stainless steel clips are not included in the kit, you must purchase them separately to ensure a secure and secure fit.
- Maybe you can find prefabricated frames that you just need to mount with screws. The upper and lower portion are assembled with four screws, while the central area is secured with a screw at each end. The small parts used are generally made up of long hexagonal screws with nuts that are inserted on the sides.
