To make an aluminium fly screen frame, measure the window’s screen opening, cut four lengths of 25 x 11mm fly frame, and join them with plastic corner stakes.
Then roll the mesh into the frame’s channel with spline. Order the frame already cut to size and the whole job takes about 30 minutes per screen.
Buy A Length stocks fly frame in 11mm and 9mm profiles across more than a dozen powder coat and anodised finishes, plus the matching corner stakes. You enter the exact lengths you need and the frame is cut before dispatch.
What you need
From Buy A Length:
- Fly frame: the 25 x 11mm profile suits most Australian window screens. It’s sold in 5.0m lengths or cut to your sizes from a 250mm minimum. See every fly frame colour in stock.
- Corner stakes: four per screen. Use the 11mm fly frame corner stake with 11mm frame, or the 9mm stake with 9mm frame. Stakes are sized to the frame, so they don’t mix.
- Sliding screen parts: if the screen slides, flyscreen tracks and the Flyscreen Accessories section of the parts rangecover the rest.
Mesh and spline (trade rolls):
- Black aluminium insect mesh, 1,220mm x 30m roll. One roll covers a houseful of window screens.
- Spline 4.0mm (870m roll) or Spline 5.3mm (457m roll). Verify which spline size suits the 11mm and 9mm fly frame channels]
These are trade quantities. Doing one or two screens? A hardware store will sell mesh and spline by the metre.
Tools:
- A spline roller
- A sharp utility knife and a tape measure
Don’t use security mesh here. The 316 stainless steel mesh in our mesh range uses 0.8mm wire and is built for security doors. It’s far too heavy to roll into a fly frame channel with spline.
Need a set of frames cut for a whole house? Send us your sizes and we’ll help you build the order.
Step-by-step: building the frame
Step 1: Measure the opening
If an old screen exists, measure the old frame. That’s the most reliable number you’ll get.
No screen? Measure the screen channel in the window frame at the top, middle and bottom for width, and at both sides for height. Use the smallest figures. Windows are rarely square, and a screen built to the largest measurement won’t go in.
Step 2: Work out the cut lengths
You need two lengths for the sides and two for the top and bottom. Take the finished screen size and deduct the allowance the corner stakes add at each end.
Write the four numbers down and check them twice. Cut items are made to your numbers.
Step 3: Order the frame cut to size
Search “fly frame”, choose your colour, and enter each length in millimetres. Use “+Add More” to put the sides and the top and bottom on separate lines under the same profile.
Ordering cut lengths matters more for fly screens than people expect. A 5.0m length won’t fit in most cars and bends easily in transit. Four short pieces arrive straight, and you pay for the aluminium you use, not a bar of offcuts.
Step 4: Assemble the corners
Push a corner stake firmly into one end of a side length, then press the matching top or bottom length onto the other leg of the stake. Repeat at all four corners. A rubber mallet helps if a stake is tight. A hammer will dent the frame.
Lay the frame flat and measure both diagonals. If they match within a couple of millimetres, the frame is square. If they don’t, push the long diagonal gently until they do.
Step 5: Fit the mesh
Lay the mesh over the frame with about 50mm overhanging every side. Starting at one corner, press the spline into the channel with the roller, trapping the mesh as you go. Do the first long side, then the opposite side, then the two short ends.
Keep the mesh snug, not drum-tight. Over-tensioning is the most common reason a new screen bows inward along the long sides.
Step 6: Trim and fit
Run the utility knife along the outside edge of the spline to trim the excess mesh, with the blade angled away from the spline so you don’t cut it. Then fit the screen into the window’s screen channel.
Which fly frame should you choose?
The 25 x 11mm frame is the standard for most Australian window screens. The 9mm frame is thinner and suits windows with a shallower screen channel. The quickest way to know is to measure the thickness of the old frame or the depth of the channel it sits in.
For colour, match the window frame. These finishes are regularly stocked in fly frame:
- Stone Beige Matt GD247A
- Anodic Natural Matt GY235A
- Dune Matt GL252A
- Deep Ocean Matt GJ203A
- Lexicon White Matt
- Duralloy Charcoal Gloss
- Duralloy Anotec Mid Bronze
Stock moves hourly, and the site shows only what’s actually in stock, along with how many lengths are left. If a colour isn’t showing, it isn’t available today.
Ready to build? Order fly frame cut to your required size.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Building to the largest measurement. Out-of-square windows need the screen built to the smallest one.
- Mixing 9mm and 11mm parts. Corner stakes are sized to the frame. Check both before you order.
- Over-tightening the mesh. It pulls the long sides inward. Snug is enough.
- Skipping the diagonal check. A frame 4mm out of square will fight the window channel forever.
Is it cheaper to make your own fly screens?
Usually, yes, if you’re doing more than one or two. The parts are inexpensive, and corner stakes cost about a dollar each. Most of the cost of a made-to-measure screen is labour and the trip to measure. If you can measure accurately and have an afternoon, a houseful of screens is a manageable weekend job.
Fixing a screen door rather than a window screen? Our guides to screen door frames and fly screen extrusions cover the heavier door profiles.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you make an aluminium fly screen frame?
Measure the window’s screen opening, cut four lengths of 25 x 11mm aluminium fly frame, and join them with corner stakes. Check the diagonals for square, roll the mesh into the channel with spline, then trim the excess.
What size fly screen frame do I need?
Measure the old screen if you have one. If not, measure the window’s screen channel at three points each way and build to the smallest width and height, less the corner stake allowance.
What is the difference between 9mm and 11mm fly screen frame?
The figure is the frame’s thickness. The 25 x 11mm frame suits most Australian window screens, and the 9mm frame suits shallower screen channels. Each uses its own corner stake.
Can I buy fly screen frame cut to size?
Yes. Buy A Length cuts fly frame to the millimetre length you enter at checkout, from a 250mm minimum. In-stock orders are dispatched within 24 hours on business days.
Why is my new fly screen bowing?
The mesh was rolled in too tight, pulling the long sides inward. Take the spline out of the long sides, ease the mesh off a little, and roll it back in.
Get Your Fly Screen Frame Cut to Size
Buy A Length has supplied the aluminium trade since 2006. We stock more than 2,700 extrusion profiles and cut every one to the millimetre. For fly screens, that means four straight pieces in the right colour and a set of corner stakes, all in one order.
Order fly frame in your colour, browse the corner stakes and accessories, or call 1300 720 838 if you’d like a hand with the cut list.
