Porch Screening Guide

Porch Screening - Comparison Chart

Porch Screening Type	Quality Features	Color	Cost
Aluminum	Lightweight yet strong and is resistant to atmospheric corrosion; easily cut with hand tools; bendable but has little springback; most popular for screened porches! Can last 30-40% longer than fiberglass	Silver; tends to show glare in bright sun; charcoal and black (almost invisible from the inside) have gained popularity	Cost less than stainless steel (about 25 – 30 cents per square foot);
Brass	Superior to copper wire mesh in abrasion resistance and tensile strength; not suitable for salt water areas; fairly stiff and can be bent by hand – has some springback	Yellowish gold and will discolor due to atmospheric conditions	Expensive (over $6.00 square foot)
Bronze	Fairly stiff, can be bent with springback; not affected by salt spray; stronger than copper	Color of a new penny but will gradually discolor over time (color renewable to bright finish with removal of surface oil)	Expensive (about 90 cents per square foot)
Copper	Not as strong as brass; cuts easily with hand tools; softest of metals can be easily bent; has very little springback.	Yellowish-brown and will gradually discolor to a greenish-blue that eventually blackens	Expensive (over $7.00 per square foot)
Fiberglass	Preferred insect screening; woven from permanent glass yarn, non-combustible, will not rust, corrode, or stain; needs to be handled with care- easily torn	Variety of colors	Least expensive (about 15 cents per square foot)
Stainless steel	Most popular woven screen; known for its strength and corrosion resistance; great for marine environments	Silver; Type 316 is approx 10% more but won’t rust and is maintenance free. It is bright so it will cause glare in bright sunlight	Relatively expensive -about $1 per square foot
Vinyl-coated polyester	Designed to resist pets and also for sun control. They dissipate heat to the framing system; it will outlast aluminum; great for hot climates	Variety of colors	50-65 cents per square foot

Privacy screens

Privacy is obtained by the combination of three conditions. For true privacy, all three conditions must exist:

• porosity - the size of the pores and how many pores per square inch
• reflective qualities of the screen fibers
• the phenomena of ambient lighting differential

So, let's talk a little more about what all this means.

Porosity
The closer you are to the screen, the amount of fibers blocking your field of vision decreases and the comparative amount of light rays passing through the pores of the screen to your vision increases. Consequently, the fibers lose priority and you see through the screen mesh as if it were not there. The further from the screen, the more predominate the fibers become.

Reflective qualities and ambient lighting
The private area must be darker than the outside area. When the background is darker than the foreground the screen mesh acts like a mirror. The more reflection in the mesh, then more light is reflected off the surface and therefore shields the background from being seen into. A covered patio or porch that is shaded from sunlight is a good scenario for using a privacy screen.

Lighter colors provide more reflective qualities. Consequently, lighter colors are often needed in order to obtain privacy when the ambient lighting differential is non-existent.

Solar screens

• Reduce energy costs by keeping adjacent rooms cooler
• Protect sun-sensitive plants
• Increase porch usage – cut down on the heat!

Solar screen is a special screen mesh that is specially designed for sun control. It is the most effective way to control the sun's heat and glare by stopping it before it enters your porch. Solar porch screening is designed to block the heat gain generated by the sun.

You can expect a temperature reduction of up to 15 degrees. That can make your porch much more enjoyable and will allow you to use it during those long hot summer days! Much like a big shade tree, exterior solar screen will help reduce your cooling costs, can reduce the load on your air conditioning and will help reduce glare.

Pet screens

Screened porches can help prevent West Nile virus

Avoiding mosquito bites is the most straightforward means to avoid infections such as the West Nile virus. Remaining indoors (while preventing mosquitoes from entering) at dawn and dusk, wear light-colored clothing that covers arms and legs as well as trunk, using insect repellents on both skin and clothing (such as DEET, picaradin, or oil of lemon eucalyptus for skin and permethrin for clothes). (Our note: Using 18 x 24 or 20 x 20 mesh porch screening helps to keep mosquitoes out of your porch.)

If one becomes infected, generally, treatment is purely supportive: analgesia for the pain of neurological diseases; rehydration for nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea; encephalitis may also require airway protection and seizure management.

From 1999 through 2001, the CDC confirmed 149 West Nile virus infections, including 18 deaths. In 2002, a total of 4,156 cases were reported, including 284 fatalities. Thirteen cases in 2002 were contracted through blood transfusion. The cost of West Nile-related health care in 2002 was estimated at $200 million.

In 2004, there were only 2,539 reported cases and 100 deaths. In 2005, there was a slight increase in the number of cases, with 3,000 cases and 119 deaths reported. 2006 saw another increase, with 4,269 cases and 177 deaths. In 2007, the number of cases reported decreased to 3,623 and the number of deaths dropped to 124.

Current case counts across the United States - as maintained by the US Center for Disease Control. More information from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) can be found here.

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