Turning a security gate into a fly screen?

[laraxc]

We have an iron security gate outside our home. Is it possible to add gauze or mesh in some way to turn it into a fly screen? 

 

[Mathy]

Hi @laraxc - with modern tools and products, it’s possible to do just about anything. Would I be right assuming that this leads to your front door, and you don’t have a flyscreen door there?

How you tackle this depends upon how permanent you want it to be, and how you want it to look. Perhaps some more information? Cheers Deb

[laraxc]

Thanks for your reply, Deb! Yes, it leads to the front door, but there's a decent gap (around a metre) between this door and the front door. I'd like it to be permanent and I suppose look as unobtrusive as possible. I'm not handy though so I suppose that's the biggest constraint!

[Mathy]

Ho @laraxc - okay, so not “handy” - did you want to learn? Or do you want to know possible ways of doing this, so you can confidently employ someone to do the job? Cheers Deb

[laraxc]

@Mathy - definitely want to learn!! I just included that piece of information in case it was the sort of thing that might be doable be someone with a wealth of experience, but would be stupid to be attempted by an amateur!

[Jason]

Great to see that you are keen to learn @laraxc! There's plenty of experienced members of the community like @Mathy that I'm sure will be more than happy to share advice and inspiration along the way. We look forward to reading more about your projects and plans and seeing what you can achieve around the house and garden. 

Welcome to Workshop. Feel free to post anytime you need a hand. 

Jason

[Mathy]

Hi @laraxc -good! The first problem to solve is how to attach some sort of fly wire. Fly screens have channel on the back to roll a rubber spline into, to hold the fly wire, obviously your gate doesn’t have this. The advantage of this channel is that means you’re able to remove the screen and repair it. Since this won’t be possible for you, it really limits the screen that can be used to a metal version (less likely to tear or rot). 

The actual door section is not too hard to deal with - I’d use a metal screen, cut to size, and some aluminium flat strips. Sandwich the screen between the strip and gate frame, then drill through and fix with screws. This will enable you to remove the screen for repair, should it become damaged (which it hopefully won’t). As you can probably see, the top is a little more difficult, due to the curve. The screen will be ok, you can cut that correctly, but the fixing strip are going to be tricky. However, an amateur can absolutely do this!

I’m going to be tag @Jason , so that he can suggest some other Workshoppers who may have different suggestions - the more the merrier, cheers Deb

[laraxc]

Thank you so much!

[MartyH]

I reckon @Brad might be able to suggest something clever on this one. The tricky part is definitely creating some sort of frame. The mesh is the easy bit! https://www.bunnings.com.au/diy-advice/home-improvement/windows/how-to-replace-flyscreen-mesh

[Brad]

I have seen some people have cut Perspex to shape to fit a curved entry, some use cable ties to hold it on and to quote a friend "That is suboptimal"
One-way mesh would be rigid enough that you could cut it to fit and screw it on, it's not a cheap option though and works in reverse at night.
Magnetic frame fly screen is fairly flexible and it may follow the curve without needing some notches cut into it, I would go with an aluminium fly screen over fibreglass as it will flex less.
https://www.bunnings.com.au/permastik-1-2-x-1m-black-magnetic-insect-screen_p3962231