Best timber for insect screen frame?

[IanB]

I want to make insect screens for an old Victorian house, so I want to make the frames from timber.

They will be fitted to the outside of the window. Some will be under a verandah and some will be fully exposed to the weather.

What is the best timber to use for this?

[Jewelleryrescue]

Hi @IanB 

I like cedar for this roll as it is easy to work with and light weight and is of that houses period.

But rare to get and  expensive so I would  be taping into recycled timber  places and  recycling house  shops and you be pick up  bargins in gumtree.

As you are recycling and remaking the  frames it dosnt matter if you get an old half damaged   piece of  wood you can trim the good bits out of it.

I would also  contact building firms in your area and get chummy  with  them as they are the ones that do the house dismanteling before house rebuilding  so you can get in on the ground floor before  the massive  prices at recycled wood and house parts  shops.

We  used to go into  country areas and some times buy loads of  bricks as we needed and cleaning up their site they almost paid us to do it.

Consider the timber in old  furniture like old  church pews and bed frames it might be just what you want.

The windows where  of reasonably uniform size  back then you might be able to pick up  a few frames intact

There are other timber types  too.

But if you are  painting them  just use  pine sealed  with  paint with the old fashion router mouldings would be the way to go.

Have fun in you project.

[IanB]

Hi @Jewelleryrescue 

You’ve got some great ideas and suggestions, thank you. Unfortunately I don’t have time to search around for recycled timber - I’ll need to buy new timber. 

And yes, I’ll be painting them to match existing windows colours. 

I was thinking pine would be too soft for exterior use (and hence not long lasting?) even though they will be painted. I was wondering if a harder timber would be required. Any thoughts (from anyone)?

[Jewelleryrescue]

Hi @IanB 

As long as any timber is properly sealed with  paint is the key to its longer life. 

At bunnings 

Looking at decking timber may be your best option Merbau decking . spotted gum is hardwood   

Another  extremly hard wearing hard wood I suggest will suit your needs very well is  is Karri  Weather  resistant and  durable. The boards  come in 135mm x 19 thick  At $7.92  per linear meter

The boards can be down sized to your  insect framing needs.

See  what you  think.

[JacobZ]

Hi @IanB,

A warm welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community and thank you for your question.

For external use, you'll want to look at hardwood which is naturally resistant to weathering or LOSP treated pine.

LOSP pine is likely your best option as it is readily available in stores, comes pre-primed and is treated for external use. Once sealed properly with external paint, it is just as good as hardwood for external applications.

It comes in a wide range of profiles that can be tailored to many uses. Without seeing the windows, it would be hard to say what is best, but I'd be happy to suggest a specific profile if you can upload some images of the windows.

Let me know if you need a hand uploading images, I'm happy to help if required.

Jacob

[IanB]

Thanks @Jewelleryrescue and @JacobZ I appreciate your feedback.

Photo below - this one is under the verandah. I'm planning to use a plain rectangular profile, probably something like 70 x 19 (or whatever standard size is close to that). I like @Jewelleryrescue's suggestion of the hardwood, but I think I will take the easier option this time of using LOSP treated pine. I won't fit 5.4m lengths in the car, does it come in shorter lengths e.g 2.4m?

How do you usually attach them to the window frame? Note that one window is painted shut, the other can be opened.