Have a hole in your screen of your door or window? Here is a super quick solution on how to patch a screen at home!

There are a lot of reasons you might have holes in your screened porch or window screens. Pests, pets, branches, and bad weather can all cause rips and tears.

Getting a hole in your screen can be very upsetting. But, you don’t need to panic. You can replace the whole screen or, for small holes, patch them.

The important thing is knowing how to fix a window screen. In the past, we’ve shared how to replace an entire section of screen after our dog ripped through it with her claws. Classic dog behavior!

But today, we want to show you how to patch a screen with a heat gun, especially if we’re talking about a minor hole or a screen that’s not easily replaced as a whole section.

Mending screens isn’t for everyone – you won’t get “good as new” results. However, it’s way cheaper to repair window screens with a window screen patch than it is to replace the whole thing.

Sometimes a patch – whether just for now or as a forever solution – is totally good enough.

How to Patch a Screen with a Heat Gun

We’ve found some pretty cool ways to use our Wagner Studio Heat Gun, but this might be the most innovative.

It turns out that fiberglass screen melts a little bit, so by adding some heat to it, you can transform its properties. This makes it possible to melt a patch to an existing screen and patch it.

Supplies needed to repair a damaged screen:

• Replacement screen material
• Heat gun
• Scissors
• Paint stir stick or similar, to hold screen

Don’t want to buy a whole roll of screen? Grab a screen patch here!

Steps to patch a screen

If you’re looking to patch a hole in your screen, it’s as simple as having some extra screen and a heat gun.

STEP 1: cut a patch

First cut out a piece of extra screen slightly larger than your hole to serve as your patch.

STEP 2: place over hole

Next, line up your screen patch over they hole, then use a piece of wood or something to hold it in place.

STEP 3: Melt

Now, take the heat gun and blow it on the patch and slightly melt the screens until they fuse together.

This will put off some melted plastic smoke for a few seconds, so make sure you’re upwind or wearing a mask.

Work the heat around the edge of the patch and near the hole until it has fused into one piece.

It doesn’t look 100% exactly like a new screen, but if you’re repairing a small hole or have a piece of screen that is too big to replace, this is perfect.

This area is our screened in porch, and the screens are oversized and nailed in behind boards, so it’s not an easy replacement.

Knowing how to patch a screen with a heat gun made this a whole lot easier for us!

Be sure to check out our guide on 3 ways to repair a screen door.

Any questions on how to fix small holes in screens?