Mosquito Nets for Doors of Every Kind

A hinged screen door is the oldest and still the most dependable way to screen a busy single door. It is a rigid framed panel, so it shrugs off bumps, pushes and dogs far better than any folding or rolling system. It hangs on its own hinges, usually opening outwards so it does not clash with the main door opening inwards.

The details make it work. A soft closer or spring hinges bring it shut behind you; a magnetic catch holds it closed against the wind; a solid kick plate at the bottom stops feet and buckets tearing the mesh; a mid-rail at hand height gives you somewhere to push. Near the coast, stainless hinges and screws are essential.

French doors are the opening people most often ask about. Because they are a pair hinged at each side, a net has to avoid their swing. If they open inwards, the net goes outside, across the face of the opening or within the outer reveal; if outwards, the net goes on the room side.

A pair of pleated nets meeting in the middle is the neatest answer for most French doors, folding to slim posts by day. A pair of hinged screen doors works where traffic is heavy. A sliding net across the face is possible where there is wall to park it. We look at the reveal depth, the handles and the curtains before recommending one.

Older houses bring tall double doors, sometimes with fanlights above, deep laterite reveals, and timber frames that have settled out of square. Doors may open onto a balcão or a verandah, and many have timber shutters or grilles in front. Each of these affects where a net can go.

We measure diagonals as well as widths and heights, and pack the net frame to true so it closes evenly. Fanlights can be screened with a fixed mesh panel so the door net does not need to be full height. Where the timber is historic, we fix to the reveal rather than drilling the door frame wherever possible.

Doors near the sea face salt and driven rain. Aluminium frames with a good powder coat or anodised finish, stainless fixings, and polyester or coated fibreglass mesh hold up; plain steel mesh rusts and stains quickly. On pet doors, choose a pet-resistant mesh, which is thicker and much harder to tear.

Dark mesh is the least visible from inside. A visibility band at eye height on glass-adjacent screens stops guests walking into them in bright light.

Seeing how each system opens and closes on a doorway helps. The mosquito net chooser on this page lets you pick an opening and slide hinged, sliding and pleated screens open and closed, so you arrive at the visit knowing what appeals.