Pleated Mosquito Nets for Doors and Wide Openings

The net itself is a band of mesh — usually polyester, sometimes fibreglass — heat-set into crisp pleats. Thin cords run horizontally through holes near the edge of every pleat, from the fixed post to the moving post, keeping the pleats equally spaced as the net opens and closes. Without the cords the mesh would bunch at one end.

The net runs between a top guide fixed to the head of the opening and a bottom guide on the floor. The parking post is fixed to one jamb; the handle post carries the leading edge and closes against a magnetic strip or a catch on the opposite side. A good system feels light and even to pull, with no sagging in the middle of the run.

Pleated nets are measured in three widths and three heights, because few openings are truly square. In older Goan houses, laterite walls and timber frames that have moved over decades can mean a difference of a centimetre or more between top and bottom. The guides must run parallel, so we pack and shim the frame to true rather than follow the uneven wall.

The way the doors swing decides where the net goes. Inward-opening French doors need the net on the outside face, or inside a deep reveal beyond the door's swing; outward-opening doors take the net on the room side. We check that door handles, bolts and the curtain stack all clear the parked posts.

Salt air attacks aluminium that is poorly finished, and corrodes plain steel fixings within a season or two. We use powder-coated or anodised frames, stainless fixings and polyester mesh, which does not rust. Rinsing the guides and the mesh with fresh water every few weeks near the coast stops salt building up and stiffening the cords.

Wind is the main concern. A closed pleated net acts as a broad, soft sail; on a sheltered verandah it is barely noticed, but on an exposed elevation a strong gust can push the mesh out of its guides. Many owners simply open the net and close the doors during storms. If the house is shut for the rains, leave the nets folded behind closed doors.

Charcoal and black mesh are the least visible from inside, because the eye looks through dark mesh more easily than pale. Grey and white frames can match a painted timber door; dark frames suit modern openings. For a doorway framing a view, we suggest a dark mesh with a frame colour matched to the door.

A fine mesh keeps out the smallest biting insects but reduces airflow slightly; a standard mesh breathes better. In a breezy coastal house, airflow is usually worth more than the last fraction of protection.

French doors often have curtains, and many older houses have timber shutters too. Pleated nets take very little depth, which makes it easier to fit all three in one opening. We plan the order from outside in — shutters, doors, net, curtains — and make sure the curtain track projects far enough that curtains draw freely past the parked posts.