Straighten a Bent Screen Frame Instead of Replacing the Screen

The Problem

A screen frame that's taken a hit — dropped, pried, leaned on — goes slightly banana-shaped and stops seating in the window. Most people junk the whole screen, even though the mesh is fine and the frame is five cheap parts that come apart on purpose.

The Technique

A screen-repair pro's sequence:

1. Find the peak of the bend — sight along the frame to see where it crowns.
2. Pull the spline — the rubber cord that locks the screen into its groove. Pry an end up and unzip it past the corners on the bent side.
3. Free the screen from that side so it won't crease when the frame flexes.
4. Pop the corner keys out. The frame's corners are held by plastic inserts; disconnect them so the bent rail comes free.
5. Bend the rail straight. Work it back in small moves, sighting as you go — it takes less force than expected, and overshooting is easy.
6. Reassemble: corners back in (mind their orientation), screen back over the groove, spline rolled back into place.

Every piece of the assembly — corner keys, pull tabs, spline, mesh, even frame stock — is sold at hardware stores, so anything that breaks along the way is a part, not a crisis.