The advantages of door fly screens

Don't let mosquitoes and other creepy crawlies deter you from getting the doors you want. Retractable and pleated door fly screens now give you much more versatility than traditional fly screens, and can be used on all types of doors, including bi-fold, stacked, sliding and French doors.

According to Marissa Lo Certo of Artilux Australia, the biggest decision you'll have to make when choosing between retractable and pleated door fly screens is which look you like best. "It really depends on the decor and application," she says. "With the retractable fly screen you don't see it at all, whereas the pleated is more decorative as you can see the pleats but they don't obstruct your view."

Retractable door fly screens come in either single panels for entrances up to 3 metres wide or doubles, which can span up to 6 metres in width. Both run on tracks along the bottom and top of the doorway and the mesh is housed in a cassette discreetly tucked away at the side of the door. The double door has a cassette at both sides.

"When they're in use, they're completely unobtrusive, so you have uninterrupted views and in winter, when you don't want to use them, the mesh is neatly hidden away," says Marissa.

"The retractable doors are also spring loaded, which helps ensure the mesh is kept firmly in place when closed and the soft-close mechanism means that it will retract gently back into the cassette. We also offer a patented multilock system, whereby a pin lock in the handle allows the user to lock the screen at various points."

Pleated screens are made of a reinforced mesh that gives them resistance against wind and the odd accidental knock. The single screens span up to 4 metres, while double units span up to 8 metres. Because they use a tensioning system, they can be left open at any point along the doorway.

"Because the pleated screens are free sliding, some people may find them easier to use," says Melissa. "They also have a frame that is only 20mm wide, so they are great for openings with a narrow frame."

Both types of door fly screens are adaptable to windows and can run either up, down, or sideways.

You can get both types of screens in DIY form, or ask your retailer to install them for you.