JoshHobbs.com Solar Screen Services

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Saturday, December 3, 2011

Tech Tips for DIY's: Mounting Screws

Tech Tip for the Do it Yourselfers
What kind of screws we as professionals here in Austin TX use (when needed) to screw on our Solar Window Screens.

Question :  Mounting Screws.  What kind of screw to use when screwing on a solar screen to a window's metal frame, a wood frame window or wood trim around a window. 


Answer :  There are two screws we use, we use a self-threading Tek Screw and a Wood Screw with 1/4" nut heads.  We use 3/4" and 1" lengths.  The 1/4" nut heads are just a personal preference, as our drills are stocked with 1/4" nut drivers.  Tek screws are only used for screwing into metal.  When screwing into plastic or wood, you would always use a wood screw.  A Tek screw has a sharp bit on it to bore out a hole (basically pre-drill a hole) into metal, which is imperative unless you want to try to pre-drill with drill bits all your holes.  Anyhow, with a Tek screw you would hold the screen in place and simply screw the tek screw through the screen's frame right into the window's metal frame.  If you are screwing into plastic or wood, you would ALWAYS want to use wood screws.  You would never use a Tek screw when screwing into plastic or wood because you don't want to pre-drill (bore out) a hole.  A wood screw will by force and pressure make it's own hole as it's being drilled in.  This is what you want when you mount to plastic or wood.  You want the screw to fit into the plastic or wood  as tight as possible, which means no pre-drilling.  I emphasize this becasue I have seeen SOOOO many times where novice installers have screwed screens to the wood trim around a window using Tek screws only for where those screws were screwed into to become a weak spot over the years and the screw no longer held into the wood, thus the screw and the screen will easily come out. 

For the Self Installers out there ...
"Never use Self-Threading Tek screws when screwing into wood.  I see all over town installs where people have screwed into wood using Tek screws and now the screws have come loose due to rot. Only use wood screws when screwing into wood." 

At JoshHobbs.com we install Solar Screens in the Austin TX area.  At JoshHobbs.com we do not ship or sell our solar screens for self-installers and we only install the screens that we build.  To learn more about our solar screen services and to get installed pricing, please visit our website at  
JoshHobbs.com Solar Screen Services 


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