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How to fit a fly screen

Updated: October 2026

The screen is out of the box, the uPVC or painted frame is in front of you, and the tape backing is the next thing you will peel. How to fit a fly screen well is mostly measuring and cleaning, then pressing, and knowing which mesh you are allowed to cut. The ten listings in our [Fly screen comparison](/hub/hedges-and-privacy-screens/fly-screen) are not one method. A tesa sheet, a MOEGFY net, a framed window kit and a magnetic door curtain each stop at a different point. Products Compared used the amazon.co.uk bullets and the saved UK review lines, dated 20 October 2026, not a workshop trial. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.

The screen is out of the box, the uPVC or painted frame is in front of you, and the tape backing is the next thing you will peel.

Our top picks

Flux Phenom Flux Phenom magnetic door screen

Best overall

Flux Phenom Flux Phenom magnetic door screen
9.0/10about £18.95
View offer
YRH YRH magnetic door screen

Preis-Tipp

YRH YRH magnetic door screen
9.0/10about £7.99
View offer
TheFitLife TheFitLife magnetic door screen

Alternative

TheFitLife TheFitLife magnetic door screen
9.0/10about £20.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Measure before you peel any backing
  2. 2.Clean, dry, then press
  3. 3.What you may cut
  4. 4.Pins, residue, and when to stop

Measure before you peel any backing

Take the width in three places and the height in three places, and keep the smallest of each. Measure the frame, not the glass. Flyscreen Queen's door notes say to measure the width inside the frame and the height from the floor or threshold to the inside top. Then read the listing as a maximum or as a fixed size. YRH is a fixed 80 x 200 cm curtain. Flux Phenom is for frames up to 80 x 200 cm. EGNBU is up to 90 x 210 cm. SMALUCK states an actual 90 x 210 cm. TheFitLife is for doors up to 91 x 208 cm.

Clean, dry, then press

Wash grease and dust off the frame and let it dry. A warm afternoon on south-facing uPVC is a poor moment to stick tape, because reviewers of the EGNBU curtain and the MOEGFY nets say the adhesive lifts when it gets hot. Painted wood is the other failure the tesa reviews name: the strip lets go, sometimes within days. Press the tape firmly and give it a little time before the mesh is loaded. An EGNBU reviewer, and a UK fitter's note on flyscreens.biz, both say the centre of a magnetic curtain should sit slightly higher than the corners so the seam meets. Reviewers report 20 to 40 minutes once they have practised, and an hour or more on the first window. Door complaints about wind and pets sit on the magnetic fly screen door page.
Flux Phenom Flux Phenom magnetic door screen

Testsieger

Flux Phenom Flux Phenom magnetic door screen
9.0/10about £18.95
View offer

What you may cut

Cut the window sheets the listings tell you to cut. tesa's UK window page says the Insect Stop sheet can be cut to size, and the kept ASIN is the STANDARD 100 x 100 cm net. MOEGFY's listing says cut to size, and the claimed pack includes a cutter. Trim framed mesh smaller than the stated maximum, and leave slack over a handle. Do not cut a magnetic door curtain to width. Flyscreen Queen's fitting note says lightweight magnetic door screens should not be trimmed, because the weighted hem and the magnet strips sit in the mesh. Window kits and sheets are a different rule, and they are set out on the window fly screen page.

Pins, residue, and when to stop

Thumbtacks or push pins are in the EGNBU bullets and in the SMALUCK, Flux Phenom and TheFitLife boxes. On uPVC they leave holes. Flux Phenom reviewers on plastic frames used the hook-and-loop and left the pins in the box. YRH's component line describes the screen and the tape, and one reviewer wanted pins and did not have them. When the season ends, warm any leftover adhesive and lift it with a plastic scraper. Family Rollo's UK note says acetone is a poor idea on uPVC. Stop and call a fitter when the opening is a wide slider beyond these stated maxima, when you need a named 30 x 20 midge mesh, or when an upper-floor window restrictor is missing. Leeds City Council describes restrictors as holding an opening to about 10 cm. If the curtain in your hand is already the wrong width, the best fly screen shortlist is the place to match the next size, not a second attempt with the scissors.

Common questions

How much extra do I allow for the tape?
A common UK fitting note is about 2 cm at the top and each side so the tape lands on the frame. That figure is not printed on every listing in this set. If your opening is already wider than the curtain, extra tape will not close the gap.
Where do I measure a door and a window?
Measure the frame, not the glass. On a door, take the width inside the frame and the height from the floor or threshold to the inside top, in three places, and keep the smallest. On a window, measure the outer frame the tape or magnetic strip must cover. A single reading across the glass misses the handle side.
Can I cut a magnetic door curtain to width?
No. Flyscreen Queen says not to trim a lightweight magnetic door screen, because the magnets and the weighted hem are in the mesh. A SMALUCK reviewer says that 90 x 210 cm curtain cannot be cut to width. YRH, Flux Phenom, EGNBU and TheFitLife are the same kind of centre-seam curtain. Reorder a wider size instead of cutting the seam.
Can I cut a tesa or MOEGFY window sheet?
Yes. Both listings say cut to size. tesa is one 100 x 100 cm sheet, so a larger frame means a join, which reviewers did. MOEGFY states 130 x 150 cm sheets and lists a cutter. Pull the mesh tight and reviewers say it tears. Leave it slack enough to peel back for the handle.
Should I use the pins on uPVC?
Leave them in the box if the frame is uPVC. Pins and thumbtacks come with several door curtains and they mark wood. Flux Phenom reviewers on uPVC used the hook-and-loop only. The tape can still lift in heat.

Related pages

Fly screen buying guide

Fly screen

Best fly screen in this set: match size, then price

Magnetic fly screen door: width, seam and the pets

Window fly screen: a peel-back sheet or framed kit

Sources

Public UK sources named below. amazon.co.uk prices, stars and review counts are from the ten listings in this comparison. Page updated 21 October 2026.

  1. GOV.UK, General Product Safety Regulations 2005: Great Britain (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  2. GOV.UK, Product safety advice for businesses (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  3. legislation.gov.uk, Consumer Rights Act 2015 section 11 (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  4. Streme, Which mesh? (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  5. Premier Environmental, How to fit door fly screens (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  6. Flyscreen Queen, Fitting instructions (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  7. tesa, Insect Stop Premium window fly screen (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  8. Leeds City Council, Window safety (retrieved 21 October 2026)