How to fit a window fly screen: measure, then stick
Updated: October 2026
You have a stick-on sheet or a magnetic kit, a uPVC or timber frame, and an afternoon before the flies find the open casement. The fit fails on day one when the mesh is cut tight, the frame is dusty or greasy, or you are working somewhere you cannot safely reach. This page is the order of work for a no-drill window fly screen. It does not pick a winner. Which fixing to buy is on the [Jarolift insect screen comparison](/hub/hedges-and-privacy-screens/jarolift-insect-screen). Prices below are the 19 October 2026 amazon.co.uk lines. We did not fit every kit in a lab. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
You have a stick-on sheet or a magnetic kit, a uPVC or timber frame, and an afternoon before the flies find the open casement.
You have a stick-on sheet or a magnetic kit, a uPVC or timber frame, and an afternoon before the flies find the open casement. The fit fails on day one when the mesh is cut tight, the frame is dusty or greasy, or you are working somewhere you cannot safely reach. This page is the order of work for a no-drill window fly screen. It does not pick a winner. Which fixing to buy is on the Jarolift insect screen comparison. Prices below are the 19 October 2026 amazon.co.uk lines. We did not fit every kit in a lab. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Screen type | Stated maximum | Handle access | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  NeatiEase NeatiEase magnetic frame | Magnetic frame | 100 x 130 cm | Magnetic frame peels back | 8.6 | about £26.99 | View offer |
| Alternative |  UtauHom UtauHom magnetic frame | Magnetic frame | 100 x 150 cm | Lift the magnetic mesh | 8.1 | about £27.99 | View offer |
| Preis-Tipp |  YANGTE YANGTE four-pack sheets | Hook-and-loop sheet | 1.3 x 1.5 m | Peel the sheet off the tape | 7.9 | about £13.99 | View offer |
On this page
Clean the frame and leave the trickle vent clear
Adhesive fails on a film of dust, grease or polish, and cheap hook tape has little reserve when the surface is wrong. Wipe the flat face you will stick to with a dry cloth, then a mild wash if the frame is grimy, and let it dry. Alcohol is not a magic step. UK reviews on one three-pack say the tape still let go after an alcohol clean, so a degreased frame does not rescue tape that buyers already describe as thin. Do not tape over the trickle vent. That vent is background ventilation, and covering it blocks the opening the window was designed with. Then measure the face, not the glass. Take width and drop in millimetres at more than one point and keep the smallest pair. Compare them with the seller's maximum before you cut. A magnetic frame listed at 100 × 130 cm cannot be persuaded onto a larger opening. Leave overlap: if you cut the mesh flush with the outside of the tape, the edge has nothing to press into and the corner lifts. A centimetre or two of spare mesh beyond the tape line is the working habit on hook-and-loop kits. Handles and vents change the usable face, and adhesive is lighter duty than screws.
Hook-and-loop in order
Stick the hook tape to the frame first, on the flat face, in one closed loop around the opening, with the corners pressed down rather than stretched around a tight bend. The sheet then presses onto that tape. On a tesa INSECT STOP kit the box includes a pressing tool and a cutter, and tesa's own page says that tape is meant to come off without residue and that the net for that range can be washed at 30°C. Those two claims belong to tesa B001ULCOHK, listed at about £23.99 and 130 × 150 cm. They are not a promise for every roll of hook tape in a multi-pack at about £4 or about £13. Cut with the spare still on the mesh. If the handle is inside the opening, you will peel this sheet off to use it, so do not expect the tape joint to survive being opened ten times a day. A window that opens inwards needs the tape on a face the sash does not scrape. Press the mesh on, then run a blunt edge, not a knife, along the tape so the contact is even. UK reviews on the tesa sheet say a hot spell can still pull adhesive off the frame, which is a reason to check the corners after the first sunny afternoon.
Magnetic frame in order
Lay the parts out before anything touches the frame. The usual box is a magnetic strip, mesh, a white or PVC cover strip, corner pieces and a short manual. NeatiEase, at about £26.99 with a 100 × 130 cm maximum, says about 10 minutes in the bullets. UK reviews on that kit run from about 20 minutes to several hours, and one buyer says there was no cutter, so have scissors ready. UtauHom reviews say pushing the white trim onto the magnet can take about an hour. Believe the reviews over the bullet when you are planning the afternoon. Fix the adhesive magnetic strip to the clean face first, level, with the corners meeting. Then seat the mesh on that strip so the magnetic edge meets it all the way round. The cover strip goes on last, pushed over the magnet so the adhesive edge is hidden. That cover is where people rush and where the frame looks wavy. Corner clips, where the box includes them, go on after the cover, not before, or they fight the strip. If you run out of strip before the second window, stop. Reviews on these frames say the mesh can be left over while the strip is already gone. Forcing a short strip leaves a gap insects use.
Stop and get help
Stop if you cannot work with both feet on the floor. A high roof window that needs a ladder, or a chair on a landing, is the point where a failed tape becomes a fall. One review of a BKSAI slit sheet says it came off a high Velux-style window after a long fit. Going back up to restick it is not a small correction. The sash and roof windows page covers that geometry. Stop if a motorised roller shutter might drive into a clamp frame. That is a shutter engineer's job, not a stick-on afternoon, and it is a different product from these kits. Call someone in if insects continue after sound screens are up and stagnant water is the likely source. A mesh does not treat a breeding site.
Common questions
Do I clean with alcohol or just a dry cloth?
Start with a dry cloth and a mild wash if the frame is greasy, then let it dry. Alcohol is optional and it is not a guarantee. Reviews on a cheap three-pack say the tape failed even after an alcohol wipe. The surface has to be dry before any strip goes on, whatever you used to clean it.
How much spare mesh do I leave?
Leave enough to press onto the tape with a small overlap, about a centimetre or two beyond the hook line, rather than cutting flush. A magnetic kit needs spare at the edges too. One roof-window fit with a 100 × 150 cm frame had only about 4 cm left, which is tight if the opening is even slightly larger than you thought.
On a magnetic kit, does the strip or the mesh go first?
The adhesive magnetic strip goes on the clean frame first. The mesh sits on that strip, and the PVC or white cover goes on last. Corners and wind clips follow the cover. Starting with the mesh leaves you trying to align a floppy edge against a bare frame.
When do I fit a zip?
On a flat table, before the net is hanging. Cut the slit, fit the zip, then fix the sheet to the window with the zip over the handle. Fitting the zip in the air is the mistake UK reviews warn about on the BKSAI zip sheet.
What if the tape fails the same day?
Take the sheet down, clean the face again, and press once more only if the tape still has grip. If it has already let go on a clean, dry frame, more pressure will not invent a better adhesive. You can reject faulty goods within 30 days under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. Do not climb back to a high window to restick a kit that has already fallen.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources named below. amazon.co.uk prices, stars and review counts are from the eleven listings in this comparison. The Schiebfix listing had no featured offer. Page updated October 2026.
- NHS, insect bites and stings (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- BPCA, mosquito tips (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- GOV.UK, Approved Document F Volume 1 FAQ (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 22 (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- tesa INSECT STOP window fly screens (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- amazon.co.uk, jarolift Schiebfix B00CP3IGYM (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- jarolift insect-screen range (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- RBKC, stay safe around your windows (retrieved 21 October 2026)