Fly screen door buying guide: three jobs, one door
Updated: October 2026
The back door is open because the kitchen is hot, and something with wings has already found the gap. A fly screen door buying guide has to start with the job, not with a brand: you either want people and pets to walk through a magnetic seam, you want a cat kept on one side, or you want a rigid hinged leaf. Those are three different products on amazon.co.uk, and they are not interchangeable because a listing says "pet friendly". This page sets the order of the decision. Prices and the twelve listings in this comparison sit on the [screen door comparison](/hub/hedges-and-privacy-screens/screen-door). A qualifying purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
The back door is open because the kitchen is hot, and something with wings has already found the gap.
The back door is open because the kitchen is hot, and something with wings has already found the gap. A fly screen door buying guide has to start with the job, not with a brand: you either want people and pets to walk through a magnetic seam, you want a cat kept on one side, or you want a rigid hinged leaf. Those are three different products on amazon.co.uk, and they are not interchangeable because a listing says "pet friendly". This page sets the order of the decision. Prices and the twelve listings in this comparison sit on the screen door comparison. A qualifying purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Type | Fits up to | Fixing | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  YRH YRH magnetic curtain, 80 × 200 cm | Magnetic curtain | 80 × 200 cm | Hook and loop; pins mentioned in reviews | 9.1 | about £7.99 | View offer |
| Preis-Tipp |  SMALUCK SMALUCK magnetic curtain, black | Magnetic curtain | 90 × 210 cm | Hook and loop plus push pins | 8.6 | about £9.99 | View offer |
| Alternative |  Windhager Windhager Rhino insect door | Aluminium frame | n/a in the Amazon file | Frame kit, not a tape curtain | 7.0 | about £63.64 | View offer |
On this page
Three jobs, three products
A magnetic curtain is an insect barrier you push through with your hands full. The mesh splits, magnets pull it shut, and a dog that already comes and goes can do the same. Homefair Blinds states that these screens are not reliable pet barriers. "Pet friendly" on these listings means the animal can pass. In this set those curtains run from about £7.99 to £16.99, for flies on a single doorway you still use all day.
A cat screen is a different object. MYPIN, Earrck, and Hbzunt sell zip or reinforced mesh so the animal stays on one side. Shelf prices here are about £10.99 to £21.99, and reviews include zips that broke and mesh that split. That conflict is the cat screen door page.
A framed door is the third job. The only one here is the Windhager Rhino, an aluminium kit at about £63.64 with self-closing hinges. Windhager's sheet for model 03758 says you screw it.
Measure the clear opening
Measure the hole inside the frame, in centimetres, not the door slab in a catalogue photo. Express Doors Direct quotes common UK external leaves at about 1981 mm high and 762 mm or 838 mm wide. The clear opening is smaller than the leaf. An 838 mm leaf is already wider than an 80 cm curtain, so the 80 × 200 cm sizes in this set will not cover it. A 90 × 210 cm curtain is the closer match for a single wider frame.
Sellers do not measure the same way. Flyscreen Queen says measure inside the frame and choose the same size or slightly larger, and not to cut a magnetic screen because the hem and the magnets sit in the mesh. Tape your own opening if two lines disagree. A curtain that pools on the floor is not a free trim. One SMALUCK bullet says that curtain is not designed to be cut. The Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 9, judges satisfactory quality against the description and the price.
Frame, tape, and wind
Hook-and-loop tape is the no-drill method for uPVC. Pins and nails in these kits are for timber. Door Supplies Online warns that drilling a uPVC frame can hurt the weather seal. Heat, dust, and fresh paint are when tape lets go. Reviews of the lace curtain in this set include a top edge that peeled and a curtain that fell in the heat.
Wind is the other limit. Homefair Blinds notes that a centre split leaks air and that wind pushes the panels apart. A stay-open buckle, listed on one about £7.99 curtain here, parks the mesh aside. It is not a hinge. An exposed patio is a harder job for an about £8 to £17 curtain than a sheltered kitchen door. If the tape fights sun and gusts every afternoon, look at the framed kit. The best magnetic screen door page applies these limits to these curtains.
What the law is and is not
Hanging a removable curtain is not the Planning Portal case of cutting a new doorway. The Portal's FAQ is about a new external door, not tape on an existing frame. Listed buildings, and many flats whose lease controls the frame, still restrict fixings. If the lease forbids holes, pins and screws are a landlord question. Call a professional when you would be cutting a new opening.
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, article 14, applies to non-domestic premises in England and Wales: emergency routes must be kept clear where necessary, and emergency doors must not be fastened so they cannot be opened immediately. Northern Ireland has a parallel duty in the Fire Safety Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2010, regulation 13. A private house is not that regime. Nothing in these listings says the screen is a certified fire door.
Screen Doors rank on amazon.co.uk is a sales list, not a lab result. Figures here are the amazon.co.uk listings, read on 20 October 2026.
Common questions
Is 80 × 200 cm enough for a typical UK back door?
It is enough only when the clear opening is already within 80 cm wide and about 200 cm high. An 838 mm leaf is wider than that curtain before you subtract the frame. The 90 × 210 cm curtains in this set are the closer single-door match for a wider frame. Neither size covers both leaves of a French pair.
What is the difference between pet friendly and keeping a cat in?
Pet friendly on these magnetic curtains means the animal can walk through the seam. Keeping a cat in needs a zip or reinforced screen sold as containment, and even those reviews include escapes. Dogs that must come and go belong on a walk-through curtain, not on a zip you hope they will learn.
Can I use the pins on uPVC?
Use the tape on uPVC. Pins and nails are for timber, where a small hole is acceptable. Drilling or pinning plastic can mark the frame and is the wrong fixing for a no-drill kit. Clean the plastic first, and expect heat and fresh paint to be the moments the adhesive fails and the curtain drops.
Will one curtain cover both French-door leaves?
No. A single 80 cm or 90 cm curtain is one leaf. A review of a 90 × 210 cm curtain in this set said it covered only one side of a French pair. A patio that is wider than the title size needs another product, not a stretched magnet seam and a hope that the tape holds the overlap.
When is a framed door the better buy?
When you want a rigid leaf that closes on hinges, you can drill and assemble a kit, and the door has no rain guard in the way of the Windhager Rhino. The curtain remains the better buy for a no-drill summer walk-through on a single sheltered door.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources named below. amazon.co.uk prices, stars and review counts are from the twelve listings in this comparison. Page updated October 2026.
- Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, article 14 (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- Fire Safety Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2010, regulation 13 (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 9 (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- Planning Portal, new external door (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- Express Doors Direct, external door size guide (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- Flyscreen Queen, magnetic flyscreen door (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- Homefair Blinds, magnetic door screens (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- Windhager RHINO 03758 assembly sheet (retrieved 21 October 2026)