How to fit a magnetic fly screen on timber or uPVC
Updated: October 2026
The curtain looked simple in the photo, and an hour later the top tape is peeling off the uPVC while the two halves of the seam refuse to meet. That is the usual failure, and it is a fitting failure more often than a bad brand failure. This is how to fit a magnetic fly screen on a timber or plastic frame without drilling the plastic and without cutting the magnet hem. It is not a ranking. The listings themselves are on the [screen door comparison](/hub/hedges-and-privacy-screens/screen-door). A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
The curtain looked simple in the photo, and an hour later the top tape is peeling off the uPVC while the two halves of the seam refuse to meet.
The curtain looked simple in the photo, and an hour later the top tape is peeling off the uPVC while the two halves of the seam refuse to meet. That is the usual failure, and it is a fitting failure more often than a bad brand failure. This is how to fit a magnetic fly screen on a timber or plastic frame without drilling the plastic and without cutting the magnet hem. It is not a ranking. The listings themselves are on the screen door comparison. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Fixing | Tools | Fits up to | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  YRH YRH magnetic curtain, 80 × 200 cm | Hook and loop; pins mentioned in reviews | Bullets say no tools; assembly line says yes | 80 × 200 cm | 9.1 | about £7.99 | View offer |
| Preis-Tipp |  SMALUCK SMALUCK magnetic curtain, black | Hook and loop plus push pins | Tape needs no tools; pins make holes | 90 × 210 cm | 8.6 | about £9.99 | View offer |
| Alternative |  EGNBU EGNBU magnetic curtain, 90 × 210 cm | Self-adhesive hook tape | No screws or nails claimed | 90 × 210 cm | 7.8 | about £8.99 | View offer |
On this page
Clean the frame and choose tape or pins
Wash the frame first. YRH reviewers who were happy with uPVC describe soap and water, then a dry surface. Dust, kitchen grease, and fresh paint are why tape lets go on day one. Flyscreen Queen's notes say clean, then press. A curtain stuck to uncured paint comes off with the paint. If you have not chosen a type yet, start with the fly screen door buying guide.
Use hook-and-loop on uPVC. Pins and nails are for timber. YRH reviews that mention pins put them on wood. Door Supplies Online warns that drilling a uPVC frame can hurt the seal. On wood, tacks can supplement the tape, which Flyscreen Queen's patio notes allow. Those tacks are not a reason to puncture plastic because the adhesive felt thin.
Check the clear opening before you stick. An 80 × 200 cm curtain will not grow to a wider frame. A curtain that is much too long, as in the RnCop review with 30 cm spare, will pool. Pooling is not a licence to cut. SMALUCK's bullet says that curtain is not designed to be trimmed, and Flyscreen Queen says the hem and the magnets sit in the mesh. A shop page that says most magnetic screens can be trimmed is their claim, not a safe step for this set.
Hang the top, then the sides
Stick the top first and press along the tape. Then the hinge side, then the latch side. Flyscreen Queen's order is the top and the hinge side before the rest. If you stick both sides tight and low, the centre seam is asked to close across a shorter path than the magnets were sewn for, and it gaps.
YRH reviewers who got the halves to meet stuck the middle of the top slightly higher than the corners, so the seam has a little extra length to find its partner. That is a shallow arch, not a sag. Walk through once with empty hands. The seam should fall shut without you pinching it. A gap at the meeting edge is an insect path even if the tape held.
Let a bottom weight hang before you judge the length. Stay-open buckles, on the Cascovll curtain, park the mesh aside. They are not a substitute for a seam that meets when the buckles are undone. Test the close with the curtain free, then test the buckle.
If it will not close or will not stay up
When the magnets will not meet, do not add pins at random. Fillis, a seller rather than a laboratory, says an uneven seam will not close. Unstick the worse side so the hems match and the magnets face each other. A twist in the header puts one row on the bias. Clicking the seam shut by hand, which some YRH reviewers describe, means the hang is short of a hands-free close. Insects use the minute it stays open.
Heat shows up after sunny days, not during the fitting. EGNBU reviews include thin tape, a peeled top, and a fall when the adhesive got hot. A sheltered kitchen door and a south-facing patio are different jobs for the same tape. Clean residue before you stick a second curtain onto glue. SMALUCK buyers mention glue on the frame. Warm soapy water removes a lot of it. Solvents that attack uPVC are a worse problem than the glue. If the frame is listed or freshly painted, ask before you scrape.
Do not solve length with scissors on the magnetic hem. Flyscreen Queen's patio sheet talks about folding excess rather than cutting the top join, and only where that maker allows it. A curtain 30 cm too long, as in the RnCop review, is the wrong size. Return it rather than cutting a magnet out of the seam.
When to stop DIY
Stop if the door is an emergency exit under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. Article 14 says those exits must be kept clear where necessary, and must not be fastened so they cannot be opened immediately. That is the non-domestic regime in England and Wales. Northern Ireland has the parallel duty in the Fire Safety Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2010, regulation 13. A private house is not that order. A curtain you cannot find in the dark is still a poor only way out.
Stop if the frame is listed, the lease forbids fixings, or you are about to drill uPVC because the tape failed twice. A second roll of adhesive will not become a hinge. The aluminium alternative here is the Windhager Rhino, which is screwed, and which Windhager says is not for a door with a rain guard. That build is for someone who can saw and drill or who should hire the fit.
Stop if the real problem is a cat that must stay on one side. A magnetic seam is built to let the cat through. Zip failures, including mesh split at the edge, are the cat screen door page. We did not fit these curtains in a lab. The steps follow the amazon.co.uk reviews and the shop notes, read on 20 October 2026.
Common questions
Do I pin a uPVC frame?
No. Use the adhesive tape on plastic, after soap and water and a dry wipe. Pins and nails are for timber. Drilling uPVC risks the door seal, and a pin is a hole you do not need when the kit was sold as a tape fit.
Which edge do I stick first?
The top, then the hinge side, then the remaining side. Press the tape firmly. A middle that sits slightly higher than the corners helps the two magnetic halves meet, which is what worked for YRH reviewers who bothered to shape the header instead of stretching it flat and low.
Can I cut the bottom if it pools on the floor?
Do not cut the magnetic seam. SMALUCK's bullet says that curtain is not designed to be trimmed, and Flyscreen Queen says the hem and the magnets are in the mesh. A small fold may be possible where the maker allows it. A curtain that is 30 cm too long is the wrong size to return, not a sewing project.
Why will the magnets not meet?
The two sides are usually stuck at different tensions, or the header is twisted so the magnet rows do not face each other. Unstick one side and reset it. A seam you must pinch shut by hand is an insect path. Fillis's seller note makes the same point: an uneven seam will not close.
What if the tape lets go on a hot day?
That pattern is in the EGNBU reviews: thin tape, a peeled top, a fall in heat. Clean the frame, dry it, and accept that a sun-facing uPVC door is a hard job for adhesive. If it fails twice, a curtain is the wrong tool for that opening, not a reason to pin the plastic.
How do I get glue off the frame?
SMALUCK reviews mention residue. Warm soapy water and time remove a lot of hook-and-loop glue. Avoid harsh solvents on uPVC. If the frame is listed or the paint is new, ask before you scrape, because the glue is a nuisance and a damaged finish is a larger one.
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)