Fly Screens in Australia: The Complete Guide
Fly screens in Australia: the complete guide
Tired old screens, a rental you cannot drill into, a stacker door nothing seems to fit. There is a way through all three.
Fly screens are standard equipment in Australian homes, which is exactly why so many of them are twenty years old, torn at the corners or missing from the one door you use most. This guide compares the real options, opening by opening, including the ones we do not sell.
★★★★★ Rated 4.7/5 on Trustpilot. Cut and sewn to your measurements in our workshop.
Australia lives with its doors open. The screens have not kept up.
Between bush flies in summer, mozzies after every rain, and evenings on the deck, an Australian home asks more of its fly screens than almost anywhere else on earth. Yet most of what protects our windows was fitted when the house was built: aluminium frames that have oxidised, spline that has shrunk, mesh that tears a little more each season.
And in parts of the country, this is more than comfort: health authorities remind us every wet season that mosquitoes here can carry Ross River virus. A screen that actually seals the opening is the simplest protection there is: no spray, no smoke, nothing on your skin.
The four families of fly screens in Australia
Not every opening needs the same answer, and two of these four are products we do not make. Here is how they really compare.
| Format | Best at | Its limit |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed aluminium screen | Windows you never open wide; the classic hardware-store fit | Rigid sizes, visible frame, usually screwed in: not for rentals, not for odd shapes |
| Security screen with mesh | Intrusion protection first, insects second | A different product for a different problem, at a very different budget; needs professional installation |
| Retractable (roller) screen | Disappearing completely when not in use | Boxed mechanics that live in dust and UV; see our honest comparison |
| Magnetic, made to measure | Any size or shape, fitted in minutes without a single hole | The mesh stays visible; you take it down yourself for winter if you want it gone |
Our lane is the fourth: a fine fibreglass mesh cut and sewn to your exact measurements, held by a discreet adhesive band on the frame, no drilling. It is the option that fits the openings the other three give up on.
What works where in an Australian home
Sliding and stacker doors
The defining opening of Australian living, and the hardest to screen off the shelf. A made-to-measure large-opening magnetic screen covers the full width in one fabric piece, with a sewn panel roughly every 100 to 120 cm so you walk through where you actually pass. No track on the floor, no rollers to jam with deck sand.
Windows
For a standard window, a magnetic window fly screen replaces a tired aluminium insert without touching the frame. For louvres, casements or anything non-standard, made to measure is the point: the screen is cut to your millimetres, not to a catalogue.
Front and back doors
A magnetic door screen opens in the middle and closes behind you: hands full, dog through, done. It suits the door you use fifty times a day better than anything you have to slide or unclip.
Campervans and skylights
Odd shapes are where custom earns its keep: we cover campervan and motorhome openings cut to the vehicle, and roof windows with a velcro fixing that holds on a slope.
Screens you can take to the next place
Nothing to drill
The screen holds on an adhesive band on the frame. No holes, no screws, no conversation with the property manager.
Bond-safe removal
When you move out, the screen comes down and the band peels off. The frame is as you found it.
A tip for the heat
Fit it on a clean frame, out of the midday sun, and let the band settle before hanging the mesh: adhesive cures best on a cool surface.
Seasonal by nature
Magnets mean you can take the mesh down for winter and put it back in spring, in seconds, without re-sticking anything.
What our mesh stops, and what it does not
The fabric is E-glass fibreglass woven at 18×16 threads per inch, fire-rated M2. That weave is the balance point: tight enough to stop mosquitoes and flies, open enough to keep the breeze and the view. Full details on the technical specifications page.
Being straight with you: this is not a fine midge mesh. Very small biting midges and sandflies can get through an 18×16 weave, ours included. If midges are your main problem, on the coast at dusk for instance, you need a specialist ultra-fine mesh and the reduced airflow that comes with it. For mozzies and flies, which is most of Australia most of the time, our weave does the job while letting the house breathe.
Looked after, the mesh lasts 8 to 20 years, and every part of the fixing can be replaced on its own.
When to order: before the season, not during it
The Australian season runs roughly October to April, peaking in the warm months after rain. A made-to-measure screen takes 6 to 9 business days to make before shipping, so the smart window to measure and order is September: your screens are up before the first real wave of mozzies, not three weeks into it.
Measuring is the only thing we ask of you, and it takes ten minutes with a tape: the measuring guide shows exactly where to run it for each type of opening. Fitting is tool-free and takes about ten minutes more.
Your questions on fly screens in Australia
Can I fit a magnetic fly screen in a rental?
Yes, that is the point of the format: the screen holds on an adhesive band, with no drilling, and removes without residue when you leave. Your bond never enters the conversation.
Will it cover my sliding or stacker door?
Yes. The screen is made to your exact width in one fabric piece, with a sewn walk-through panel roughly every 100 to 120 cm. No floor track, no rollers.
Does it stop midges and sandflies?
Honestly, no. Our 18×16 E-glass weave stops mosquitoes and flies while keeping airflow; very small biting midges can pass through it. If midges are your main issue, you need a specialist ultra-fine mesh.
How long does made to measure take?
6 to 9 business days of making before shipping, and standard sizes ship within 24 to 48 hours. Order in September and you are screened before the season peaks.
Does the heat affect the adhesive band?
Fit it right and it holds: clean the frame, apply out of direct midday sun, press firmly and let the band settle before hanging the mesh. On a scorching day, fit in the morning.
Is made to measure more expensive than standard?
No. A made-to-measure screen costs the same as the equivalent standard size: making to order means no stock and no waste. The configurator gives you the exact price from your measurements.
Your opening, your measurements, our workshop
Two measurements are enough. We cut, sew and check the rest.
Configure a made-to-measure fly screenOr browse the magnetic fly screens collection for standard sizes.