Most fly screens in Dubai can be repaired instead of replaced. A sliding door mesh change starts at AED 300 for one panel, and repairs to pleated, roll-up, hinged and blind screens run AED 400 to AED 1,000 depending on the screen type. If the frame is still straight, re-meshing costs a fraction of a new unit and we finish it at your home in the same visit.
We have been building and repairing insect screens across Dubai for more than ten years from our workshop in Deira. This page covers every repair we handle, what each one costs, and the cases where we will tell you a repair is not worth paying for.
Fly screen repairs we handle in Dubai
Almost every call falls into one of three categories. The mesh has failed, the screen has stopped moving properly, or something structural has bent.
| What you are seeing | What has usually happened | What we do |
|---|---|---|
| Mesh torn, holed or sagging | Sun has made the netting brittle, or something pushed through it | Re-mesh, keeping your existing frame |
| Screen sticks, jams, will not close flush | Dust packed into the bottom track, or the frame has drifted out of square | Track clean and realignment |
| Frame bent, corners opened, wheels worn | Impact, forcing a jammed screen, or worn hardware | Frame and hardware repair, or replacement if twisted |
Mesh is the part that wears out. The aluminium frame around it usually lasts two or three times longer, which is why re-meshing is the repair we do most.
Sliding door mesh replacement in Dubai
This is the most common job we get in Dubai apartments and villas: the sliding insect screen panel that runs alongside a glass patio or balcony door. The same job applies to sliding window screens, which use the identical panel and spline. The netting perishes long before the frame does.
| Number of panels | Total | Works out at |
|---|---|---|
| 1 panel | AED 300 | AED 300 per panel |
| 2 panels | AED 500 | AED 250 per panel |
| 3 panels | AED 600 | AED 200 per panel |
The price per panel falls as the count rises because most of the cost sits in the visit rather than the material. Three panels done together cost AED 600 instead of AED 900.
If the panel turns out to be past saving, a new sliding fly net door is the replacement.
Retractable and pleated screen re-meshing
Pleated and roll-up screens work differently. The netting is held in tension by cords running through the pleats, so renewing it means stripping the unit down and re-cording it rather than simply re-splining a flat panel.
- Pleated screens, single or double. New mesh, new cords, cassette and bottom track cleaned, then re-tensioned so the pleats sit evenly.
- Roll-up cassette screens. New mesh and the spring roller re-tensioned. Where the spring itself has gone, the cassette is replaced rather than repaired.
- Hinged and two-way screen doors. Re-mesh plus adjustment to the hinges and the closer so the door seals when it swings shut.
- Blind screens. The privacy blind and the insect netting are separate layers, so either one can be renewed without touching the other.
These sit in the AED 400 to AED 1,000 band. Where a job lands depends on the screen type, how wide the opening is, and whether cords and hardware need renewing alongside the mesh. You get the exact figure at the inspection, before anyone starts work.
We service every screen type we build: single pleated, double pleated, roll-up, hinged, two-way, blind, fixed frame, extra wide and motorised.
Panel, frame and hardware repairs
Not every fault is the netting. These are the structural and mechanical repairs we carry out:
- Corner joints that have opened. The four corners are the first structural point to give way. Where the frame is otherwise straight, corners can be re-fixed and the panel squared up.
- Worn rollers and wheels. The usual reason a sliding screen drags, jumps its track, or needs a shove. Wheels are an inexpensive part to change.
- Damaged or packed bottom tracks. Cleaning solves most of it. A crushed section of track gets cut out and replaced.
- Failed door closers on hinged screen doors, so the door shuts itself again instead of standing open for every mosquito in the garden.
- Handles, magnets and brush seals. Small parts, all changed during the same visit.
Which screens in your home usually go first
If you are trying to work out how many panels to have done, this is the order we normally find them failing.
| Opening | Why it fails first | Typical repair |
|---|---|---|
| Balcony and patio sliding doors | Opened and closed daily, and fully exposed to sun and wind | Mesh change, sometimes rollers |
| Kitchen windows | Cooking heat and airborne oil stiffen the netting faster | Mesh change |
| West facing bedrooms | Hours of direct afternoon sun make the mesh brittle | Mesh change |
| Ground floor villa windows | Garden debris, pets and children reach them | Mesh change, pet resistant weave |
| High floor apartments | Wind load rather than wear, so frames distort before mesh tears | Realignment or frame work |
Because the per panel price drops with volume, most villa owners have the whole ground floor done in one visit rather than calling us back three times in a season.
Fly screen repair prices in Dubai
| Repair | Price |
|---|---|
| Sliding door mesh change, 1 panel | AED 300 |
| Sliding door mesh change, 2 panels | AED 500 |
| Sliding door mesh change, 3 panels | AED 600 |
| Pleated, roll-up, hinged or blind screen re-mesh and service | AED 400 to AED 1,000 |
| Track clean and realignment | Quoted at inspection |
| Rollers, handles, closers and brush seals | Quoted at inspection |
Four things move a repair price: the type of screen, the width of the opening, whether the cords and hardware need renewing with the netting, and how many screens you have done in one visit. Doing several at once is always cheaper per screen.
For comparison, a brand new screen starts at AED 450 for a window and AED 800 for a door. Our full price list covers all eight types.
When we recommend replacing instead of repairing
We would rather re-mesh your panel for AED 300 than sell you a new one at AED 800, so we say this plainly. A screen only keeps insects out if it seals along all four edges. New netting in a frame that has lost its shape will not do that, no matter how neatly it is fitted.
We quote a replacement, not a repair, when:
- the frame is visibly bent or twisted
- the corner joints have separated and the aluminium is cracked
- the screen is a velcro, adhesive or magnetic curtain net, which has no frame to re-mesh
- the opening itself has been altered, so the old panel no longer fits it
- the repair quote climbs close to the price of a new unit, where you would be better off with a fresh service life and a warranty
If you want to work out which side of that line you are on before booking anything, our guide to assessing a damaged fly screen walks through the checks, and repairing small tears yourself covers what you can patch at home.
How a repair visit works
- Send a photo. WhatsApp a picture of the screen and we can usually tell you straight away whether it needs a re-mesh or a replacement, before anyone travels.
- Free inspection. We come to you anywhere in Dubai, check the mesh, frame, track and hardware, and hand you a written price on the spot with no obligation.
- Repaired on site. Most re-meshing is finished during that visit. A sliding panel takes under an hour. Panels only leave the property when the frame needs workshop attention.
- Tested before we go. The screen is operated, the closing edge is checked for light gaps, and the track is left clean.
- One year warranty on the repair, the same cover we give on new installations.
Why screens need repairing sooner in this climate
Screens here do not age the way they do in a mild climate. Direct sun turns netting brittle, so a panel can look perfectly fine and then tear the first time somebody leans on it. Airborne dust settles inside bottom tracks and grinds away at them, which is how a screen starts binding, then gets forced, then bends. Above the tenth floor or so, wind becomes the main load on the screen rather than anything else.
Fixing a hole quickly matters more than it looks. The CDC's mosquito prevention guidance says it in one line: "Use screens on windows and doors. Repair holes in screens to keep mosquitoes outdoors." A one centimetre hole is an open window as far as a mosquito is concerned, and the same gap lets in flies, sandflies and the other pests that turn up around Dubai landscaping.
Keeping repairs rare comes down to rinsing the netting every four to six weeks and vacuuming the tracks monthly. The full maintenance routine takes about ten minutes a month, and what summer heat does to fly screens explains why the mesh gives out before anything else.
Areas we cover for fly screen repair
We repair across 21 Dubai communities, including Deira, Business Bay, Downtown Dubai, Palm Jumeirah, Jumeirah, Arabian Ranches, Emirates Hills, The Meadows, The Springs, The Lakes, JVC, Dubai Hills Estate, Damac Hills, Tilal Al Ghaf, Al Barari, Al Furjan, Dubai South, Meydan, District One, Villanova and Jumeirah Golf Estates. The full list is on areas we serve in Dubai.