Pool cage mesh upgrade cost
Standard 18x14 fiberglass is the zero-premium baseline on a Lake Mary rescreen. 20x20 no-see-um adds roughly $0.50 per square foot or $10–$20 per panel; pet-resistant mesh installs at roughly $1.50–$2.50 per square foot; solar screen runs highest at $1.80–$3.00 per square foot. All figures are published Florida market estimates, not this operator’s prices.
What each upgrade actually costs, and what it warranties
| Mesh | Published cost | Warranty (manufacturer-published) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard 18x14 fiberglass (baseline) | $0.75 – $1.25 / sq ft installed | no manufacturer-published warranty for this product | Backyard Showdown / Phifer |
| 20x20 no-see-um fiberglass | +$0.50 / sq ft, or $10–$20 per panel | no manufacturer-published warranty for this product | Full Screen Fix & A Screen Repair, Orlando |
| TuffScreen / vinyl-coated polyester, heavy duty | +$0.30 / sq ft over standard | no manufacturer-published warranty | Full Screen Fix, Orlando |
| Super Screen 17/14 (vinyl-coated polyester) | $1.20 – $1.80 / sq ft installed | 10-year limited warranty (manufacturer-published) | Backyard Showdown / Super Screen |
| Pet-resistant (PetScreen-class) | $1.50 – $2.50 / sq ft installed | no manufacturer-published warranty for Phifer PetScreen | Backyard Showdown / Phifer |
| Solar / privacy screen (SunTex-class) | $1.80 – $3.00 / sq ft installed | 10-year warranty — covers only sun-control fabrics, not insect mesh | Backyard Showdown / Phifer |
Cost figures blend two published bases: a per-square-foot or per-panel add-on over standard mesh (Full Screen Fix, A Screen Repair — Orlando-metro) and a full-cage installed per-square-foot figure (Backyard Showdown, a Florida editorial buying guide). Do not read these as one consistent number across rows — each is labelled by basis. A Southwest Florida contractor publishes materials-only per-square-foot figures roughly 3–5x lower than the installed figures here; that is a materials-vs-installed difference, not a cheaper market, and is not shown in this table.
Why the warranty column matters more than it looks
Of the five manufacturers and products checked for this site — Phifer’s 18x14, 20x20 no-see-um, PetScreen and TuffScreen, plus Saint-Gobain ADFORS’ equivalents — not one publishes a warranty term. The two verified warranty documents that do exist are Super Screen’s 10-year limited warranty on its vinyl-coated polyester mesh, and Phifer’s 10-year Extended Limited Warranty, which explicitly covers only its sun-control fabrics (SunTex 80/90) — its own document states it does not cover fading, and does not cover labour or removal and reinstallation costs. Paying a premium for a product with a published warranty is a different decision than paying the same premium for one without — ask which category any quoted mesh falls into.
Questions people actually ask
Is the 20x20 no-see-um upgrade worth the extra cost?
Only if the lot backs freshwater — a lake, a preserve or a retention pond. UF/IFAS identifies the moist margins of freshwater bodies as prime larval habitat for the biting midges the upgrade is sold against. An interior lot facing another house is paying for reduced airflow with no matching benefit. See the mesh guide for which Lake Mary streets the upgrade actually applies to.
Does a 10-year mesh warranty mean the mesh lasts 10 years?
No — a warranty term and a service life are two different things. Super Screen’s 10-year limited warranty and Phifer’s 10-year Extended Limited Warranty (sun-control fabrics only, not insect screen) both state what the manufacturer will replace if the product fails within the term. Neither company publishes a years-of-service figure for how long the mesh is expected to last once installed. See how often pool screens should be replaced for the full picture.
Ask which mesh actually fits your lot
What the lot backs onto — lake, preserve, pond or neither — decides this line more than anything else.
Phone: (689) 666-9380 · Email: quotes@lakemaryrescreening.com