You can see that many domestic porches now have various types of screens. As of late, vinyl is considered to be the most flexible and easy to install and remove material for putting porch curtains. There are vinyl curtains available at different sizes and of 20 gauge, 30 gauge, and 40 gauge thickness, etc. the 20 gauge is easy to be fixed on to the channels, but 30 and 40 gauges may be thicker to fit into the channels easily. For these, you may have to think of additional frames for installation.
On considering wooden frames, you can make it by yourself or get the 1″ x 2″ molded frames from the home depots. Once the wooden pieces are cut, glue, or screw them up to make the frame. Then, stretch vinyl over it and staple it in place. This is an ideal method for those who want to keep the vinyl sheets in place all the time. However, if you want to remove it during the summer months, then think of other modes of installation for easy fixing and removability.
You may use grommets or clear marine vinyl enclosures to fix removable vinyl curtains to the porches. While not in use, these can be rolled up and kept in a dry place to be secured. There are also Velcro vinyl cover fixing, which his, however, less common now. However, for adding vinyl coverage onto the windows, this is an ideal approach as you get a perfect sealing of the same around the windows. Snaps can also be installed as like you do with grommets. Compared to other modes of fixing vinyl curtains, benefits of using snaps is that you do not have to screw any holes to fix, which looks very professional clean.
Various thickness of Vinyl used for the cover
You can get the clear vinyl roll up and down curtains of different gauges which decide the thickness of the material.
Essentials to Consider before Installing Vinyl Panels for Screened Porch
If you are looking for the thinnest available vinyl curtains, then you may go for 10-gauge vinyl, which is an option chosen by many. This option is ideal if you want to go for a cheap barrier; however, it may not long as long as the vinyl. The sun’s heat also may dry out plasticizers inside the vinyl, and you may start noticing the changes like cracks on thin vinyl covers.
- 20-gaugeclear vinyl
These are thicker alternative used in different situations like covering a larger portion. The cheapest among 20 gauge is the 54” clear vinyl. This is also thinner and may break down faster compared to the 30- or 40-gauge vinyl.
- 30- and 40-gaugeclear vinyl
30gauge is largely used in warmer regions, which is also very popular to be installed in greenhouses. This product comes with the same thickness as that of a credit card. Similarly, a 40 gauge can also give better insulation, and it is two times thicker than the 20-gauge vinyl, which is 1 mm thick. This can be ideally used in high-wind and highly cold environments and also on moving boats and cars etc. However, due to its extra thickness, 40-gauge vinyl may be a little harder to sew.
There are also thicker vinyl sheets like 60 or 80 gauge, but these may not be ideal for the rollup curtains you are planning for your porch.
