What makes a retractable screen heavy-duty
A heavy-duty screen is built around three things: an aluminium housing the fabric rolls into, side tracks that hold the edges of the fabric, and a weighted bottom bar. With the edges held in the tracks, the fabric stays taut and steady in wind instead of billowing, and there's no gap down the sides for bugs or light to get through. A motor raises and lowers it; lower it and the patio gets a wall, raise it and the housing is all that's left.
The fabrics we use across the 0% to 30% range are fiberglass-based, and on a wide screen that matters: polyester softens and stretches in heat and starts to sag between the tracks, while fiberglass holds its shape through a Montréal summer.
Four screens, four jobs
- Sun mesh — cuts heat and glare and keeps the view and the breeze, in openness factors from 2% to 30%.
- Bug mesh — keeps mosquitoes off the patio and lets the air through. See retractable bug screens.
- Clear vinyl — a transparent wall against wind and rain, and the only fabric of the four that keeps rain out.
- Blockout — 0% openness, for full privacy and shade.
How to choose between them — including privacy after dark, colour, and which openness suits which patio — is in retractable screen fabrics.
Motorized, with a wind sensor
Screens that go up and down every day belong on a motor: one remote or your phone moves every screen on the patio together, and they can follow a schedule. The part that protects your investment is the wind sensor. Clear vinyl and blockout catch wind like a sail, so the sensor raises them automatically when a gust comes through — including when nobody's home. If the house already runs on Apple Home, Google or Alexa, see which motors work with Matter.
Where they go
- Covered patios and pergolas — screens on the open sides turn them into an outdoor room.
- Balconies — in a condo, the syndicate almost always has to approve anything that changes the facade. See blinds for condos.
- The outside of sun-facing windows — stopping the sun before it reaches the glass keeps a room far cooler than any indoor blind. See blinds for south- and west-facing windows.
- Restaurant and café terraces — see screens for restaurant terraces for what Montréal's borough permits allow.
Built for our seasons
Retractable screens are a three-season upgrade here: most people get their use from May to October, exactly when they want the space. Raise them before snow and ice, and never lower a screen that's frozen to its tracks. The full hardware guide, including cable-guided systems, is in heavy-duty outdoor blinds.
Where we install
Across Greater Montréal — Laval, the South Shore and the West Island — and in Ottawa and Eastern Ontario and Gatineau, for homes and businesses alike. The visit is free, installation is included, and we go farther for bigger projects.
Questions we get about retractable screens
Do retractable screens stop rain?
Only clear vinyl does. Sun mesh and bug mesh are woven with openings, so rain passes through. For a patio you want to use in wet weather, choose clear vinyl, ideally under a roof or pergola.
Can the screens stay down in the wind?
Mesh lets air through, so it can stay down in a breeze. Clear vinyl and 0% blockout catch wind like a sail and must go up when it blows — a wind sensor on a motorized screen does that automatically.
Which openness factor should I choose?
2% to 5% for the most heat, glare and daytime privacy, 10% as the balanced choice, 15% to 30% when the view and breeze come first, and 0% for full privacy with no view.
Do they work in winter?
They're a three-season product here. Raise them before snow and ice, and never lower a screen that's frozen to its tracks.
Can I put them on a condo balcony?
Often, but almost always with your syndicate's approval, because they change the facade. Ask before you order.
Do you install screens for restaurants and businesses?
Yes. In Montréal every commercial terrace needs a borough permit, and the rules differ between the public domain and private land — check with your borough first.
Is installation included?
Yes — the in-home visit is free, and installation is included across Greater Montréal, Ottawa and Eastern Ontario, and farther for bigger projects.