Stop your dog and cat shredding the flyscreens

Usually yes, within a couple of weeks, and in the meantime the screen survives. Pets scratch flyscreens because there is something on the other side they want, so pet-resistant mesh does not stop the scratching, it stops the damage, and the screen still works after a few weeks of testing. Most dogs and cats give up trying within a fortnight once nothing happens when they push.

Go straight to the reinforced polymer pet-resistant mesh. Its 0.80 mm strand is almost three times the thickness of standard 0.28 mm fibreglass, and the polymer flexes under pressure rather than snapping, so a claw strike does not propagate along the weave line. It resists scratching, jumping, leaning and accidental impacts, and in a household with active pets it routinely lasts 8 to 15 years. A large dog, a serial cat-climber, or a screen you have already replaced twice all point to this tier.

For one quiet cat with occasional clawing, yes. Super Heavy Duty mesh uses 0.46 mm aluminium wire, almost double the strand thickness of standard fibreglass, and because it is metal rather than fibre it will not shred or unravel along the weave. It handles most domestic scratching, light cat-climbing and accidental impacts, and lasts roughly 4 to 8 years in a pet household. It also costs less per metre than pet mesh, so it is the smart compromise when the pets are small or quiet or the budget is tight. A determined climbing cat, multiple pets or a large dog are better matched to the pet-resistant polymer.

In a household with active pets, standard fibreglass typically gets damaged within 6 to 18 months. Super Heavy Duty aluminium routinely lasts 4 to 8 years, and pet-resistant polymer routinely lasts 8 to 15 years. The gap comes down to the strand: fibreglass snaps one strand at a time and then unravels along the weave line, while the aluminium wire and the reinforced polymer both hold their shape under the same clawing.

Yes, slightly. The pet-resistant polymer strands are thicker, so the weave is more visible. Super Heavy Duty aluminium looks closer to standard mesh but with a metallic sheen. From inside the room either is barely different. From outside and close up you can tell the strands are heavier, but most people would not notice unless they were looking for it.

Measure the inside of the screen frame and add about 50 mm to each dimension to allow for the spline, then pick the next-largest stocked width. Pet-resistant mesh comes in 910 mm, 1220 mm and 1520 mm. The 910 mm width suits standard window screens and single-leaf screen doors, 1220 mm suits wider patio sliding screens and big stacker-door panels, and 1520 mm suits full-height patio screens, French doors and oversized stacker openings. For one panel order cut-to-size; for several panels a roll is the better buy.

Measure the frame groove and match the spline to the mesh you are actually fitting, not to the spline that came out. Pet mesh is noticeably thicker than standard fibreglass, so it takes up more room in the groove and fitting it usually needs a smaller spline than the one you removed. Ordering the same size out of habit is the single most common re-order in this category, so check the groove and buy the mesh and spline together.

Yes. Both the pet-resistant polymer and the Super Heavy Duty aluminium fit any standard Australian flyscreen frame, including Stegbar®, Bradnam’s® and Wideline® frames and most generic aluminium screen frames sold through Bunnings, Mitre 10 and Home Hardware. You re-mesh the frame you already have rather than buying a new one, and re-meshing takes about 20 minutes per panel. The mesh suits those frames; it is not a branded replacement part supplied by any of them.

No. Pet-resistant polymer is far tougher than standard fibreglass, but it is a different product from a security screen, it is not tested to AS 5039, and it will not stop an intruder. If the door has to be secure as well as pet-proof, that means perforated aluminium or woven 316 stainless steel in a security frame. It is not bushfire-rated either: building in a designated bushfire zone calls for 316 stainless steel mesh BAL-rated to AS 3959.

Yes. Installers, builders and property services and maintenance businesses can email their typical monthly volume to sales@tradebaseaustralia.com.au and get set trade pricing locked in for the year, plus priority dispatch on every order. Bulk rolls in 14 m, 15 m and 30 m lengths cover ongoing replacement cycles across multiple jobs and hold the cost per metre steady, which is why they suit repeat work better than ordering cut-to-size pieces one panel at a time.