Rolling Screens – Metro Phoenix

Solar screens, also called sun screens, are exterior mesh screens that stop heat and glare outside the glass instead of after it has already come in. Ours are retractable: the mesh rolls down over a patio, window, or storefront opening from a slim housing above it and glides in side tracks. The performance mesh is rated by the manufacturer to block up to 95% of heat and UV, which can make a shaded patio feel 20 to 30 degrees cooler while keeping the view and the airflow. On west- and south-facing glass, solar window screens take the worst of the afternoon load off your air conditioner.

Privacy screens work by weave density. Open sun-control mesh is woven loosely enough to see through; privacy fabric is woven far tighter, so an opening that was on display reads as a solid panel from the street or the neighbor’s yard. Light matters too: outdoor privacy screens are strongest when it is brighter outside than in, which covers most of an Arizona day. After dark, with lamps on inside, that balance flips, so for bedrooms, media rooms, and patios you want private at night we recommend a total light blackout fabric rather than an open mesh. Because the screen retracts, the privacy is on demand and you are not walled in the rest of the time.

The value is in the word retractable. A fixed screen makes you live with the mesh year round, while retractable screens for patio and window openings come down when you want shade, bugs kept out, or privacy, then roll completely out of sight when the weather is perfect. Valley owners most often tell us the payoff is a patio that goes from unusable for months to comfortable most of the year, along with less sun fading on furniture and flooring and a lighter afternoon load on the air conditioner. They are also built for this climate: the fabric carries a 10-year warranty against fading and motors carry 5 years.

There is no flat price, because no two openings are the same. Size moves the number most, then the mesh or fabric you choose, then how you operate it. How much are motorized screens next to manual ones? More, because of the motor, the remote or wall switch, and any smart-home or sensor controls added to it, and mounting complexity and the number of screens on the project factor in as well. We put an exact written price for your openings in front of you during a free on-site estimate, with no obligation, and financing is available.

If you are wondering how to clean patio screens, or how to clean outdoor screens of any kind, the answer is easier than most people expect, and the fabric can be cleaned in place on the frame. Hose the mesh down with clear water about once a month. For a deeper clean, brush off loose dirt, hose it down, then wash with water and a mild natural soap, not a laundry or dish detergent, working it in with a soft-bristle brush; let it soak, rinse thoroughly, and air dry. For mildew or roof run-off staining, mix half a cup of chlorine bleach and a quarter cup of natural soap into a gallon of water, brush it on, let it sit up to 20 minutes, then rinse and air dry. Skip pressure washers and harsh household cleaners. A thorough deep clean is typically needed only every two to three years.

If you are researching how to install solar screens yourself, the short answer for our systems is that we install them for you; these are not a DIY kit. It starts with a free on-site estimate where a local specialist measures every opening, because each screen is made for that opening and nothing else. On install day our own crew mounts the housing above the opening, either face-mounted to the wall, fascia, or beam or recessed into a soffit or pocket, anchors the side tracks down each side, sets the motor, then tests every screen, programs your remotes, and walks you through the controls. Solar motors need no new wiring and no electrician, which keeps the work off your walls and out of your electrical panel.

Motorized screens run from a handheld remote, a wall switch beside the opening, your smartphone, or voice commands through Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, and several screens can be grouped on one channel so a multi-bay patio moves together. Solar-powered wireless motors need no new wiring and no electrician and keep working when the power is out, battery motors cover openings too shaded for solar, and gear-operated manual screens need no power at all. Obstacle detection stops a closing screen before it lands on furniture.

Yes. Our insect mesh is woven tight and seals against the side tracks, so mosquitoes, flies, gnats, and scorpions stay out of the opening while air still moves through freely. Retractable window screens handle a single window or slider; on a covered patio the same system can enclose the entire space, so you can use it from dusk to dawn without reaching for the bug spray.

Yes. Sun-control mesh is engineered to keep the view. From inside, darker fabrics like Black and Charcoal read almost like a pair of sunglasses over the opening: glare drops sharply, but you still see the yard, the pool, or the street. Lighter earth tones like Tumbleweed and Tobacco blend beautifully into desert exteriors but trade away a little of that see-through crispness, which is why we bring physical samples to your estimate so you can look through them at your own opening before you decide.

Fabric comes in six colors: Black, Charcoal, Espresso, Tumbleweed, Tobacco, and Sable. Frames and housings are powder-coated aluminum in six colors: White, Mocha, Taupe, Black, Bronze, and Grey, matched to popular Arizona stucco, trim, and door tones. Your specialist can show you physical mesh and frame samples during your free estimate.

Our all-weather zip-track screens lock the mesh into side-retention rails so it stays taut in gusts instead of flapping or pulling free, and a closed screen shields a porch or patio from blowing dust and debris. During severe storms we recommend retracting them, and a wind sensor can do that for you automatically; wind damage is excluded from the warranty for exactly that reason. If your priority is storm impact or break-in protection rather than sun and bugs, a rolling shutter is the better tool for that opening.

The system is the same; the emphasis differs. Residential retractable patio screens are about comfort, so the focus is sun and heat control, insects, and privacy for windows, sliding glass doors, and outdoor living areas. Commercial screens are about revenue and operations: extending the usable patio season for restaurants, bars, and hotels, shading storefronts, offices, and classrooms, and covering wide multi-bay spans with group motor control. We custom-fit both, and the same local crew installs them.

Right here. Roll-A-Shield has been Phoenix-based since 1979 and is licensed, bonded, and insured under Arizona ROC 342265. Our solar, privacy, and insect screens are premium systems that we custom-measure, custom-configure, and install with our own crews, and we cover the whole Valley: Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tempe, Mesa, Chandler, Gilbert, Glendale, Peoria, and Surprise, with local service and support after the sale. Request a quote online or call (480) 376-1629 and we will schedule a free on-site estimate.