Big patio doors are one of the best upgrades you can make to a Michigan home. Then June arrives, the mosquitoes come out, and the doors stay shut. Ordinary screen doors are too small for wide openings, and they block the view you paid for. Centor screens solve that problem: a screen and shade that live inside the door frame and only come out when you need them. Here is how they work, from the team that supplies and installs Centor screens across Michigan.
What is a Centor screen?
Centor makes retractable insect screens and shades for large openings. The screen rolls up inside a slim side frame. When you want it, you pull it across the opening by the handle; when you are done, it glides back out of sight. There are no pleats, no springs snapping back and no screen door to step around. Centor’s Load Balancing Technology holds the screen wherever you stop it, so it never springs back on its own.
Centor offers screens in two ways:
- Centor Integrated Doors: new folding, sliding and French-style patio doors with the screen and shade built into the door frame from day one.
- Centor S4 screens: a screen and shade system added around patio doors you already have.
Screen, shade or both
The same frame can hold an insect screen, a shade, or one of each on opposite sides of the opening. That gives you options through the day:
- Morning: doors open, screen across, fresh air in and bugs out.
- Afternoon: a light-filtering or sun-filtering shade cuts glare and heat on south and west glass without blocking all the daylight.
- Evening: a blackout shade gives full privacy once the lights are on inside.
Will it fit my doors?
Centor screens are made for big openings. One S4 screen covers openings from about 42 inches to almost 15 feet wide and up to 10 1/2 feet tall. Two screens meeting in the middle cover openings close to 30 feet wide, and corner systems handle post-free corner doors where two walls open up. Every screen is made to order, so we measure your opening and check the framing before you order.
Centor screens paired with bi-fold doors and large sliding doors
The bigger the opening, the harder it is to screen, and that is exactly where Centor screens shine. They are made to pair with:
- Bi-fold doors. When a bi-fold door folds away and opens a whole wall, a Centor screen pulls across the full width so the room stays open to the patio without letting bugs in.
- Large sliding doors. Multi-panel and large sliding doors can run 12, 16 or 20 feet wide. One Centor screen covers almost 15 feet, and two screens meeting in the middle cover openings close to 30 feet.
- Lift and slide doors. Heavy lift and slide doors with big glass panels pair with a Centor screen and shade in the same way.
- Corner doors. Where two doors meet at a post-free corner, Centor corner systems screen both sides.
Planning new doors? We can plan the Centor screen at the same time, so the frame sizes line up from the start. Already have bi-fold or sliding doors? A Centor S4 screen can usually be added around them.
Which mesh is right for Michigan?
- Standard weave gives the most airflow and the clearest view, and keeps out mosquitoes and flies.
- Tight weave has a smaller opening for tiny insects like gnats and no-see-ums, a good choice near lakes, rivers and wooded lots.
Not sure? We bring samples so you can see and feel both before you decide.
How Centor screens are built
- Aluminum frame in a range of colors, custom colors to match your doors, or wood veneer.
- Stainless steel mechanisms for smooth operation season after season.
- Removable sill covers so the track is easy to clean.
- Award-winning design: the S4 system won a Red Dot “Best of the Best” award in 2019.
- 5-year limited warranty from Centor North America on its screening systems.
Caring for your screens
Centor screens need very little care. A few times a season, vacuum dirt, leaves and pet hair out of the sill track, wipe the frame with a damp cloth, and check that nothing is caught in the track before you close the screen. Never force a screen that feels stuck; check the track instead.
Get Centor screens from Legendary Windows
Legendary Windows is a Centor Integrated Dealer. We supply and install Centor Integrated Doors and Centor screens for bi-fold, sliding and lift and slide doors across Metro Detroit and Michigan, from our base in Livonia. See photos and short videos of the screen and shade in action on our Centor page, or request a free quote and we’ll measure your opening. Prefer to talk? Call 734.772.9777.
Have questions about your project?
Talk to the Legendary Windows team. We serve homes across Metro Detroit and reply fast.