The whole idea behind this project was to replace an old worn out and ran down screen door. We added a little challenge to the project by limiting ourselves to making it out of a single 2x6. The results were a little better than expected and it seems to be very sturdy and strong. The door cost just around $15 to make.

What we used:

(1) 8' 2x6
Roll of aluminum screen
Simple door handle
Reused the old hinges
Reused old door hardware (spring comeback and latches)

Make sure you check out the video, it shows a bit more of each step than the images do. Please enjoy and if you make it or something like it, we'd love to see it. Share it with us on here or on Facebook, Google+, etc.

Step 1: Cutting the Wood to the Correct Dimensions

Every door will be different, but for the purpose of being able to get enough material out of the single 2x6, we ripped everything down to 1" wide. This gave us pieces that were 1.5"x1". The 1.5" side serving as the face of the door and the 1" side as the thickness of the frame.

These were then cut into pieces that would be long enough for (4) horizontal pieces, (2) long vertical pieces for the outside of the frame and (1) short vertical piece that will rest in the middle.

With what was left over, we ripped down a bunch of thin pieces on the band saw a little thicker than 1/4". These will be for trimming the screen.

Step 2: Prepping the Wood for Assembly

Everything was measured and laid out to figure out where each horizontal piece would be fitted. Then we drilled and countersunk holes in those places from the outside edge of the two long vertical pieces. Everything was then lined up, glued and screwed in tight.

The last vertical piece was then glued in and attached with pocket screws.

Step 3: Prepping for Paint

We filled all of the screw holes with wood filler and sanded the whole thing before painting.

Step 4: Painting the Door and Hardware

Everything was primed and then painted with spray paint. Pretty simple.

Step 5: Attaching the Screen

We used a roll of aluminum scree. We thought this might help stiffen up the door a bit, but we're not sure if it really made any difference. This is just rolled out, pulled tight and then stapled with ordinary wood staples. Once it was in place and secure, we added in all those thin trim strips, making sure we covered all the staples. These were nailed in place with a small 3/4" nails. After it was all trimmed we cut off the excess screen that was hanging past the trim.

Step 6: Installation

Since the screen door was basically made with the exact same dimensions as the old one, we just screwed everything back into its original location. The only difference was the handle, which we moved down just a bit.

When installing the door, we made sure to add some temporary spacers at the bottom to get the door far enough up so it wouldn't stick on the bottom.

Step 7: All Done!

That's it. It is a really simple project and is surprisingly sturdy. It's a great cheap alternative to buying a screen door and you can fully customize it however you'd like.

We hope you enjoyed this DIY project and the video that goes along with it. If you have any questions or comments please let us know, we'd be more than happy to help you out. Thanks for checking out this Instructable.