No-see-um screen is an insect mesh woven tighter than the standard screen most pool cages and lanais ship with. The difference comes down to mesh count, the number of threads per inch running in each direction.

A spline is the flexible vinyl or rubber cord that gets pressed into a channel called the spline groove, which runs around the inside edge of each aluminum frame member. When a screen is installed, the mesh is laid over the opening, and the spline is rolled down into the groove on top of it, pinching the mesh against the channel walls.

A rescreen deals with the screen, and only the screen. The aluminum frame, the beams, the uprights, and the anchors all stay exactly where they are. A rebuild, whether it is the full cage or just one damaged section, is a structural repair. Here, the problem is not the mesh.

Solar screen, sometimes called solar shade fabric, is designed to block the sun. It uses a tight, uniform mesh engineered to intercept a large share of the sun's heat and ultraviolet light before either reaches the space behind it.

Screen mesh does not wear out from use; it wears out from ultraviolet light. Constant, intense sun breaks down the mesh fibers and the spline that holds it in the frame, making the screen brittle over time until it cracks, tears, and sags.

A repair is the right call when the damage is limited and the surrounding screen is in good shape. Good candidates for repair include a single torn or popped-out panel, a small hole or rip in one section, or damage confined to one area — say from a stray ball, a branch, or a pet — while the rest of the enclosure's screening is still strong and intact.

A targeted repair replaces the screen in just the damaged panels (or re-secures a section that's pulled loose) while leaving the rest of the enclosure alone. It's the right choice when the damage is the exception, not the rule.

Standard pool and patio screen is woven at 18 by 14 — that's 18 strands per inch one way and 14 the other. It's the most common enclosure screen for good reason: it keeps out leaves, mosquitoes, and most flying insects while letting plenty of air and light through.