Screen Types & Premium Screen Materials in Brandon & Riverview, FL
No-see-um mesh, heavy-duty screen, Florida Glass, and picture-window panels, all US-made, installed by a family-owned, state-licensed contractor.
The screen you choose matters as much as who installs it. The right mesh keeps out the specific bugs in your yard, withstands your pets and weather, and can even open up the view over a pond or lake. The wrong one silvers early or lets the tiny gnats straight through. Lanai Guy installs the full range of US-made screens, and we help you match the screen to how you actually use the space, rather than upselling you on something you do not need.
Most of what we install is genuine Phifer screen, made in the USA in Alabama, and we never install imported mesh. Standard 18/14 charcoal is included on most jobs and is the right choice for many homes. The upgrades exist for real reasons: tiny bugs near the water, dogs and heavy use, wind and splash on lower panels, or an unobstructed view. Family-owned and state-licensed (Florida Specialty Structure Contractor SCC131152382), screen experts in the Brandon area since 1986, 4.7★ across 245+ Google reviews, and US-made screen on every job.
Since 1986
Family-owned & state-licensed
Why Homeowners Choose Us
Full Phifer screen range, USA-made in Alabama
No-see-um, Super Screen, TuffScreen, Florida Glass
Picture-window (open-view) panels for the best views
Honest guidance, not an upsell
Super Screen carries a ten-year manufacturer warranty
State-Licensed · SCC131152382 · 4.7★ · 245+ Google reviews
Standard, Tougher, or Specialty: The Three Kinds of Screen
Every screen we install falls into one of three groups. Knowing which group fits your yard is the most important part of the decision.
Standard 18/14 charcoal: the right call for most homes
Standard 18/14 is a charcoal fiberglass mesh with 18 by 14 threads per inch. It is nearly invisible from inside looking out, blocks ordinary mosquitoes and bugs, and is what most enclosures around here already have. It is included on most jobs, and for a typical inland lanai it is genuinely all you need.
✓ Included on most rescreens and new builds ✓ Nearly invisible from inside for a clear view ✓ Best value when tiny gnats and heavy pet use are not a concernTougher mesh: for tiny bugs, pets, and hard use
When standard screen is not enough, three upgrades handle it. 20/20 No-See-Um is a tighter 20 by 20 weave that stops the tiny no-see-um gnats common near ponds and saltwater, which slip right through standard screen. Super Screen and TuffScreen are heavier, stronger meshes built to resist tears from pets, kids, and debris, and Super Screen carries a ten-year manufacturer warranty.
✓ 20/20 No-See-Um adds about $0.50 per square foot, worth it near water ✓ Super Screen and TuffScreen add about $0.75 per square foot for strength ✓ Super Screen's ten-year manufacturer warranty backs the heavier meshSpecialty panels: Florida Glass and picture-window
Two specialty options do things ordinary screens cannot. Florida Glass is a clear vinyl panel, usually installed along the lower section of a wall, that blocks wind, rain splash, and dust while you still see through it; it's popular on a low wall or under a bar area. Picture-window, or open-view, screen removes the horizontal supports from a panel for a wide, unobstructed view, the option people choose over a pond or lake.
✓ Florida Glass lower panels add about $2 to $3 per square foot ✓ Picture-window (open-view) panels run about $500 for a single small panel to about $2,000 for a full-width water-facing wall, and most homes only need one ✓ Both are usually applied to specific panels, not the whole enclosureWhat we see across the county's inland and waterfront homes
Where you live in East Hillsborough points to the right screen. Inland Brandon, Valrico, and Seffner homes do fine on standard 18/14 for ordinary mosquitoes. The closer you get to the water, in Apollo Beach, Ruskin, Sun City Center, and the SouthShore Bay area, the more no-see-ums become the problem, and those tiny gnats go straight through standard mesh, so 20/20 No-See-Um is the common upgrade there. Homes with a pond or lake view often add a picture-window panel to open up the sightline, and anyone with big dogs or a busy family tends to lean toward Super Screen or a Florida Glass lower section. We will tell you which of these your yard actually calls for.
How It Works, Start to Finish
Tell us how you use the space
If you are near water, have pets, want a clear view, or just want the standard done right, that steers the screen choice.
Free in-home estimate
Todd looks at your exposure, your view, and your enclosure, and walks you through which screen fits, no upsell.
See and compare the options
We go over standard 18/14, 20/20 No-See-Um, Super Screen, TuffScreen, Florida Glass, and picture-window panels, as well as the cost difference for each.
Install genuine Phifer screen
Your chosen mesh is cut and splined on-site for tight, even tension on a pressure-washed frame.
Walk-through and clean-up
We check every panel and leave the space spotless.
What's Included
Here is the full menu of screen we install and what each one is for. Every option is US-made.
Everyday bug protection, near-invisible view
Tiny gnats near ponds and saltwater
~$0.50 / sq ftStrength and tear resistance; 10-yr warranty
~$0.75 / sq ftHeavy-duty strength for pets and debris
~$0.75 / sq ftBlocking wind, splash, and dust while seeing through
~$2–$3 / sq ftUnobstructed view over a pond or lake
~$500–$2,000 / panelWhat It Costs
Standard 18/14 charcoal is included on most jobs. The upgrades are priced by the square foot on top of that: 20/20 No-See-Um adds about $0.50, Super Screen and TuffScreen about $0.75, and a Florida Glass lower panel about $2 to $3. A picture-window, or open-view, panel runs from about $500 to $2,000 depending on its size.
Because most upgrades are usually applied only to the panels that need them, a Florida Glass lower section or a single picture-window panel over the water, the added cost is often smaller than people expect. We price it panel by panel at the estimate so you pay for the upgrade only where it counts.
Every figure is a starting point
Your exact price comes with a free in-home estimate, a $100 minimum applies, and we honor the quoted price until our material suppliers raise theirs.
Real Customer Stories
These are real, verified Google reviews from East Hillsborough homeowners. Every name is public on our Google profile.
Rescreened an entire 20-year-old lanai; fast quote, backyard looks new again.
“I would give Todd and his team 10 stars for his quick response in providing us a quote to re screening our entire lanai which was over 20 yrs old. His team was amazing, quick, courteous and made our backyard look so nice again. If anyone is in need to get their screen fixed or a new install, call this company.”
Lene NYC
★★★★★Feb 2025
Customized the project exactly to her preferences; finally enjoying the outdoors mosquito-free.
“Wonderful team and a pleasure to work with. They were able to fit me in the very next day due to a cancellation, and they went above and beyond to customize the project exactly to my preferences. I'm extremely impressed with the quality of their work and excited to finally enjoy outdoor life in Florida again, mosquito-free!”
Shannen Whiddon
★★★★★Sep 2025
Old screen removed, frame pressure-washed, rescreened tight and clean.
“The Lanai Guy team did a great job rescreening my lanai. They removed the old, tattered screen, pressure washed the frame, rescreened, replaced the screen door hardware and a kick panel on one of the doors. The screen work is tight and looks great.”
Jim Harbaugh
★★★★★Mar 2023
Frequently Asked Questions
Find answers to the most common questions about our screen services.
All US-made: standard 18/14 charcoal, 20/20 No-See-Um, Super Screen, TuffScreen, Florida Glass, and picture-window (open-view) panels. We help you match the screen to your yard rather than defaulting to the most expensive option.
It is a tighter mesh, 20 by 20 threads per inch, that stops the tiny no-see-um gnats common near ponds and saltwater. Standard 18/14 screen lets them through. It adds about $0.50 per square foot and is the common upgrade for waterfront homes.
Super Screen is a heavier, stronger US-made mesh built to resist tears from pets, kids, and debris. It adds about $0.75 per square foot and carries a ten-year manufacturer warranty, the longest material warranty we offer.
TuffScreen is another heavy-duty, tear-resistant mesh, a good choice where pets or high traffic are hard on ordinary screen. It runs about $0.75 per square foot.
Florida Glass is a clear vinyl panel, usually run along the lower part of a wall, that blocks wind, rain splash, and dust while you still see through it. It is popular on a low wall or under a bar area and adds about $2 to $3 per square foot.
It is a panel with the horizontal supports removed for a wide, unobstructed view, the option people choose over a pond or lake. It runs from about $500 to $2,000 depending on the size of the opening.
Near the bay or a pond, 20/20 No-See-Um is usually the right call because it stops the tiny gnats that standard screen misses. Salt air also ages screen faster there, so a tougher mesh can be worth it. We will review your specific exposure in the estimate.
No. We focus on the bug, strength, and view screens above rather than on solar shade or privacy mesh. If sun or privacy is your main concern, we will honestly tell you what each screen can and cannot do for it.
Standard 18/14 charcoal fiberglass, which is included on most jobs. It is nearly invisible from inside and is the right choice for a typical inland home without a no-see-um or heavy-use concern.
Yes, and it is common. Many homes use standard or no-see-um screen on the upper panels and a Florida Glass or a picture-window panel only where it matters, so you pay for the upgrade only on the panels that need it.
Phifer is our standard, made in the USA in Alabama. Super Screen is a US-made mesh from another manufacturer, and we install it when a job calls for the heavier weave. We never install imported mesh, whichever screen type you choose.
The labor is similar; the difference is the material cost per square foot listed above. Because upgrades are usually applied only to the panels that need them, the added cost is often smaller than people expect.
Standard Phifer screen lasts many years; the heavier meshes last longer, and Super Screen specifically carries a ten-year manufacturer warranty. Sun and salt air near the water shorten any screen's life, which is part of why we recommend a tougher mesh there.
Yes, Florida state-licensed Specialty Structure Contractor SCC131152382, fully insured, with a one-year workmanship warranty on top of the manufacturer's material warranty.
Request a Screen Material Quote
Tell us how you use your enclosure and where you live, and we will recommend the right screen and price it out.
Fast Response
We will get right back to you with next steps.
Local & Trusted
Serving 21 cities across Brandon, Riverview & East Hillsborough County
Quality Service
One-year material & workmanship warranty
Fair Prices
Written quotes we honor until suppliers raise prices; $100 minimum on small repairs.