Retractable Insect & Solar Screens
The screens you use every day — heat and glare on one side, bugs on the other. Neither is hurricane protection, and we will not sell them as such.
Most of what makes a Florida lanai unusable has nothing to do with storms. It is 2 p.m. in July with the sun straight into the room, or it is dusk in the wet season and the no-see-ums have found you. These are the two products that fix that, and they are worth more days of the year than anything else on this site.
A note on names. What some companies market as a “privacy screen” is a solar screen. It is woven to cut sun and glare, and the daytime privacy is a side effect of that weave — it is not a privacy product, and after dark with the lights on it does not behave like one. We call it what it is.
Retractable solar screens
A solar screen rolls down over an opening and cuts the sun before it reaches you. On a west or south-facing lanai the difference is immediate — the space drops several degrees, the glare goes, and the room becomes usable in the afternoon instead of at sundown.
- Heat and glare control on the elevations that take the worst of it
- Your furniture and floors stop fading. Ultraviolet is what does that, and the weave blocks the large majority of it
- You can still see out. The view is filtered, not blocked
- Out of sight when you are not using it — it rolls up into a housing above the opening
Retractable insect screens
Bugs out, breeze in, and gone when you do not need them. The advantage over a fixed screen enclosure is that it is not there year round: no permanently screened-in view, no panels to look through on a clear day in February.
- No-see-ums and mosquitos handled on the openings that need it
- Retracts completely so the opening is clear the rest of the time
- Works on large openings that a hinged screen door cannot
- Motorized or manual depending on the size and how often you will use it
These are not storm products
Worth being blunt, because this is where people get hurt. Solar and insect screens are comfort products. They are not rated opening protection, they will not satisfy a building inspector, and they do nothing for you in a hurricane. If a company quotes you a “screen” and is vague about which kind, ask for the Florida Product Approval number. A comfort screen does not have one for hurricane protection.
If you want storm protection on the same opening, that is a motorized hurricane screen — a different product with a different rating. Plenty of homes end up with both on the same lanai, doing different jobs.
| What you want | Product |
|---|---|
| Cut the afternoon heat and glare | Retractable solar screen |
| Keep the bugs out in the evening | Retractable insect screen |
| Protect the opening in a hurricane | Motorized hurricane screen |
| Close the house up completely | Rolling shutter |
Talk to us about your openings — Southwest Florida
Tell us what you are looking at and someone from our team will call you the same business day. We go through it on the phone first — your openings, the products that actually fit, what is involved — and if it is a fit we come out and put a written quote in your hand. No charge and no obligation.
Questions
Is a solar screen the same as a privacy screen?
No. It is a solar screen. The weave is designed to cut sun and glare, and daytime privacy is a side effect of that. After dark with interior lights on it does not provide privacy, so it should not be sold as a privacy product.
Will a solar or insect screen protect my home in a hurricane?
No. These are comfort products and are not rated opening protection. They will not satisfy a building inspector and they do nothing in a storm. Hurricane protection is a separate, Florida product-approved system.
Can I have both a hurricane screen and an insect screen on the same opening?
Yes, and it is common. They are different products doing different jobs, and many lanais end up with both.
Do these reduce the temperature on a lanai?
A solar screen noticeably cuts heat and glare on west and south-facing elevations by stopping the sun before it reaches the space.
Are they motorized?
They can be. Larger openings and anything you will operate frequently are usually motorized; smaller openings are often manual. We size it at the consultation.
More questions? Our full hurricane shutter & screen FAQ covers products, service, permitting and financing.
Florida Screen & Shutter, LLC · 883 NE 27th Ln #5, Cape Coral, FL 33909 · (239) 409-0426
License #SCC131152867 · Fully Licensed & Insured Florida Contractor · MagnaTrack President’s Club, #6 in the country, 2025