Your front door is the face of your home. Apollo retractable front door screens disappear into a slim housing when you don't need them — no ugly screen blocking your view, no slamming, no clash with outswing doors. Built to your exact door, installed in under an hour.
Most people who call us have already tried the hardware store version. It slammed, scratched the door, looked cheap from the street, or simply didn’t fit an outswing door at all. Here’s what makes a front entry different from a back patio — and why it needs a different solution.
The screen rolls into a 2-inch housing on the side of your door frame. When you don’t need it, it’s in there. From the street, there’s no screen door. No hardware. No grid of aluminum across your entry. Walk up to your front door — it looks like a door.
A traditional screen door on a front entry is an HOA complaint waiting to happen. A retractable retracts completely into a slim housing against the door frame. The housing is powder-coated to match your trim. Most HOAs approve them without a second look — because from the street, there’s nothing to flag.
With French entry doors and two separate screens, you’re dealing with two things every time you walk through. Our long-pull option runs a single screen across the full opening — one pull from the cassette all the way to the far side, one latch. Same going back out. That’s it.
Front doors come in sizes no hardware store product accounts for — oversized single panels, doors with sidelights, arched frames. Apollo measures to 1/16” and builds to your exact opening. If it’s a door, we can screen it.
It's a screen door that's invisible when you don't need it. The screen rolls into a slim 2-inch aluminum housing mounted on one side of your door frame. Pull it across when you want fresh air and bug protection. Let go and it rolls back in — slowly, no slamming.
When retracted, your front entry looks exactly the same as before. No screen blocking your view, no hardware hanging off the door frame. Visitors don't see a screen door at all. That's why homeowners also call them invisible screen doors, disappearing screen doors, and pocket screen doors — different names, same product.
It also solves a problem most people don't realize they have until they're shopping: outswing doors. If your front door swings outward, a traditional hinged screen door would swing right into it. A retractable screen mounts to the side of the frame and never interferes — regardless of how your door swings.
We’ve been building and installing screens for over 20 years. In that time we’ve figured out what fails and why. Here’s what we built differently.
Our tech measures your frame on-site. The screen is built from those numbers. If your opening is 36-1/8″, that’s what we build. Nothing shimmed, nothing stretched. A screen that fits properly retracts cleanly — and keeps retracting cleanly.
Spring-loaded screens snap back hard. Ours has a patented speed reducer in the cassette that controls how fast it retracts. You let go and it comes back slow and even. No slam, no caught fingers, no paw pinch. Tension is adjustable — our tech sets it at install.
When the screen is retracted, the only thing visible is the 2-inch housing against your door frame. It has to match your trim or it looks wrong. Seven powder-coat stock colors cover most homes. If yours doesn’t match, we’ll match to your exact paint or RAL code.
Frame, cassette, mechanism, hardware — covered for life. Every screen is built in the USA after your on-site measurement. Not a kit, not a standard size — yours, built to spec.
Single entry door, double French entry, or outswing — Apollo builds a custom screen door for your specific front door, regardless of size or swing direction.
The most common front door configuration. A single retractable screen mounts to one side of the frame with a slim housing cassette — the screen pulls across one-handed and locks into the magnetic closure. When retracted, the housing is barely visible against the trim. Works whether your door swings in or out.
See all retractable screen doors
Two screens that each retract into their own housing on opposite sides of the frame, meeting in the middle with a magnetic seal. You get full coverage without blocking either door panel. Apollo is one of only two manufacturers that can cover the entire opening with a single screen on select configurations — because our slow-close mechanism means no slamming at the center.
Explore French door screensEvery Apollo retractable front door screen has four main components: the housing cassette, the mesh screen, the guide tracks, and the slow-close mechanism.
Housing cassette: A 2-inch aluminum profile that sits flush against your door frame. When the screen retracts, this is all anyone sees — and on most homes it disappears into the trim entirely. Your front entry looks exactly like it did before the screen was there. Seven powder-coat colors to match, or custom-matched to your exact paint code.
Mesh screen: A custom-formulated insect mesh that's stiff, durable, and practically invisible from a distance. Keeps bugs out, lets air through, and doesn't block your view.
Slow-close mechanism: This is what separates a quality screen from a cheap one. Apollo's slow-close system retracts the screen at a controlled, even speed — no sudden snap-back, no slamming, safe around kids and pets. The magnetic closure holds the screen sealed when extended.
Weighing a retractable screen against a storm door or traditional hinged screen? Here's how they compare for a front entry specifically.
| Feature | Retractable (Apollo) | Storm Door | Hinged Screen Door | Big-Box Retractable Kit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Curb appeal when not in use | ✓ Fully invisible | Permanent — always visible | Permanent — always visible | Housing visible, lower quality |
| Works with outswing doors | ✓ Yes | ✗ No | ✗ No | Depends on kit |
| Custom fit | ✓ Built to 1/16" | Standard sizes | Standard sizes | One-size-fits-all |
| Slow-close / no slam | ✓ Yes | Pneumatic closer | ✗ Slams | Varies — often snaps |
| Frame material | 6063 T6 aircraft aluminum | Steel or aluminum | Wood or light aluminum | Lightweight plastic / thin aluminum |
| Weatherproofing | Bug & airflow | ✓ Full weatherproofing | Bug screen only | Bug screen only |
| Installation | Professional — factory-trained | Professional or DIY | DIY | DIY — no professional option |
| Warranty | Lifetime | 1–3 years typical | 1 year or none | 90 days–1 year |
Apollo retractable screens are consistently ranked among the best retractable screen door manufacturers for homeowners. See how we compare to Phantom, Casper, Mirage, and other brands.
The housing cassette is the only visible part when the screen is retracted — it's critical that it matches your door trim. Apollo front door screens come in 7 stock powder-coat colors that cover 90% of home trim colors. Need an exact match? We offer custom color matching to any RAL or paint code.
Frames are 6063 T6 aluminum with a baked-on powder-coat finish — not spray paint, not anodized. It resists chipping, peeling, and UV fading. The housing sits tight against your trim and most visitors never notice it's there.
Most Apollo front door screen installations are completed in under one hour by a factory-trained dealer. Here's the process from first call to finished screen.
Find your nearest Apollo dealer at apolloscreen.com or call (855) 530-1246. Tell them your door type and swing direction.
Your dealer measures your door frame to 1/16" precision, confirms mounting approach for your door swing, and you choose your color. You get an exact price on the spot — no guessing.
Your screen is manufactured to your exact specs — housing cassette, rails cut to length with 45° bevel for smooth operation, and mesh tensioned for your door width.
Your dealer mounts the housing, fastens top and bottom rails, installs the handle and magnetic closure system, and does a full walk-through with you. Done — same week in most markets.
5 stars across 1,000+ Google reviews nationwide. Here's what customers say specifically about their front door screens.
“I have a non-standard oversized front door and every other company said they couldn’t do it. Apollo custom built a retractable screen that fits perfectly. 3 years in and zero issues.”
“Our front door swings outward and we were told by two other companies that a screen was impossible. Apollo had it done in 45 minutes. Best home improvement we’ve done this year.”
“From the first call to installation, Apollo was professional and easy to work with. The retractable screen on our front door looks beautiful and works flawlessly. Worth every penny.”
“We wanted to keep the look of our front entry — the last thing we wanted was a bulky screen door. The Apollo retractable is invisible when not in use. Exactly what we were looking for.”
“Apollo installed retractable screens on our French doors and the front door. The installer was professional, fast, and the screens work perfectly. You can’t even tell they’re there when retracted.”
“After trying a DIY retractable screen from Home Depot that broke in 6 months, we called Apollo. Night and day difference. Custom fit, heavy-duty aluminum, and the lifetime warranty gives us peace of mind.”
Free measurement at your home. Custom built to your exact door. Professionally installed — usually within the week.
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