If your sliding screen door jumps the track, won't roll smooth, or leaves a film on the glass behind it, you don't need another hardware-store panel. You need a different mechanism. Apollo's retractable screen is custom built to your exact patio door and rolls completely out of the way when you're not using it.
Almost everyone who calls us has already lived with the standard version: the aluminum-frame panel that rides in your door's track full-time. It's not that it's poorly made, it's that the design itself has four built-in problems. Here's what's actually going wrong, and why a different mechanism fixes it instead of just delaying it.
A standard sliding screen sits in its track around the clock, whether the door is open or not. Apollo's screen rolls into a slim housing cassette on the side of the frame. There when you want it, out of the way when you don't.
Ever notice the glass on the stationary side gets dirty fast? That's because wind and rain blow the grime collecting on your screen straight onto the glass behind it. A screen that isn't parked there 24/7 doesn't do that.
Cheap sliders fail at exactly one place: the rollers wear out and the panel pops out of its track. Apollo's screen rides inside an enclosed guide-track system built specifically so that isn't how it fails.
Big-box kits come in a handful of stock widths and heights, which is why so many end up trimmed, shimmed, or just wrong. Apollo measures to 1/16" and builds to your opening, up to 98" tall by 48" wide.
A retractable sliding screen door replaces the fixed aluminum-frame panel that came with your patio door. Instead of riding permanently in the door's track, the screen rolls into a slim aluminum housing cassette mounted to one side of the frame. Pull it across when you want airflow, let go and it glides back in slowly, with no slam.
That's also why homeowners searching for this product call it by a handful of different names: invisible screen door, disappearing screen door, retractable patio screen. Same mechanism, same reason people switch to it.
The mesh itself is a custom stiff fiberglass, built to hold its shape without sagging and to read as close to invisible from a few feet away. Sealed magnets hold it in place when extended, with no exposed hardware to catch or snag.
Notice how the glass on the stationary panel next to your sliding door gets dirty faster than the rest of your windows? That's not a coincidence. A standard sliding screen sits in front of that glass permanently, collecting dust, pollen, and grime, and every time it rains or the wind picks up, that buildup gets carried straight onto the glass behind it.
Because an Apollo retractable screen tucks into its housing when you're not using it, it isn't parked in front of your glass around the clock. It doesn't take 24 hours a day of weather, and it's never sitting in front of any glass when it's not deployed. Less grime on the mesh means less grime blown onto the glass. Put the squeegee down. You won't need it nearly as often.
A lot of homeowners end up here after already striking out at Lowe's or Home Depot, only to find the stock replacement screen simply doesn't come in their door's size. Big-box kits top out around standard heights, which leaves anyone with a taller or wider opening stuck.
Apollo builds standard up to 98" tall by 48" wide, with every screen custom measured at your home to 1/16" and factory built to that exact opening, not a stock part cut down or shimmed to fit. Larger openings are handled with a free on-site measurement and a custom quote.
Every Apollo retractable sliding screen has four main parts: the housing cassette, the mesh screen, the guide tracks, and the slow-close mechanism.
A slim aluminum profile (about 2" wide) mounted to one side of your door frame. This is all that's visible when the screen is retracted, powder-coated to match your trim, or custom color matched.
Apollo's own stiff, custom-formulated fiberglass mesh. Stays taut without sagging, keeps bugs out, and reads as nearly invisible against daylight.
Top and bottom aluminum channels the screen rides along, sealed with pile weatherstripping to keep the mesh taut and in place. This enclosed system is what keeps it from jumping track the way an open slider design does.
The part that separates a quality retractable screen from a cheap one. It retracts the screen at a controlled, even speed. No sudden snap-back, no slamming, safer around kids and pets.
Weighing a retractable screen against a standard fixed slider or a big-box replacement kit? Here's how they actually compare.
| Feature | Retractable (Apollo) | Standard Fixed Slider | Big-Box Replacement Kit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glass stays clean | ✓ Not parked on the glass 24/7 | ✗ Sits in front of glass full-time | ✗ Same issue as OEM slider |
| Won't jump the track | ✓ Enclosed guide-track system | ✗ Common failure point | Varies, often the same rollers |
| Custom fit | ✓ Built to 1/16", up to 98"×48" | Whatever came with the door | Standard sizes only |
| Slow-close / no slam | ✓ Yes | N/A (fixed panel) | N/A (fixed panel) |
| Frame material | 6063 T6 aircraft aluminum | Thin extruded aluminum | Lightweight aluminum or plastic |
| Out of sight when not in use | ✓ Retracts into housing | ✗ Always visible | ✗ Always visible |
| Installation | Professional, factory-trained | Came with the door | DIY |
| Warranty | Lifetime | Whatever the door came with | 90 days-1 year |
The housing cassette is the only visible part once the screen is retracted, so it needs to match your door trim, not fight it. Apollo sliding screen doors come in 7 stock powder-coat colors that cover most trim colors, plus 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 for as long as you own the door.
Most Apollo sliding screen door installations are completed in under an 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's approximate size.
Your dealer measures your door opening to 1/16" precision, you choose your color, and you get an exact price on the spot.
Your screen is built to your exact specs: housing cassette, guide tracks cut to your door's height, mesh tensioned for the width.
Your dealer removes the old screen, mounts the housing, fastens the guide tracks, and does a full walk-through with you. Done. Same week in most markets.
See real installs:
4.9 stars across 1,671 Google reviews nationwide. Here's what customers say specifically about replacing their patio and sliding door screens.
“We had a double retractable screen door installed to replace an old broken traditional one, and the whole process was smooth… The new door looks amazing. Pricing was reasonable. Honestly wish we had more doors to replace just so we could use them again.”
“I had a retractable screen put on my patio door. I am so pleased. It looks great and I know I will get a lot of use out of it. The whole process was easy… I would highly recommend Apollo and their employees customer service.”
“Apollo Screen was professional but friendly & caring. Christian, the GM gave me a fair estimate & two weeks later I have a beautiful retractable screen door. Johnny, the installer… did a great job very quickly. I highly recommend this company.”
Free measurement at your home. Custom built to your exact door. Professionally installed, usually within the week.
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