****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
I am completely revising my original review, because of the toxic fume problem. When I first took this screen out of the box, I noticed the odor but assumed it would fade, like most new-product odors. Instead, the odor got worse. We had several hot, humid days, and I got a sore throat from trying to sleep near the screen, and I had to sleep out on the porch (luckily it was summer). The odor did not fade. It was an extremely unpleasant, toxic odor, possibly formaldehyde, not just a "new-paint" odor. Before I could use the screen, I had to buy a gallon of Minwax Polycrylic, which is a clear, water-based sealant, and apply three heavy coats of sealant to every part of the screen. Applying the Minwax was a nightmare. First of all, the screen is so light that you cannot apply the sealant outdoors, because the least breath of wind will blow it over. I had to put down a big piece of cardboard in my living room and lose the use of my living room for all the time I was applying the Minwax and waiting for it to dry. Secondly, the screen is made of a woven material that looks like tree bark, possibly split bamboo, and because it is woven out of many small strips, there are a million cracks and crevices where a normal-sized brush won't reach. I spent hours using a half-inch brush to squidge sealant into all the cracks at the corners. After I applied three coats of the sealant, and let it dry thoroughly, the odor problem did go away. However, I know that the toxic material is still underneath the sealant, like a time bomb, just waiting for the coat of sealant to be damaged to release the toxic fumes again. The manufacturer could have avoided the problem by using an eco-safe dye, or even selling it without any dyes or preservatives and letting the customer apply the stain, but alas, they did not. If I had known that I would end up having all this hassle, I think I would have ordered the $30 cardboard screen instead, and put a coat of black paint on it. That would have been a lot faster. If you can afford a better quality product without any toxic coatings, I would advise you to buy the better quality product. If you think you can live with a cardboard screen painted the color of your choice, I would advise you to go that route. However, if you are still interested in purchasing this screen, here is my review of the other features. The screen is very lightweight. I think that sooner or later, it will get knocked down. It already had one ugly scratch when it arrived, but not bad enough to send it back. After the wind knocked it down while I was trying to apply the sealant, it has several small tears and scratches, but they are not very noticeable. I used an old stick of eyeliner makeup to cover up the big scratch, before I applied the sealant. It wasn't an exact color match, but close enough. This trick won't work after you apply the liquid plastic, so you have to do it beforehand. The screen has a very attractive design, but the weave isn't very tight, so you can see light through the screen. During the day, or if you have a light shining behind the screen at night, someone on the other side can pretty much see through the screen, and see you there. I solved this problem by hanging some old rayon sarongs over each panel of the screen. Rayon is another toxic-fume problem, but mainly for the people who make it. I'm trying not to buy rayon anymore because of the toxic-fume problem, but I already had these sarongs from before, so I went ahead and used them. Any kind of curtain material would work, or something from the fabric store. The sarongs are used are fringed and nicely patterned, so the screen looks very nice with the sarongs hanging over it. You can still see light through the screen, even with the sarongs hanging there, but you can't really see shapes or what is happening behind the screen. The screen came fully assembled, so all I had to do was take it out of the box and cut off the tag. It fits nicely at the foot of a double wide futon. The box arrived one day late, but I'm pretty sure the delay was caused by the delivery company and not by the shipper. Now that I have coated the screen with sealant, I will be able to live with this, but if I had a do-over, I would NOT buy this screen - sorry.
