Remove the old screen mesh from the silk screen frame. Use a flat head screw driver to carefully remove each staple from the frame. Place the head of the screw driver under each staple and wiggle one end of it loose. Pry the staple out of the screen. If the staple does not easily come out, pull it out with a pliers. If the old mesh has been attached with glue, use an art knife to cut the old mesh out of the frame. Run the knife along the mesh where it meets the frame to remove it.
Purchase synthetic screen mesh from an art supply store or a screen printing supplier. Mesh is sold by the yard and comes in a variety of mesh counts, referring to whether the weave of the mesh is open or tight. Choose the proper mesh count for your silk screen project. A mesh count of 150 to 200 is appropriate for general screen printing. A mesh count of 100 or less is good for printing opaque ink on dark fabrics. A mesh count of 300 or more is good for printing very thin inks such as four color process inks.
Roll out the mesh flat and lay the silk screen frame over a it. Lay the screen so that two sides of the screen are flush with a corner of the mesh to avoid waste. Use a marker to outline the enough mesh to cover the silk screen, with about a 2-inch margin all around. Cut out the piece of mesh.
Place the silk screen frame on a flat surface with the screen mesh centered over it. Staple the mesh to the screen in one corner. Pull the mesh slightly taut and staple it to the screen in the opposite corner. Staple the remaining two corners, pulling the mesh slightly taut each time.
Purchase some cloth screen reinforcement tape from a screen printing supplier or cut some long strips of thick cloth to 1 inch wide. Place them over the four sides of the silk screen frame. The cloth tape lays on top of the mesh. Staple the ends the tape strips to the corners of the screen, pulling them very taut.
One one side of the silk screen frame, staple the cloth tape in the middle of the frame. Pull the mesh very taut on the opposite side at the center and staple. Repeat for the two remaining sides, driving staples int the center of the frame each time while pulling the mesh taut. Work your way around the screen, driving staples through the tape and pulling the mesh taut until the entire silk screen frame is stapled all around about every 2 inches.
Clean the re-meshed silk screen with de-greasing agent or soap. Rinse completely and dry overnight. It is ready to be coated with photo emulsion so you can put a new image on the screen.