Replacing Cracked Siding

Small cracks can be repaired with a special patching compound before they cause breaks saving you the work of removing and replacing a damaged panel.

Replacing cracked siding.

Cut out the damaged piece of siding leaving a space 2 inches shorter than the replacement piece. In this video this old house general contractor tom silva explains how to repair clapboards. Use the snips to cut away about two inches of the top nailing strip and the bottom j profile from both ends of the replacement piece. Install the new siding so there s a 1 in.

Pull loose nails from clapboard siding. To repair vinyl siding fill in minor imperfections with caulk and then paint it to match the rest of the siding once it cures. No matter how durable fiber cement siding is though cracks can still occur. Be sure to nail into the existing holes on the adjacent siding.

Where siding meets a roof it will rot if the siding touches the shingles. Fill in the nail holes. Tap flat bar under siding to loosen nails. The downside of replacing older vinyl siding is that it can be hard to match the style and color and siding rarely has any identifying marks.

Nail straight down on the replacement board in order to hit studs. Secure old siding by driving ring shank nails down at an angle through the old nail holes. For larger dents cracks or holes start by cutting out the damaged segment of siding and removing it with a zip tool. When you replace these boards make sure you have good flashing along the joint.

The best way to get a replacement piece is to take the broken piece to vinyl siding distributors in your area and find the closest match. Consider replacing rotted areas with fiber cement siding. Take the replacement board fit it in place image 2 and nail it in with a hammer using galvanized nails. Fiber cement siding is low cost for its rated lifespan and is easy to maintain when compared with other siding choices.

Gap between siding and shingles.