Repairing Siding This Old House

It ll better match the house than brand new siding.

Repairing siding this old house.

Cut piece of faded siding from an inconspicuous spot to replace the damaged section. Here s how to use it. The sheathing and framing sometimes need repairs too but that is less common. Pull siding away from house and cut through the bottom edge with aviation snips.

In most cases the original layer of building paper or housewrap at the bottom of the wall was enough to prevent water infiltration and damage beneath the siding. Tack a batten to the water table horizontally to guide the saw and ensure a straight 90 degree cut. We tear off the damaged hardboard and replace it with fiber cement siding. So when a piece of vinyl breaks the key to making the repair is a zip tool a miniature curved pry bar with a metal hook at its tip to unlock the siding.

Siding repair is best done with hand tools with one exception. Set the blade at a 5 degree bevel and a 1 inch cutting depth. Power tools are out for this job. Remove the wood then the nails.

Forget the tape measure tom says. Prep the old siding to get rid of most of the rot and allow you to remove the 2x8 make a horizontal cut through the siding 1 inches above the 2x8 s top edge. Unlike wood clapboards vinyl siding is so thin and flexible that each piece has to lock onto the ones above and below to keep a house weatherproof.