A Guide to Repairing Vinyl Siding

Here is a great article about repairing your siding yourself.  A basic "do-it-yourself" guide to repairing your own siding written by Judy Wellsworth.  Its a great read and really makes the process seem pretty easy which in reality it is.

This article is a 'Do It Yourself' Guide to Repairing Vinyl Siding. It talks about all the requirements to perform the repair. It is a step by step guide to the process. Cracks can sometimes occur in vinyl siding if it's struck while temperatures are low. Wait until spring to initiate the repair. If your siding has been cracked or punctured, or has pulled away from the house, you may need to initiate a repair.

In case you cannot identify the portion of the siding that has been damaged, before you start the repair, I would strongly recommend that you visit a professional and ask him for his help. This will only make sure that in the process of repair, you don't end up damaging parts of the siding that wasn't damaged.

User Guide to Repair One's Vinyl Siding
Once you have identified the damaged piece and are sure that you want to 'do-it-yourself', you will need:
- A new section that matches the damaged section exactly
- A special "zipper" to separate the panels
- Polyurethane caulking
- A utility knife
- A carpenter's square
- A pencil
- Tin snips or a backsaw

Your work will go more easily for you if you initiate the repair when it's warm outside; it'll be easier to manipulate the vinyl if it is flexible. Don't try anything if there is a layer of ice on the siding. It will shatter into pieces if you do so.

Repair your Vinyl Siding
To start the repair, use the zipper to unlock the panel next to or above the damaged one. Lift it up and pry out the nails that hold the damaged panel in place.

Mark cutting lines on each side of the damaged area using a carpenter's square and pencil.
Cut the panel along the lines with tin snips or a backsaw and remove the damaged section.
Cut a replacement piece 2 inches longer than the section you just removed to allow for a 1-inch overlap on each end. (Cut only 1 inch longer if the damaged section ends at a corner or joint.)
Snap the top edge of the new section in place and nail it with aluminum box nails long enough to penetrate 1 inch into the studs. Using the zipper, snap in the other edge. This will mark the end of the repair and it will look new.

Vinyl Siding Repairs on holes:
To perform this, you need to take a small piece of vinyl siding and place it from behind the puncture. Place the punctured siding on a flat surface and then place the siding from the back and fix them together with cement and glue. Once you have done this, the process of repair has come to and end and you don't need to worry about those holes been seen by guests who visit your house.

You can also find more info on traditional wood siding and siding hardboard siding. Homesidingreview.com is a comprehensive resource to know more about home siding review.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Judy_Wellsworth

Painting Your Metal Siding

Posted by: Denver siding

Painting metal and aluminum siding can become a nightmare if not done right. Over the years I have worked on and repaired many homes with metal siding. Metal siding is real common in mobile homes. Most older mobile homes use aluminum paneling for their exterior siding.

Most painted metal siding seems to last at least 20 years. The reason for this is the paint is baked on in a factory giving it a high quality and nice looking surface. This baked on method is used for painting aluminum and most metals siding that gives the product a long life.

I lived in a mobile home park for a few years and my next door neighbor's mobile home had never been painted and was over 45 years old. He would go out and washed the mobile home once a year with some TSP soap while using a brush on the end of an extension pole to clean the home.

His mobile home might not have looked brand new but it was definitely in great shape. Over the years he had developed a few scratches and some dirt that was hard to wash off but that was about the extent of the damage to the painted metal siding.

Well we painted our mobile home and used an expensive metal primer along with some expensive paint from Dunn Edwards & Co... This paint worked great. We lived there for around four years and never had any problems once the home was painted. Having been in the construction business I knew we had to use a good metal paint primer in order for the paint to stick to the baked on paint process for the metal siding to look good.

Here's my advice to you when painting metal siding.

1. Make sure the metal siding is clean. Use TSP soap along with a scrub brush and scrub that baby clean. The cleaner the metal surface the better the new paint primer will stick or adhere to the old paint.

2. Follow the instructions carefully on the paint primer can when applying the primer. Do not paint below or above the recommended paint temperatures.

3. Make sure you explain to the paint salesman at whatever store you're in that you are going to be painting metal siding. Get the right paint primer.