Vinyl siding is tough, but it can still be damaged due to impacts or freezing weather. When a panel is cracked, it should be replaced to keep water from getting behind the siding. Plus, if there's a lot of damage due to a storm or hail, your home will have poor curb appeal until siding repair is done. Fortunately, vinyl siding repair isn't too difficult. Individual panels can be replaced, or a damaged panel can be patched. Here's how these siding repairs are done.

Replace A Damaged Panel

If a panel has a long crack or other damage, the siding contractor will probably replace it. This siding repair is fairly easy since the panels lock together. A bad panel can be loosened by running your hand along the bottom to release it from the nailing strip below. Then the panel above it can be loosened in the same way to expose the nailing strip on the top of the bad panel. The bad panel can then be pulled off and replaced with a new one by following the steps in reverse.

The contractor is careful not to drive the new nails in too tight. The panel needs to hang loosely from the nails so the panel can move with changes in outdoor temperatures. Before the work begins, the contractor needs to choose a replacement panel that's the same brand and color. You might even have some spare panels from when your siding was installed. As long as your old siding hasn't faded too much, the new panels will blend in seamlessly if they're the same brand and color.

Patch A Damaged Panel

If the damage is just a small area, the contractor might patch up the hole rather than replace the entire panel. This can be done with a vinyl siding patch kit. The patch secures permanently to the siding so rain is kept out and your siding is protected. These work on small holes where the patch won't be too noticeable. Patches are clear or white and can be painted over to match your siding.

You might want to use these patches as a temporary repair to keep water out until you're ready to hire a siding contractor to make a permanent patch that blends in much better with your siding. This siding repair is done in the same way as replacing an entire panel, except the contractor cuts a small section from the replacement panel to use as a patch.

They remove a small section from the damaged panel and replace that with the replacement patch. This helps your spare panels from your siding installation last longer since an entire panel doesn't have to be used to fix a small hole.

Contact a company like 877 New Look Siding to learn more.

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