Repairing Siding This Old House

Remove the wood then the nails.

Repairing siding this old house.

It ll better match the house than brand new siding. 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. Pull siding away from house and cut through the bottom edge with aviation snips. 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.

Here s how to use it. The sheathing and framing sometimes need repairs too but that is less common. Forget the tape measure tom says. Siding repair is best done with hand tools with one exception.

Instead you can size the replacement using the old clapboard as a template a simple technique that virtually guarantees a tight fit on the first try. 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. We tear off the damaged hardboard and replace it with fiber cement siding. Use framing square and utility knife to cut through face of siding.

Power tools are out for this job. 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. Cut piece of faded siding from an inconspicuous spot to replace the damaged section.