Procedures for Repairing Aluminum Siding

Repairing Dents

• Drill a hole through the center of the dent, ensuring that the screw does not penetrate the wall behind the siding, then thread a screw into the hole to serve as an anchor point. Pull the screw away from the dent with channel-lock pliers to pop the dent out. Patch the damaged area with the same two-part auto body filler material found at auto repair stores. Mix the two-part filler materials together and spread the material across the damaged area with a drywall knife. Sand the filler down with sandpaper to match the surrounding area after the filler dries.

Patching Torn Siding

• Repairing a torn section of siding is perhaps the most intimidating repair compared with other aluminum siding repair jobs. Cut away the damaged area with aviation tin snips. New siding pieces are equipped with a band along one edge. The band serves as a mounting point from the siding’s fasteners. For purposes of creating a patch, you can't use the band, so cut it away from the siding piece. With the band removed, cut the siding slightly larger than the cut you made at the repair area. As a general rule, allow 1 inch of extra siding on each side of the patch piece. To secure the patch in place, apply roofing cement to all four sides of the patch piece, then position the patch over the hole. To prevent rainwater from leaking through the patch, fill the seams between the patch and the surrounding area with caulk.

Repairing End Caps

• End caps are the corner sections of siding. Remove all end caps above the damaged end cap. Pry the top end cap of the corner with a pry bar, as the top end cap is secured only with roofing cement. The remaining end caps are held in place with ring-shank siding nails through nailing tabs at the top of each end cap. Remove the nails with a claw hammer. Installing the new end caps is essentially the reverse of removing them. Begin with the lowermost end cap and work upward. Attach the top end cap by coating the interior of the end cap with roofing cement and pressing it into position.

Painting the Siding

• Once the siding is repaired, you will most likely want to paint over the repair area, particularly if you installed a patch piece. It is important that the siding is clean before painting it, so wash the repair area with a mild detergent and water. Fortunately, no primer is needed here. Use a latex acrylic paint or an oil-base exterior paint. A 4-inch paintbrush can significantly reduce the time necessary to paint the siding, as it covers a large surface area.