How to Replace Vinyl Siding That’s Become Damaged

When learning how to repair vinyl siding, the first step involves removing the damaged panels. If an entire panel has damage, pop out the old panel. If the damage is small, you may want to just cut out the section that has damage. 

The easiest option is to replace the entire panel, rather than cutting out the damage. However, if you are trying to save money, just replacing a piece of vinyl siding may work better. 

Before going any further, it’s important to mention that purchasing and using a vinyl siding removal tool will make this job significantly easier. You can find one at almost any hardware store for less than $10. This tool helps with installing the new piece of siding, too.

Start at one edge of the damaged vinyl piece. Slide your vinyl siding removal tool underneath the bottom of the piece of damaged siding until it hooks into the bottom lip. Pull downward to loosen the piece from the one below it. (Vinyl pieces fit together with a lip on one piece hooking into a channel on an adjacent piece.)

You now can slide the tool slowly lengthwise against the damaged piece, popping the lip out of the channel along the way. Continue until you reach the far end of the damaged panel. Repeat this process for the piece above the damaged piece.

The top of each vinyl siding panel has nails every 16 inches or so that attach the panel to the materials underneath, which are usually wood and insulation. Pull the nails loose with a flat pry bar. You’ll have to gently lift the upper vinyl piece that does not have damage so you can reach the nails on the damaged piece and pry them loose. Having a second person hold the undamaged piece is helpful.

If you are replacing the entire panel, pull all the nails. If you want to cut out a small piece of damage, just pull the nails along the piece where you want to cut out the vinyl. Then use a straightedge and utility knife to carefully cut out the piece of vinyl with damage. 

Remove the panel piece or the entire panel after pulling the nails.

Move the new piece into place. The new piece should be an inch or two longer on both sides than the gap, creating an overlap to reduce the chance of water reaching the material underneath. If you need to cut the new piece to fit, use the utility knife and straightedge.

Use the hammer to drive nails about 16 inches apart along the length of the panel, whether it’s a full panel or a small piece. Drive the nails into the thin segment at the top with oval slots for the nails, called the nailing flange. Put the nail in the middle of the oval slot. 

Do not place the new nails in the same holes where the old nails were in the material underneath, but they can be close to the old holes.

Do not pound the nails completely tight to the material underneath the vinyl siding. Leave a tiny fraction of an inch of gap, so the panel can slide slightly as it expands and contracts in different temperatures. (The holes in the nailing flange are oval shaped so the nail can slide inside them as the panel expands and contracts.)

Regardless of whether you are replacing a full panel or a small piece, be sure to place nails in the slots on both ends to secure the seam.

With the new piece nailed in, you now need to reattach the upper and lower pieces to it. Go in reverse order to how you removed the piece earlier, starting with the upper piece.

Use the vinyl siding removal tool on the far end of the newly installed panel to pull down the channel of the upper piece. Press on the upper piece just behind where you’re holding the tool to pop the channel into the lip on the lower piece. You may hear a snap as the two pieces connect.

Slide the tool slowly along the length of the piece, continuing to pull the channel down with the tool and continuing to press on the upper panel with your hand to pop the lip and channel together. 

Repeat this process for the piece below the piece you replaced.