How to Replace Vinyl Siding That’s Become Damaged
Cracks in your siding? Do a quick vinyl siding replacement.
- Vinyl siding removal tool
- Flat pry bar
- Hammer
- Tape measure
- Utility knife
- Replacement pieces of vinyl siding
- Roofing nails 1 to 1.25 inches in length
Vinyl siding is tough and long-lasting, but it still needs to be replaced occasionally. Whether it’s damaged from your kid’s wayward baseball or it’s just faded from the sun, here’s what you need to know before replacing your siding. The below explains how to replace vinyl panels, which is a relatively simple job for a confident DIY-er. If you need to replace entire walls of vinyl siding or corner pieces, it’s time to call in the siding professionals.
Signs You Need to Replace Siding Panels
Vinyl siding is a durable material and most can last up to 40 years, though you may choose to replace yours sooner for aesthetic reasons or if it’s damaged. Knowing the year the siding was installed will give you a good timeline for replacement.
Here are a few signs it’s time to replace your siding.
1. Moisture Inside the Home
If moisture leaks behind your vinyl siding, you may see evidence indoors. Peeling interior paint is a primary indicator that there is moisture behind your wall. Check the siding behind the paint damage for evidence of water. You may see mold, mildew, or moist spots on the siding and in the seams.
2. Loose, Cracked, or Broken Siding
Though durable, vinyl siding isn’t indestructible. Damage from storms and high winds can dislodge or break pieces of siding. Displaced siding and sections with holes or cracks can allow moisture inside and damage your home.
3. Warped or Buckled Siding
As your home settles and temperature fluctuations cause the wood behind your siding to shrink and swell, your siding may be affected. The presence of bent, buckled, or warped siding is an indicator that your siding should be replaced.
Remove the Existing Vinyl Panel(s)
Photo: sergeevspb / Adobe StockWhen 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.
Remove the Old Nails
Photo: Wendy Kaveney / Adobe StockThe 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.
Install the New Vinyl Panel(s)
Photo: Venerala / Adobe StockMove 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.
Should You DIY or Hire a Pro?
Vinyl siding is relatively simple to replace, but most homeowners choose to hire a local vinyl siding contractor to perform repairs and replacements. Any tiny mistake in installation could cause major problems down the road, so choosing a licensed contractor who guarantees their work is a safer choice than DIYing it.
Although the overall vinyl siding cost for supplies and installation will be higher by hiring a pro than by doing it yourself, the pro might save you some money on supplies. The pro may have an easier time tracking down perfect matches to your current siding. The pro probably has more potential outlets for finding panels, even discontinued models, which may drive down the siding replacement cost.
Purchasing the same model and color of siding that your home currently has gives you the best chance at an accurate match. However, even if you purchase replacement siding from the same manufacturer, fading often causes a slight color mismatch. Dark colored siding fades faster than light colored siding, so you may notice a color mismatch more with dark colors. When trying to learn how to restore faded vinyl siding, cleaning the original siding is a good start. You also may be able to paint your existing siding to create a better match with the new siding.
If you cannot purchase replacement panels of the same model and color as your existing vinyl siding, you may have to try to paint the replacement piece. It can be tough to not only match the existing color but also to keep the paint from peeling. Vinyl siding panels expand and contract as temperatures change. This can cause the paint job to crack and flake. You then will need to repaint the siding on a regular basis. There are some hassles associated with painting replacement vinyl panels to match, but it might be your only option.
When you have vinyl siding over old wood siding, which is common, you could have damage to the original wood siding. If you are replacing the vinyl siding because it had holes in it from hail or a stray baseball, the old wood siding may have water exposure and damage. You then may need to know how to repair water damaged siding in the wood underneath before replacing the vinyl siding. Replacing or repairing your damaged old wood siding may require the help of a pro, as it’s a challenging process.
