Vinyl Siding is one of the most commonly used types of siding. It's also one of the most fragile. The vinyl panels surrounding your home can become cracked due to extremely cold temperatures, strong winds, and physical pressure. Chances are, if you have vinyl siding surrounding your home, you'll end up with a cracked panel at some point or another.
In order to replace a damaged vinyl panel, you'll need the following tools and materials:
- Vinyl siding removal tool (also known as zip tool)
- Hammer
- Tin snips or handsaw
- Replacement panels
If you have some panels left over from when the vinyl siding was installed, use these as replacements. If you don't have any leftover panels, you'll need to buy some new ones. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to find the perfect match. Even if you know the manufacturer and model of your siding, your exact model and color might not be manufactured anymore. If you can't find the same panels, you can talk to someone at a home improvement store and ask him or her to help you find the closest match possible.
The Process
Removing a damaged panel is surprisingly easy. Just take the panel removing tool and, starting at the end, put it under the edge of the panel above the one you need to replace (since it covers the nails of the damaged one below it). Then, slide the tool across the bottom of the panel while pulling down to unsnap it from the damaged panel. Once loose, you can lift up the panel to gain access to the nails of the damaged panel.
Now that the nails are exposed, use the claw-end of the hammer to remove them. Don't discard the nails, though, since you'll want to reuse them when putting the new panel in. After removing the nails, the panel can be removed from the wall.
The next step is to prepare the new panel for installation. Using the tin snips or a handsaw, cut the panel down to the appropriate length. Then, take the new panel and slide it into place, pulling upwards until the bottom of the panel latches onto the one beneath it. At this point, hammer it into place, using the same nails and holes as before. The nails should not be hammered in all the way. Rather, the nails should stick out just slightly to allow the vinyl to move around and expand.
The final step is to put the panel above the new one back into place. Starting at the end of the piece, use the siding removal tool to pull down on the bottom lip and hook it onto the top lip of the new panel. Slide the tool along the length of the panel, using your other hand to help secure it into place. After doing this, gently tug on all the panels involved to make sure they are well connected.
After doing all this, you will have successfully repaired a broken vinyl siding panel. Should you need to do this again in the future, you'll know exactly what to do!