This time of year is a great time to inspect the outside of your home, including your siding, for the upcoming warmer weather. Winter storms have taken their toll and now is a good time to determine if your siding needs a makeover, storm damage repairs or complete replacement.
Do you Need to Repair or Replace any Dry Rot Water Damage on Siding?
There are a few specific signs that you should look for when inspecting the condition of your home’s siding. Dry rot is one of the first signs you should look out for. It can be found when tapping on your siding with the rubber handle of a tool. Dry rot is when fungi has eaten the under layers of your home’s siding, but the outside looks perfectly fine. Siding pieces that suffer from decay should be replaced immediately because extensive dry rot will require your entire home to be resided.
Repainting Cedar Wood, Clapboard, Masonite, Aluminum, Steel & Vinyl Siding
Another sign that your siding may need to be replaced is if you have to keep repainting your home every 4-5 years. If the color and shape of your siding is fading or warping, your siding is due for a replacement. High quality siding will maintain its shape and color for at least eight to ten years. Peeling, cracking, or chipping is a sure sign that it is time to start thinking about replacing your existing siding. Perform a thorough inspection to see if any warping has occurred on any pieces of your siding.
Repair or Replace Siding Cracks or Pieces Falling Off
One of the most obvious signs that siding needs to be replaced is that is has visible large cracks, or large pieces of the siding are falling off of your home. This usually indicates that the siding on your home is very old and should be replaced as soon as possible. Not only does new siding immediately improve the look of your home, but it also provides an additional source of insulation for your home as well.
Rain, Wind & Hail Storm Damage to Siding
Wind, heavy rain and hail can cause damage to siding in many ways. As we mentioned above, excess water from heavy rains can cause dry rot. Wind can cause already vulnerable pieces of siding to break away further or even fall off altogether. Some signs of hail damage include holes in vinyl siding or dents in aluminum siding. These are two of the most common materials used to clad the exterior of homes. Often hail damage occurs to just one side of a home’s exterior, leaving homeowners with the problem of matching the replacement siding to the color and material of existing siding. Arrows Painting & Remodeling can seamlessly material and color match to your existing siding.
Other Causes of Siding Damage
Pests such as carpenter bees, ants and termites can damage your siding. Of course, before repairing or replacing it, you will want to find the source and eliminate the pest problem first. Woodpeckers have also been known to damage siding as they seem to enjoy drumming repeatedly on the siding fascia boards which results in clusters of tiny holes that can make your siding vulnerable to further damage.
