5 tips for handling siding repairs

Siding on your house can be both pretty and practical if you know how to stay on top of easy repairs. Follow these tips to deal with many kinds of repairs for siding.

• Gently lever the split open with a putty knife. If the split is large enough, slip a small wooden wedge under the bottom edge of the damaged board to keep the inside of the split exposed.
• Apply waterproof glue along the exposed edge of the split, then remove the wedge, push the siding back into place, and wipe away excess glue with a damp cloth.
• Drive several small finishing nails at an angle under the repaired section and bend them up to hold the bond tightly together.
• Remove the nails when the glue dries and plug holes with caulk or exterior wood putty.

• To repair rotted wood, dig away the rot with a knife or chisel, then mix up a batch of auto-body filler (available from home centres or auto supply stores) and fill the hole with it, smoothing or shaping the patch with a putty knife.
• Sand it to match the surrounding wood.
• Prime and paint the area.

• Has a board in your siding developed a bulge? Just screw it down.
• Drive a long wood screw through the siding and the sheathing beneath it, then into a stud. (To find a stud, look for a pattern of nail heads or seams between boards.)
• To avoid splitting the board, drill a pilot hole for the screw. Then drill a second, larger, shallow hole at the surface (a countersink) for the head of the screw to sink into. Drive the screw in as far as it will go.
• Cover the screw head with exterior-grade wood putty and sand it smooth.
• Prime and paint the area.

• If you accidentally cut the building paper or housing wrap behind the siding while replacing a section of siding or making another repair, seal the damage with asphalt roofing cement.

• Some houses are faced with cedar or redwood shakes or shingles. The main difference between the two is shingles are smooth-cut on both sides, and shakes are left rough on one side.
• Generally, neither is painted, but sometimes they are treated with semitransparent or even solid-colour stains.
• To replace a damaged shingle or shake, start with a hammer and a wood chisel to split the damaged shingle in several places, being careful not to damage the underlying shingles. Then pull out all the pieces.
• Slip the blade of a mini-hacksaw under the overlapping shingle and cut off the nails that held the damaged shingle. (Pull out any exposed nail heads using a claw hammer.)
• Measure and saw a replacement shingle's width to fit, allowing three millimetres (1/8-inch) gap between the new shingle and the shingles on each side.
• Slide the new shingle under the overlapping shingles to about one centimetre (1/2 inch) below its final position. At one centimetre (1/2 inch) in from each side edge, drive in rust-resistant shingle nails at a slightly upward angle. Tap the shingle into place with a hammer and a block of scrap wood. The nails will straighten and be hidden under the overlapping shingles.