Aluminum siding:Why & how to get repaired
This article touches upon the comparison between vinyl siding and aluminium siding. The main focus though, is on maintenance of Aluminium sidings. It speaks in great details about the do's and don't of maintenance.
Durability and ease of maintenance make aluminium siding popular among many homeowners. Interestingly, aluminium actually shares quite a few similarities with vinyl. This type of siding comes in 'boards' that are available in both wide and narrow styles. The benefit of these styling options is that you can easily adjust your siding to complement your home's architectural flow. In addition, aluminium is available in a wonderful array of colors and textures.
Often sold alongside vinyl siding, aluminium siding can be seen as the precursor to vinyl. However, the two are not the same. Aluminium is metal and very sturdy but it is not necessarily durable. In fact, it can easily dent. Additionally, because aluminium siding is metal, it will need to be painted just like wood.
Exterior Aluminium Siding
Aluminium is often susceptible to dips, dents and dimples. It will also require regular light cleaning, in order to avoid any staining that may be associated with mildew, grass and dirt. The good news is that generally a bit of low-pressure washing will do the job!
If you got your siding scratched, you can apply this method- Paint a coat of rust-retardant metal primer made for aluminium over the affected area. Once dry, apply acrylic house paint.
If you got your siding corroded, you can apply this method- Buff the area with fine steel wool and prime with rust-retardant metal primer made for aluminium; when dry, apply acrylic house paint
If you got your siding dented, you apply the following method. Wear protective goggles for this fix. Locate the center of the dent and drill a pilot hole there. If it’s a large dent, place two or more screws evenly across the area. Insert a sheet metal screw slightly larger into the hole(s), and use a pair of locking pliers to grip the head and carefully pull the screw until the dent fills out. Remove the screw(s) and fill the hole(s) with two-part auto body filler smoothed on with a spatula or putty knife. Sand area when dry (120-grit sandpaper is ideal) and paint with acrylic house paint.
Aluminum siding:Why & how to get repaired
Aluminium does require painting every few years to freshen its coat. While taking care of your paint, be sure to note any cracking or blistering that may have occurred. Thankfully, you will be able to easily replace any 'boards' that have been damaged.
One thing that you need to take care of is that when you are spraying the aluminium siding, the jet of water is not too high. If it is then it may dent the aluminium siding. To make sure that the water pressure is not too high, test run it on a small, obscure piece of aluminium siding. I would also advise that when you are painting your aluminium siding afresh, buy a separate piece of aluminium siding. Paint this aluminium siding with the new paint so that in case one of your aluminium sidings gets damaged, it can be replaced by this one and the shades of color match the rest of the house.