Wood siding is no longer as common as it once was, but this beautiful, durable material can still be found on many homes. If it becomes damaged or needs repair, it’s best to take care of this as quickly as possible. Wood siding repair needs to be taken care of as soon as it is noticed, otherwise the damage may spread.

Common Wood Siding Repairs

The biggest issue when it comes to wood siding is rot. Wood is unlikely to have the same tendency to crack, puncture, or fade that vinyl or aluminum siding does. The other issue is warping. When wood siding is not properly sealed, or the house is improperly insulated allowing moisture to get trapped inside, the siding could begin to warp and pull away from the house. When this happens, more moisture can get in, eventually leading to rotting wood.

And while you can patch a hole or fix a dent in vinyl and aluminum siding without necessarily replacing the plank in question, a rotten piece of wood siding needs to be replaced. Warped pieces of siding should also be replaced as soon as they are noticed; otherwise moisture seeping in behind the warped boards could lead to rot in other areas.

Repairing Wood Siding

Because the damaged, rotting, or warped planks need to be replaced, the siding repair is actually fairly straight forward.

Each rotten plank is very carefully removed with a pry bar. This involves gently rocking the board back and forth until it comes loose. The key is to leave the surrounding siding in place if it is not also damaged. The plank should also ideally come off in one piece whenever possible; it can now be used as a guide to ensure that the new piece of siding is cut to the correct length.

After the plank is removed, best practices in siding repair recommend an inspection of what was below it. After all, if the plank was warped or rotting, chances are that moisture may have infiltrated the area behind it. If the vapor barrier, or house wrap need to be replaced as well, this is the ideal time to do it.

Once the house is ready to receive a new plank, it can be nailed carefully into the space left by the original. Galvanized nails should be used to nail the plank in; copper nails could stain the wood and discolor the paint. The key is that at this point the new plank needs to be well sealed to protect it from moisture. This will help ensure that it does not warp or begin to rot, calling for more repairs in the future.

Take Care of Your Wood Siding

Wood siding repair isn’t a difficult or complicated job, but it is one that needs to be taken care of in a timely way. If you start to notice the signs of moisture damage on your siding, make sure you have it inspected and repaired as soon as possible to prevent further damage from occurring.