Repairing Wood Lap Siding

Forget the tape measure tom says.

Repairing wood lap siding.

Remove the nails on the lap board then use the claw of the hammer to split the board down the center image 1. When hardboard siding is installed and maintained correctly it can hold up for 30 or 40 years. Siding repair is best done with hand tools with one exception. But without proper attention isolated areas can begin rotting in only a few years especially near the foundation.

That s because the end seams on wood lap siding are staggered across the wall and have to be made at wall stud locations. Water splashes up from the ground frequently soaking the vulnerable bottom edges. In most cases it s necessary to remove more than just the damaged wood to make the repair less obvious. Power tools are out for this job.

If a wood clapboard is rotted in a small area you can apply wood hardener and patch with wood filler or epoxy. Wood siding comes in many forms including several types of boards shingles and sheets. If the damaged area is large you ll have to replace the board or a part of the board. If the siding doesn t have wood or plywood sheathing behind it be sure to crosscut the damaged siding over a stud.

Instead you can size the replacement using the old clapboard as a template a simple technique that virtually guarantees a tight fit on the first try. When crosscutting the existing siding be sure to stagger the end joints so they aren t aligned above each other. How to repair wood siding. You can cut a board almost anywhere if your sheathing is solid plywood or osb but if the sheathing is not solid it must be cut in the middle of a.

Besides prying out the rotten wood you may need to cut adjacent boards back a stud or two in either direction. Score down the damaged lap siding with a utility knife. Once all the nails are removed from the adjoining board the damaged one should just pull out. How to remove and replace wood siding.

If you have woodworking skills you can tackle small repairs by duplicating the way the siding is. Many people delay getting new wood siding when one or two boards are rotted out because it can be hard to match new materials to the wood species and the same look of the existing siding.