12 Signs It Is Time to Replace Your Siding

How to do the walk-around

Pick a sunny day, ideally in the morning or late afternoon when the sun is low, because low-angle light shows dents, waves and cracks. Walk all the way around the house, including behind fences and shrubs, and look at each wall from a few feet away and then up close. Take photos as you go. Press gently on suspicious spots (only where you can reach safely from the ground). Then go inside and check exterior walls, closets on outside walls and the attic.

The 12 signs

1. Cracks and holes on more than one wall

One cracked panel from a mower rock is a repair. Cracks spread across a wall, or on several walls, usually point to hail or brittle, aging vinyl. If unlocking one panel to replace it cracks the next, the siding is near the end.

2. Hail dents and chips

Round dents in steel or aluminum, chipped paint or broken edges on fiber cement and wood, and splits in vinyl, concentrated on the walls that faced a storm. See hail damage siding.

3. Soft, swollen or crumbling boards

Push on the bottom edges of wood, hardboard, T1-11 and engineered wood. If a screwdriver sinks in, or the edges are swollen and flaking, water has gotten into the material. Look closely under windows, behind downspouts and near the ground.

4. Panels that keep blowing off

If wind loosens the same areas again and again, the fastening or the panels' locks are failing. Re-hanging them treats the symptom.

5. Warping, buckling and waves

Wavy vinyl can mean it was nailed too tight, the wall behind is uneven, or heat (including reflected sunlight from low-E windows) has distorted it. Bulging boards can mean moisture or framing issues behind them.

6. Heavy fading and chalking

Fading alone is cosmetic, but when the south and west walls are so faded that repairs can no longer match, and the material has become chalky and brittle, it is often a sign of age. Rub your hand on vinyl or aluminum; heavy white chalk means the surface has broken down.

7. Peeling paint that will not stay put

If paint on wood or hardboard peels again within a year or two of repainting, moisture is often moving through the wall, from inside or from water behind the siding.

8. Mold, mildew or stains running down the wall

Surface mildew on a shady wall can just be washed. Persistent staining that seems to come from behind the siding, especially under windows or at roof lines, suggests water getting in.

9. Signs inside the house

Peeling paint or wallpaper on exterior walls, damp drywall, musty smells in closets on outside walls, or water stains near window corners can all trace back to the siding and flashing.

10. Gaps at seams, corners and trim

Open seams, missing caulk and gaps where siding meets trim let water, wind and insects in. A few gaps are maintenance; widespread separation often means the siding has shrunk, warped or come loose.

11. Insects, birds and woodpecker holes

Woodpecker holes in wood and engineered siding, carpenter ant activity, or birds nesting in gaps point to damaged or soft material.

12. It is old aluminum, asbestos-cement, hardboard or T1-11

These materials are common on older Wichita-area homes. They are not automatically bad, but each has known failure patterns, and asbestos-cement and lead-painted siding need careful handling. See old asbestos and aluminum siding replacement and what is T1-11 siding?

Bonus signs

• Higher energy bills or drafty rooms on exterior walls can relate to missing sheathing, gaps or no water-resistive barrier, though windows and insulation are more common causes.
• You are about to sell and the siding is obviously worn; buyers and inspectors notice.
• You are tired of maintenance on wood siding that needs painting every few years.

What to do with what you find

• One or two isolated problems: a repair. See siding repair.
• Problems on one elevation: repair or replace that wall.
• Problems on several walls, or any sign of water in the wall: talk to a contractor about replacement. See siding repair vs. replacement.
• Damage right after a storm: document it before anything is fixed and contact your insurer. See how to file a hail damage siding claim.

Safety notes

Do not break, sand or drill suspected asbestos-cement siding to check it; the EPA recommends leaving it undisturbed and using trained professionals. If your home was built before 1978, painted siding and trim may contain lead; avoid dry scraping or sanding, and hire lead-safe certified firms for work that disturbs paint.

Bring your photos

When you request a quote, mention what you found and which walls. Photos help the contractor understand the scope before the visit. Published price ranges are in the siding cost guide.

Related services

• Siding Replacement: Tear off worn or damaged siding and re-side the house in vinyl, fiber cement, engineered wood or steel.
• Siding Repair: Fix cracked, loose, blown-off or rotted sections before water gets behind the wall.
• Hail Damage Siding Repair: Check, document and repair hail-cracked vinyl, dented steel and chipped fiber cement after a storm.

Sources: HomeGuide, house siding cost; EPA, protect your family from exposures to asbestos; EPA, Renovation, Repair and Painting (lead-safe) program.

Good to know: Requesting a quote is free and there is no obligation. Ask for a written quote that lists the material, the scope, permits and the warranty terms.