Fiber cement siding is one of the most durable siding options, but it isn't indestructible. If strong winds hurl something against the siding, or if you ram into it with a riding lawnmower, then the siding can crack or chip. Fortunately, damage can usually be repaired, and your siding will look good as new. Here are some ways your siding repair contractor might fix chips and cracks in your fiber cement siding.
Siding With A Lot Of Damage May Need To Be Replaced
If something smashes into the side of your house, there could be cracks and chips across multiple boards and extensive cracks on each board. In that case, your contractor may opt to remove the damaged boards and replace them with new boards.
This involves cutting out the damaged boards and leaving the undamaged ones in place. Then, new boards are nailed and caulked in the vacant space. Next, the new boards have to be painted.
If you're lucky, the contractor will find paint that's a good match, but if your siding has had a few years of sun exposure, it may be too faded to match the new paint. In that case, you may need your whole house, or at least one wall, painted so the repaired area isn't noticeable.
Siding With Minor Damage Might Be Repaired
Siding repair is often possible with fiber cement. This involves cleaning the boards well and then using a fiber cement patch material to fill in the cracks or chips.
Using the right patch material is important because although fiber cement looks like wood, wood patch materials won't work. After the patch is applied, the surface is sanded so it's smooth. Then, the area is painted over to hide the repairs.
If the repaired area is small, the new paint might not be noticeable. However, if several damaged boards are repaired, then it could be necessary to paint the whole wall to get the paint to blend in.
Once fiber cement siding is in place, it's very strong and durable. However, working with it requires care since the boards can crack if they're not handled properly. The boards are also heavy and can damage other boards if they stack on each other or bang into each other.
Fiber cement isn't the easiest material for DIY repairs. Hiring a contractor is often the best idea, especially for boards high off of the ground. Be sure to check your warranty since the siding repairs may be covered, and you want to make sure you don't do anything to void the warranty in the process of making repairs. For more information, contact a company that offers siding repair and replacement services.
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