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Vinyl Siding Maintenance Tips

November 14, 2020

Homes with the best vinyl siding Waterloo and Cedar Falls, Iowa have to offer can last for years without needing to replace this home protection item. However, a large number of people may not realize that the quality of their maintenance profoundly affects how often they have to replace these items. As a result, it is critical to know how to perform these steps and what kinds of issues they can repair. The following information should help you keep your vinyl secure and avoid complications that may be hard to manage.

Know What Can Affect Your Siding

When it comes to vinyl siding, there isn’t a lot that damages the way other types of siding can get damaged. That’s because it is designed to last as long as possible and provide you with years of protection for your home. And its surface is among the strongest of all siding materials on the market, providing maximum strength for minimum cash. However, that doesn’t mean that vinyl can’t get damaged or severely broken if you aren’t careful with handling and maintaining it.

For example, vinyl can easily puncture if heavy or sharp objects hit it too hard. Often, this problem can occur during storms when the wind blows very sharp items against your home. Typically, you’re likely to see this issue if your siding is a little older and worn down over the years. Though it doesn’t rot or wear down like other types – mainly wood – vinyl can get old and may wear down enough to become easier to puncture. That all depends on how well you handle the structure of your home over the years.

Don’t forget – the wind is probably the biggest problem that your home will face when it comes to vinyl. That’s because it may blow this siding off of your home and open it up to a myriad of other issues that can be hard to predict. As a result, you need to make sure that you not only properly prepare for this issue but also know how to repair your siding. The following tips should give you a better understanding of this factor and how it may impact you and your home over the years.

For example, you also need to prepare for the possibility of missing nails that may end up affecting how well your shingles stay up on the walls. These missing nails can be hard to spot because they may end up falling out when you least expect it. Repair methods for this issue will be discussed in more depth below. For now, understand that you need to perform these maintenance steps after cleaning the surface of your vinyl siding of all dirt, mold, bacteria, and stains across its surface.

Clean Your Vinyl When Necessary

The essential vinyl siding maintenance tip possible is to clean up your home, as needed when the surface ends up getting too dirty. That’s because a myriad of dirt, bacteria, and mold problems can develop on the surface of your home and cause complications with the vinyl. For example, soil can make it prone to wear and tear more efficiently, and mold may work its way underneath the siding, affecting the attachment areas. When this happens, you may need to get new siding tiles to avoid issues.

First of all, choose a time of the year that makes sense for your siding. Typically, summer or spring is an excellent time to clean siding because the weather will be warm and the soap will sud more easily. However, there are other times that you may want to consider it. Some prefer fall because winter isn’t as likely to cause as much dirt or mold to grow. By getting rid of these items in the fall, you keep your home free of them throughout the ice and snow and can prevent a large amount of damage.

Typically, you only need to clean your vinyl once per year to get good results. However, some people may want to try out more frequent cleaning. The choice is ultimately yours and should be made with careful consideration. That’s because many different situations may worsen or improve your cleaning. For example, the rain will cause problems that can make this process more of a challenge.

Just as importantly, you need to keep the temperature above 50-60 degrees Fahrenheit to avoid any issue. When you wash below 50, the surface may not clean as well. And if you wash above 60, you can soak in ease and comfort. By the time you reach 70-80 degrees, you’re getting into a more difficult situation because you may be uncomfortable as you clean. However, some people enjoy wearing bathing suits and washing their vinyl in the sun, so you may want to try this if this description fits you.

Fixing Missing Nails

Lastly, you need to check the surface of your vinyl siding at least once every year to spot broken or missing nails. We already briefly mentioned this process earlier but think it is worth emphasizing again here. Missing nails on your shingles is a huge issue because they will allow water to leak into your home behind the siding and cause damage that may spread quite far.

When you find a missing nail, you should see the vinyl flap hanging up or wagging in the wind as it blows. And you should be able to quite quickly locate any missing nails on the ground after they have fallen out. You will probably have to use new nails to hold the shingle down, though, as these nails are likely to be rusted after falling out of the wall and lying on the ground for a year or so.

Many experts can do it for you if you aren’t comfortable handling this process on your own. Thankfully, most types of nails are pretty easy to spot and shouldn’t be difficult to replace. And while you have a professional siding company at your home, it is a good idea to get them to check for other issues too. Doing so can save you a lot of money, time, and confusion at the same time.

Help is Available for You

As you can see, the best vinyl siding Waterloo and Cedar Falls, Iowa have to offer can provide you with the support that you need to keep your home safe. And maintenance shouldn’t be too hard if you know what you are doing and contact professional advice. So please don’t hesitate to call us at Community Builders Supply Co right away to learn more. Our experts have years of experience in the field and will do everything within their power to help you succeed where others have failed in the past.

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