How can I repair my loose aluminum siding?

Question

There are 2 slats that keep getting pulled loose in the wind. Only happens once in a while, but you guessed it, they're now loose, and flapping again. I've pounded in nails, but is there a better solution?

Answer 1

unfortunately with aluminum siding the only 'correct' way to fix loose panels is to take it down from the top and re install it. unlike vinyl siding that can be stretched and relocked aluminum won't return when it's spread. i can't tell you what the cause of your panels coming apart is without seeing it for myself. most likely it is due to seattling of the house, but poor installation is also a possibilty. one thing about you putting nails into it is if you keep it from expanding and contracting it will buckle and work the nails out. siding is hung on a house, not nailed down tight. a "fix" that i made for a homeowner whose siding was no longer available and couldn't afford a complete new siding job was as follows. it's not perfect or pretty but if it's not in a high traffic area, like your front walk/door area goes like this. i cut the siding 1" up from the middle of the panel, this was dbl. 4" siding, the entire length of the wall. i would do this to the row above the loose panels in your case. (without curling the siding keep it as flat as possible) i used a skil saw with a plywood blade installed backwards, don't cut too deep, just through the siding. duct tape the bottom of the saw plate so you don't scratch the siding and use tin snips to finish the cut at both ends. next i removed all of the siding all the way to the bottom of the wall. keep it in order so that it will go back together the same way. next i removed the starter strip on the wall and reinstalled it 1/2" higher ( plan this and mark it before you remove it). then i put the siding back up the way it was, nail in the middle of the slots and leave the nails 1/4" loose.when you are putting the siding up measure to the siding above and make sure that it is 1/2" higher than it is where you didn't remove it,( if you have dbl 4" and took off 3 rows it used to be 24", it would now be 23 1/2"). when you get up to the cut panels, slide them up under the cut flap of the panel and lock the panel in. now to keep the siding up you will need to drill holes about every 8" and pop rivit the panels together. keep the holes and rivits back about 2-3" from the ends of the panel. if you have white siding you can use white gutter rivits, if another color that isn't a gutter color, use plain aluminum rivits. this will look better than panels flapping in the wind, but not as good as rest of the house. but as opposed to several thousand dollars for a new siding job, hopefully you can overlook it. good luck and hope this helps you with your problem siding!