How to Repair Melted Vinyl Siding | Ask This Old House

Tom Silva helps a homeowner solve the mystery of her melted vinyl siding. (See below for a shopping list, tools, and steps.)
SUBSCRIBE to This Old House: bit.ly/Subscrib...
Shopping List for How to Repair Melted Vinyl Siding:
- Window screen, used to eliminate reflective solar heat
- Adhesive-backed Velcro tape, for securing screen to window
- Vinyl siding, used to replace the damaged siding
- Aluminum roofing nails, for attaching the vinyl siding
Tools List for How to Repair Melted Vinyl Siding:
- Hammer
Utility knife and combination square, for scribing a cut line onto the vinyl siding
- Aviation snips, used to cut vinyl siding
- Zip tool, used to lock siding panels together
Steps for How to Repair Melted Vinyl Siding:
1. Apply 4-inch-long strips of adhesive-backed Velcro tape to a window screen.
2. Peel off the backing from the tape and stick the screen to the outside of the window sash.
3. Slip your hand behind the siding course immediately above the damaged siding. Slide your hand along the wall to disengage the butt (bottom) edge of the siding.
4. Use a hammer to pull the nails holding the first course of damaged siding to the wall.
5. Pull down on the siding to disengage it from the course below, then remove the damaged piece of siding.
6. Repeat Steps 4 and 5 to remove the remaining damaged siding panels.
7. Measure a new vinyl siding panel to fit along the very bottom of the wall. Scribe the cut line with a combination square and utility knife.
8. Cut the siding along the scribed line with aviation snips.
9. Snap the lowest course of siding into the starter strip fastened along the bottom of the wall.
10. Secure the siding with aluminum nails. Space the nails 12 to 16 inches apart, and tap them through the center of the nailing slots.
11. Be sure to leave the nail heads protruding 1/16 of an inch or so. Don't nail the siding tight to the wall.
12. Where two pieces of siding overlap, use the utility knife to trim the end of the nailing hem and the back edge of the butt edge.
13. Continue to install siding up the wall, one panel at a time.
14. To snap the last-installed siding panel onto the panel above, use a zip tool.
15. Hook the zip tool onto the butt edge of the upper siding panel, then pull down and push in at the same time.
16. Slide your hand and the zip tool along the wall to lock the siding panels together.
About Ask This Old House TV:
Homeowners have a virtual truckload of questions for us on smaller projects, and we're ready to answer. Ask This Old House solves the steady stream of home improvement problems faced by our viewers-and we make house calls! Ask This Old House features some familiar faces from This Old House, including Kevin O'Connor, general contractor Tom Silva, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey, and landscape contractor Roger Cook.
Follow This Old House and Ask This Old House:
Facebook: bit.ly/ThisOldH...
Twitter: bit.ly/ThisOldH...
bit.ly/AskTOHTw...
Pinterest: bit.ly/ThisOldH...
Instagram: bit.ly/ThisOldH...
bit.ly/AskTOHIG
Tumblr: bit.ly/ThisOldH...
For more on This Old House and Ask This Old House, visit us at: bit.ly/ThisOldH...
How to Repair Melted Vinyl Siding | Ask This Old House
/ thisoldhouse

[@mikovincent6079]

Tommy : okay I think I have a third solution for you instead of the tree or awning. Lady: okay great Tommy: gets in truck and drives away.

[@justinballard7242]

Haha

[@DesignsbyCADPRO]

Her face when Tom tells her it is the window.....she says "ohhhhhh" lol

[@thefrub]

"An awning wouldn't work with the style of the house" As she stands before an endless flat expanse of vinyl siding. Very stylish indeed. Perhaps a shower curtain nailed to the wall would suit her elegant tastes

[@oscarlandag1831]

To be fair an awning wouldn’t look good in that corner. You made her point it would ruin the clean simple aspect of the house

[@Borgenscalle]

Doesn’t feel very safe if the sun can do that! What in the event of a real fire?😱

[@onetwothree4148]

@@Borgenscalle if there's a real fire a block away you'll need new siding.

[@MrBthatch]

I've been a builder for many years and have seen quite a fair bit of sheds. The plans in ryan's package kzbin.infoUgkxB7IXYxLzb_Ichhe45zM3Im5xfEiSp9vB have some of the nicest looking sheds i've seen in a while.

[@tvojslauf]

“All right Lidiyer that looks much better”

[@tmyers8032]

this is why i still love this show there always something new to learn.

[@hotsaucehimself]

Another contributing factor is the concavity in the glass that occurs in IG units. This acts like a magnifying glass, as the reflection is concentrated. Most of the N-S facing houses in our old subdivision have large swaths of melted siding from the neighbors’ west facing windows.

[@lashonyataylor9492]

Each time i tune in to TOH i learn something new THANK YOU, helpful video

[@wayned1807]

He's right about the Low-E glass. Our windows burned the lawn each summer. We planted trees to block the rays. It worked.

[@hj8607]

This being one of the very few cases where e-glass reflection is ADDING to vinyl melt . The sun has direct rays on the siding , is adding heat to the spot by reflection off of the window AND the adjacent siding . Reflection off e-glass across to an adjacent house , shining onto a SHADED side is not going to melt siding unless the ambient outdoor temp is 120 + degrees .

[@cherylwaddell8723]

I live near Phoenix, AZ. The unshaded portions of my home are all warping with the extreme summer heat. Tommy's lesson on how to replac the vinyl siding is very helpful. Shading the worst areas will be my next chore.

[@VanessaVanessa-hw7tj]

I grilled to.close to my garage. And Melted.the vinyl. I'm so happy it's this easy to fix.

[@bg147]

I don't understand why they aren't working together. She could be lifting the siding away from the house as he pull nails, and she could grab the nails from him as well. Those yellow windows or screens behind the guys in the shop are very cool.

[@GustavoMartinez-yh8wx]

Good videos, be nice to have one that show the difference between sidings, specially aluminum, stucco, vinyl.

[@Brian_yeah_that_brian_Strang]

Tom Silva is the man

[@luckyvet]

I have a building with one of those rounded fabric/canvas roofs. Snow and ice slides off it into a pile that if left unchecked will turn to ice in the spring. That ice on the ground reflected the sunlight on the building and caused the exact thing we see here in this vid.

[@nararakesh1]

We are doing some house hunting and found similar issue, Thank you for the detailed explanation this is a perfect solution to our scenario.

[@dondehne5370]

Did she give Tommy the evil eye at 5:46

[@JodBronson]

LOL... Or she just like ... WTF are you doing? LOL

[@azza910able]

she was bored and started looking at his salt and pepper hair

[@leong2023]

Nope, that was the I want to make some carpenter babies look.

[@chuck...]

Tom you a legend

[@curtdunlap6818]

What an unusual circumstance to cause this problem. I find that a gas grill does a much better job without the mystery! Thanks for the video!

[@tomcole4736]

Happens alot in high rises as well. When they first started with the all glass buildings all sorts of heat issues started to show up. if you pay attention when you are walking by all glass buildoings and you in the reflection zone you can feel the heat

[@MrGruntmaster]

Knotching back joint....how about using factory edge of panel, and make cuts on the "j" side.

[@Jin420]

Perfect timing! But luckily I have a very small section that's melted (it was there prior to my ownership) -- certainly not as bad as that lady's house.

[@VideoNOLA]

Those large, single-pane modern windows tend to bow slightly, and in this case appear to have formed a convex reflector. Special screens do exist that offer "directional" micro-louvers, but they also obscure one's view of outside.

[@giuseppe5080]

My friend set a fryer on the sidewalk next to his house and it caught on fire and melted his siding, I will be sure to share this with him.

[@ibrahimlahlafi8872]

Giuseppe

[@kevkr3070]

Giuseppe k Kemget e shekullit

[@spockmcoyissmart961]

Tell him to velcro a screen to his siding behind the fryer.

[@AWSmith1955]

Tommy says "it's called a zip tool" and @8:05 says Sideswiper right on it, which is what i called it for 30 years, I have three of them in various tool bins in my truck. And watched in horror as Tommy put a knife/snip cut on TOP of a seam overlap.

[@midsb4]

Tom is the man! True craftsman tradie

[@3joewj]

I've seen it happen on a neighbors house from heat reflection from the neighboring houses window. Imagine that conversation when one person is saying you caused it. Who's responsibility is it? 😄

[@sirpiken]

If you are junking the siding dont bother pulling nails on the first row you take off. You can flex the nailer around the head or just yank the panels really hard and break the nailing tabs. If the siding is an exact match there is a good change the nailing tabs will line up and you can hook the last row back in/ That's way easier than trying to holding the siding up out of the way while you nail.

[@macpakinga1271]

I used a ion 😂❤ with a damp towel hasn't blistered still going strong 😂❤ 5 years later ❤

[@guillermosebastian2011]

I like you're video sr. Thank's to saving us money.

[@JimDean002]

The last one I just watched before this one he fixed the door jamb with Bondo. Now we're velcroing screens on. Not knocking Tommy so don't get all upset just noting...

[@rollybearo1940]

Amazing, very smart, thank for sharing your skills

[@83AirGuy]

I love when homeowners have to watch me from over my shoulder the entire time, too. And there's no way that new siding magically matched the existing siding perfectly. That just don't happen unless it's almost new

[@deanhoward4142]

Or bend a fork utensil you don't need and it works like a bending tool but costs cheaper.

[@kuroneko2788]

Your house is melting!! Forget about the garden! Just put the tree in the flowerbed lady!!! You can still plant flowers and vegetables around it. That's a solution that requires minimal effort!

[@Melicoy]

AWESOME JOB TOM !!!!!!

[@brade7322]

Thanks!!!!!!!! 😊

[@robertproulx9338]

Nice work Tombo.

[@29outlaw]

I have a friend who has his entire side of his house melted because of the neighbor's windows. Naturally the neighbor doesn't care and won't do anything. I told him he should build a wall similar to a border wall in Texas and see how the neighbor likes that.

[@fernandojalon6339]

You guys are the best. Thank you.

[@freedomsnotfreefreedomsnot3270]

I don't think Toms cuts were all that great especially the exposed one they showed. For cutting siding the best snips to use are long jawed.

[@jallen32785]

I didn't know Cliff Claven was so handy

[@HHh-ej4rl]

I knew he looked familiar!

[@robertoler3795]

Tom is of course a pro....

[@6013kmb]

I recently have the same issue but... the wall that has the melted siding is a closet and the window is in a shaded corner facing North East.. so I'm still stumped on this one and why it happened. It is still melted. Thanks for the great video

[@onetwothree4148]

Could possibly have been your neighbor's window

[@6013kmb]

@@onetwothree4148 I dont have neighbors living close by.

[@onetwothree4148]

@@6013kmb was there ice or a pool of water in the vicinity? The sun can reflect off water and burn siding too

[@MisterTwister55]

These men have so much patience to work with annoying shadows. God they're worse than 3 year olds

[@michaelcarman2680]

A liitle off topic for this video, but what are my options to secure the j channel to the house around the window if all you have is "Celotex" black board to nail to? We have 1x4 trim framing the windows that are wrapped with aluminum, so there aren't any studs where the j channel needs to go. Hope someone can help.

[@lendavidhart9710]

When i remove vinyl or aluminum siding, ALWAYS mark the top of the nailing flange on the “tyvek” type material, so when I reinstall the pieces they go back where they were.

[@sunnymon1436]

That velcro should be fun when a storm or strong wind happens. Good bye screen, hello return business!

[@KnightofAntiquity]

Meh if you know one is coming you can take it down.

[@robertf6344]

She will be able to do this herself next time for sure !

[@docmacg6315]

The was great. I think my house siding is melting and bulging due the neighbor's low-E windows. I will have talk them about their windows. My fight is with the builder and siding company not wanting to repair this and house is less than 7 years new construction.

[@BushCraftN4U]

I tried doing a fix like that but it was noticeable from two blocks away I never could get the Green siding to blend with grey they clashed

[@cup_and_cone]

glen wells Just put a fresh coat of white, so when it flakes it'll look like a Dalmatian.

[@ThePoniAlex]

Another good note is to face the seam into the corner, so it isn't as visible.

[@kalevra6999]

See that's exactly why I plan to build my House and a spindle anything like that I can just spin it around problem solve

[@spockmcoyissmart961]

This is going on more than you realize. The advantages of Hardy siding and brick.

[@TheSeanUhTron]

I'll never install vinyl, but I have heard about better quality versions that have a higher melting point. Steel siding is the best. It's paintable, durable, and will last a lifetime. It's pricey, but worth it.

[@tinhinnh]

Sean Place ya but it dents

[@JodBronson]

Save your Money... When it's ready for sale... Call.... WeBuyUglyHouses dot com! LMFAO !!!

[@kramnull8962]

@@tinhinnh Time for some BONDO...

[@anthonyramirez6786]

her reaction has me dead

[@JodBronson]

LOL... She was like WTF ?????????????????????

[@ngammehsu3794]

I like brick wall.

[@moaski]

The best cure for melted vinyl is replacing it with something nice... Fiber cement, wood, stucco, metal... anything but vinyl.

[@steelyspielbergo]

+moaski Yes, something that has to be (re)painted, or rots, or cracks, or rusts. Good suggestion!

[@justinkearney7017]

mike spence fiber cement or hardie backer doesn't rust or rot. Once its installed its hard to crack

[@AxcelGamer97]

It's very hard to crack fiber cement. Nothing is better than some cheap, low-quality, and overall pain-in-the-neck vinyl! Sure is the best, isn't it?

[@garrettducat5769]

If she lives in the northern half of the US then stucco or fiber cement are both horrible suggestions. The freeze thaw cycle here is brutal and it'll rip anything cement based to shreds.

[@mikepilcher1922]

For some people hardie is out of their budget

[@ubacow7109]

Won't the adhesive in the Velcro just melt/soften on a hot day

[@xiaonaYang]

I want to know, wind and cold, damp problem this PVC material can resist?

[@kramnull8962]

For any dampness that gets behind the siding. You see the white paper looking material behind the siding. Well that is a vapor barrier. The best is made by DuPont. It actually is supposed to let moisture out of the wall, but not let any sweat and or outside moisture into the wall or on the studs. The cold and heat will make it brittle in a few years. If you live in a milder climate, you will get good years of service out of it.

[@freewoodencrosses]

The new siding will almost never match the old .....I found a place behind a large bush and replaced siding from there and used that in the place where it is obvious.

[@jamesavery6671]

yeah but on this old house is matches every time. If it dont your not a professional lmao

[@Gannon2145]

Thanks! I melted mine with a blowtorch

[@christophercrawford2736]

I would have just piled the pieces in order so I could simply grab them and use them to mark the length of the new piece rather than measuring with a tape measure.

[@markwicker2664]

His cuts would have been straighter as well.

[@williampennjr.4448]

I would have tried using a heat gun and an iron first to try to smooth it out.

[@slicktype001]

Tom is on 🔥

[@greghausbeck6635]

Score the siding with a knife first? Lmao 🤣! Just use the snips! Wow!

[@CrazyHeartRanch]

anyone know how to replace the starter strip if you only need to replace the bottom piece of siding...without tearing it all off

[@jaycarneygiants]

Why don't you use the same nail holes? Doesn't that leave the old holes open to moisture?

[@klee8960]

That vent is plastic also, but it's a harder form of plastic, so if there is hot air coming out and hitting that part of the siding it could melt it, siding is a thin softer plastic.

[@Freekygrandma]

K lee I was searching the comments to see if someone would figure this out. The dryer vent can put out very hot air and it being confined to the corner would definitely melt the siding below it.

[@mcgypsy9449]

So what do I do if I can’t get the original siding?

[@jaybrown6810]

8:07 oddly satisfying

[@jcflorodful]

Tom is eternally patient with these people. Seriously, you don’t want an awning or a tree? Fix your own siding.

[@khizerchoudhary5614]

Nice job

[@ArmaunZandi]

Ohh

[@ghli2262]

Great man, best skill always.

[@CameronMcKee]

7:50 is it possible to just use the back of a hammer or something instead of this tool to do this part?

[@crabbyhayes1076]

Isn't that the dryer vent above the melted vinyl? Maybe the metal pipe down low transferred the heat to the outside, while allowing the heat to dissipate higher up - preventing the plastic vent from deforming.

[@moose64]

It's also due from the glass in the window not being completely flat. Having a concave shape acting like a magnifying glass.

[@user-xd5zi3kt4s]

todd baker ohhh

[@Todd1561]

todd baker is correct, not surprising given his name :). Andersen Windows is replacing some 30 windows in my house in couple weeks due to a combination of the Low-E coating reflecting light and the concave shape of the pane creating a highly concentrated light ray that was killing my lawn in huge swaths. The concave shape occurs during the vacuum sealing of dual pane glass. They remove the atmosphere to reduce heat transfer. Better windows remove the air and refill with Argon.

[@carmengaray7460]

I can’t find the vinyl siding in my area to repair it

[@tristanr8597]

Why remeasure when he had perfect pieces to line up with? LOL.

[@WayneTesta4444]

James R remember this saying measure twice cut once

[@JodBronson]

+James R - That would be too smart!!! LMFAO !!!

[@RadRidesByCru]

Ironic that the person insulting the intelligence of others is incapable of stringing two properly structured sentences together.

[@samsngdevice5103]

Because you still have to know its size

[@johnbaptist7476]

U remind me of Mr Rogers .It is nice day in the neighborhood . 😁😇❤🥰

[@meo1960]

Only 1" overlap??? Shouldn't it be more like 2-4"?

[@bbtechbbtech]

Nice video!

[@chrisnieves2882]

lmaoo. he put his pouch on for velcro tape. lmaoooooo

[@Carpenters_Canvas]

Chris Nieves I’m pretty sure he took off the siding after he put the screen on , hence the tool belt . Speaking of tools ...lol I’m just messing around man I love tommy

[@Successautodetailing]

Why wouldn’t you just use the old vinyl siding as a template to cut the new siding?

[@BFaluup]

Wont the heat melt the velcro adhesive

[@lincolnman6326]

How about tinting the window?

[@johnbaptist7476]

U are genius 😁😍😎❤🙈😳

[@jonathangwynne1917]

Instead of measuring the gaps, why not just use the pieces that were pulled off as templates? Assuming there was no indications that the original pieces were originally cut the wrong size, wouldn't you want the new pieces to be exactly the same size as the old ones?

[@JodBronson]

+Jonathan Gwynne - Hahahahahahahahahaha, that would be too easy and time saving! Plus they want to make a Video and add the drama to it, LMFAO !!!!

[@Melicoy]

Reuse the NON damaged parts....

[@rtel123]

First thing I noticed! Very wasteful. You probably only need new material for the longest piece, then reuse the good parts of the damaged pieces!

[@dona2831]

Shrinking, due to to heat. always remeasure.

[@zaxarispetixos8728]

Aaaaa ohhhh really wowww

[@thatsnice99]

Lol@ this is stock siding... I just happened to pick some up......

[@joerobinson793]

never works that way for me...

[@dona2831]

Built a fire a little to close to the garage, melted siding . Not good!

[@craigeryjohn]

Oh man! Tommy, you should have tucked the seams under the existing siding! Every one of those seams is going to be more visible as you look toward the corner of the house.

[@anthonygriffin1147]

Whoever sided it originally did a poor job of deciding which way to overlap, he was just following the installed direction.

[@craigeryjohn]

@@anthonygriffin1147 true, but with sloppier cuts like that he should have tucked them under.

[@spadina6234]

As a glazier do NOT do this with a Low E pane on the outside unless you want to pay 100-300 dollars every summer or 2. Your outside pane of glass will get a heat crack and will have to be replaced to lmao..... Same with films, signs, decals, etc. This doesn't solve the problem but redirect it.

[@toby.maximillian]

Wow she is in wonder

[@umammieu]

awesome

[@rorybellamy2533]

first time I saw Tom make a small mistake... He gets a pass on that

[@conqwiztadore2213]

Construction GOD

[@bugeyed5387]

Leave the nails pop siding off and bam eliminate all the guess work and way faster

[@plugger4945]

Trump USA Please explain, not sure what you mean.

[@steve_main]

Why didn't you use the removed pieces of vinal as a template to cut a new piece. No measuring required and gives the home owner something to do when you're removing the pieces from the wall.