The metal siding to a building is one of the most important parts of it, and something that you will want to make sure is looking as good as possible. Because of that, you might want to try and fix up any aspects to it which are going to be visibly in need of fixing. And one of the most common issues that can arise in this sense is when there are some dents in the metal siding in particular.
Such dents can be really frustrating, and they can happen all too easily, it often seems. However, it’s perfectly possible to make sure that you are doing all you can to avoid them, and to fix them when they do appear. If you are keen to find the best way to fix dents in metal siding, then the good news is that there are actually a number of methods you might be able to try. All in all, it’s something that you are going to be able to do relatively easily.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at what you might need to know about fixing dents in metal siding – how to do it, the best approaches to take, and what you might be able to do to make it look like new in no time.
Assessing The Damage
The first thing you’ll probably want to do is to assess the damage. This is important because how to move forward will depend very much on the extent of the damage. It might be that there is just one small dent, or it might be that there are lots of dents, and the approach to fixing both of these is going to be quite different. So spend a good while looking over the siding and really thoroughly checking it to see how dented it actually is.
You might have noticed that there are one or two dents, which is why you are reading this article. But it’s often the case that, in looking more closely at the siding, you actually come across a number of other dents too. So this is a really important process if you are going to make sure that you are fixing it properly and fully. You don’t want to end up with a few dents left over, after all.
Once you are sure of the extent of the damage, you can feel ready to move on to the next step, but do make sure that you are not rushing this part of the process.
Clean The Siding
You will find that fixing any damage to siding, including dents, is much easier if you are working with a clean surface, so it’s a good idea to spend some time cleaning too. This shouldn’t actually take too long, and you don’t usually need to worry about deep cleaning or anything like that, but you should make sure that you are going to make the area clean enough to work with. As long as you do that, it’s going to mean that you are so much more likely to actually be able to fix the dents in your siding easily enough.
The cleaning process doesn’t need to be complicated, either. You don’t need to use any special instruments or cleaning materials – just simply make sure that you are wiping over it using a normal household cleaner, and that should probably suffice. Once you have done that, you are going to find that you have a much better surface to work with, and you can start thinking about how you are going to fix up those dents.
Gather Your Tools
You will generally need one or two tools when you are going to fix the dents in your metal siding, no matter which method you end up opting for. The tools needed are however not normally going to be anything particularly special or expensive, and you should probably find that you have most of them lying around at home already. The main thing you will need is some good quality sandpaper, a hammer, and a drill and some pliers depending on what happens and how bad the damage is, and some work gloves.
Once you have gathered everything, you are then in a good place to start thinking about what you are going to do to fix the metal dents in your siding. And the main process that you are likely to use is a pretty simple one, so that’s what we are going to take a look at first.
Start Drilling
First of all, you’ll need to grab your drill and make a hole for the screw to grab into the center of the dent. It might seem strange at first to be making more holes in order to fix a dent, but this is the main way that it’s done, and it does work so it’s worth thinking about for sure. When you drill, think carefully about the size of the hole – if your siding has a bigger dent, perhaps more than about two inches across, you’ll need to make sure that you are drilling more holes, so that you have more ability to put screws into it.
Insert Screws
Next up you are ready to start putting your screws in, and this is the part of the process where you can already see it coming together and starting to look repaired and like new. Essentially what you are doing is placing a washer over the hole or holes you have made and then screwing in a screw to cover the hole. You need to do this for each hold you have made, so for a bigger dent you’ll be doing it a few times. You should also ideally make sure that the screw is long enough to get a plier in there if necessary, but also make sure it’s flush when it’s fully screwed in if possible.
Pull It Out
Now comes the part where the actual dent is hopefully going to be taken out. Essentially, you are going to grab your pliers and gently but firmly pull the screws out one by one against the washer. What should happen is that the metal gets brought out with it, and in the process you are going to find that you end up with a level piece of metal, as it would have been originally. This is because the screw is going to pull it out as it comes out. Of course, you should take care as you do this not to go too far or fast, but as long as you are careful you should find it works.
Clear Up
Now for the clear up process. You want to make it look as good as possible, and like new, so it’s time to get your sandpaper out and start sanding around the area that you have just fixed up. Make sure that it’s all on the same level so that you can keep it as flat as possible when you are filling in the hole. This is a really important part of the process because it really does help in making it look like new, and you’ll want to make sure that you are not going to rush it if possible. Taking care over this part of it in particular is really going to help you out a lot.
Fill The Hole
Now you will of course need to fill the hole so that it can be brought back to its former glory. Essentially you are just going to grab some epoxy filler and a knife and gently smooth some of the filler into the hole. This shouldn’t take too long, it’s only a moment’s work, but it can be the most enjoyable part, because once you have done this it’s really going to look like a new piece of siding in general. Once the filler is applied, you will then need to level it out so that it can dry flat against the metal. And after that, you are probably going to want to sand it again just to make sure that it looks as professional as possible.
Painting The Area
Once you have done all that, you are ready to repaint the siding. This is important for a couple of reasons. It helps with keeping the siding from being weathered too easily, and it also improves the aesthetic look of the siding too, so you can ensure that you are going to have a much better appearance to it on the whole. That’s going to help with it looking like a new piece of siding. After painting, it will probably look better than it has ever looked. But do make sure you apply primer paint before the main coat, to help with this.
Those are the steps for fixing dents in metal siding, and as you can see it’s actually a relatively simple process that you can follow quite easily. As long as you have done that, it’s going to look like new.