Source for Aluminum Siding

[thestuccocompany.com]

Hello everyone,

I live in a townhome that was built in early 80s and apparently they did not have aluminum shortage back then. It feels like I have enough siding on the house to build an airplane from. However, when I needed to replace a plank due to some damage I done to it repairing an outside faucet, I could not get anyone to even point me in the right direction. Tried all the big guys (Home Depot, Loewes etc.). The guy behind the Lumber 84 counter laughed at me and said noone makes it anymore. So, am I completely stuck with messed up aluminum siding or I was not looking in the right place? I mean, I only need a single plank. It kinda makes no sense to re-do the entire house. Plus I have to deal with whatever homeowners association has to say on the subject of me changing appearance of the house. What would you do? Anyone knows a possible source of aluminum siding that still survives to this day?

Thanks!

D~

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[C & E]

Not surprisingly, Alcoa was the largest producer when I was doing this sort of work in the '70's. My point being that you might wish to contact their customer service dept or some such and ask if there are any dealer remaining. Additionally, call a local siding installer and ask them. If that person doesn't have a decent answer ask him for the nameof his supplier or have him ask his suppier. It seems to me that I did see an add locally for Al siding repairs. Good luck, Chuck

[Edwin Pawlowski]

The guy behind the Lumber 84

You can have the last laugh. It is still made, but not as popular as it once was.

[thestuccocompany.com]

Wow, thanks for the link, Edwin. Well, I don't know if it's a laugh or a sigh 'cause I feel like this is really NOT the way to do siding anymore and I will have trouble anytime I need to repair or replace anything. With only one manufacturer standing I cannot imagine prices being reasonable either.

And then there is another thing - aluminum conducts very well. I think that also applies to heat transfer as much as it does to electricity which I'm more familiar with. So am I draining the heat out into the open by having the aluminum siding on the entire house? If that's the case maybe I should consider re-doing the siding...

Does anyone in this respectable group have a rough estimate for replacing old aluminum siding with brand new plastic? How do they estimate that, per sq foot?

Thanks!

D~

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[EXT]

No, you are not loosing heat to the outside because your home is clad with aluminum siding. If the heat made it through the walls to the siding it would be lost anyway. The only way aluminum could conduct heat from inside to outside is if it ran aluminum from the inside to the outside such as you would find with solid aluminum window frames.

All siding is not the same, if and when you find a source check it against what you have to ensure that it will fit, match and have the same surface and color. If you find exactly the right fit, as remote as that may be, buy a carton to keep in reserve. Store it in the attic of the garage or somewhere safe so that you don't have to repeat this exercise again.

[Red]

Good advice. Aluminum siding lost it's popularity largely due to susceptability to dents from hail, tree limbs, kids balls, etc. It doesn't bounce back like vinyl siding will.

Red

[aemeijers]

What sort of damage? Just dings, or actual holes and rips? If nothing else, you could pretend it is a car fender, and just use Bondo. If you get a close match on the paint, odds are nobody will ever notice. I've even seen successful small patches done with thin flashing material applied with contact cement, after being carefully bent to have the right contours- tuck it in the crack above and below, and roll out the joints till they lay flat. Hardest part is getting the paint to stick. No siding job looks perfect after a few years, even real wood siding.

aem sends...