Plenty of houses still have aluminum siding from the 1950s through the 1970s. When one of those customers calls about a repair, it's a different job than vinyl.
Why aluminum is harder
- Most of it isn't made anymore. Very few companies still make aluminum siding, and the profiles on older houses are long gone.
- It chalks and fades. The factory paint breaks down into a chalky powder. Rub a hand on it and see. Even an exact match would look different next to it.
- Dents don't come out. Vinyl flexes back. Aluminum stays dented. Hail and baseballs leave marks for good.
- It's often been painted. A lot of aluminum has been painted over at least once. That's good and bad: the color is easier to match, but you're matching paint, not a panel.
Your options
- Steal from a hidden wall. Same trick as vinyl: take a panel from behind a garage or under a deck and move it to the damaged spot. See matching a faded panel.
- Salvage. Some suppliers, salvage yards and other contractors keep old aluminum. Worth a call.
- Paint. If the house is already painted, a close profile painted to match can blend fine. Clean off the chalk before painting. Ask a paint store about primer for aluminum.
- Change a whole section. Sometimes the honest fix is one wall in a new material, ending at corners.
Tell the customer early
Before you go out, ask: "Is your siding vinyl or metal?" If it's aluminum, tell them the match will take some searching, and an exact match may not be possible. Customers who know that ahead of time don't blame you for it.
Be careful with insurance jobs
If the damage is from a storm, aluminum matching often becomes an insurance question. That's a different job from regular repair work, with its own paperwork. See hail damage vs. wear.
Inside Siding Pro Academy, members post their aluminum matching jobs and where they found pieces.
