Buckled Wooden Siding

Tools:

chop saw (available for rental at most home improvement stores)
circular saw
power drill
caulk
hammer and nail driver
chisel
pry bar
paintbrush
utility knife
safety glasses
primer
replacement siding

1. Adjust the blade of your circular saw so that it just cuts through the siding and not the boards beneath it (figure A).

2. Put on the safety glasses and cut down the center of the buckled piece of siding and pry the piece out (figure B). Inspect the tarpaper behind the siding to make sure it's in good shape and replace if necessary.

3. Use the old piece of siding to measure and cut a replacement piece (figure C).

4. Paint the back and ends of the new siding piece with primer. This will prevent water from seeping in, which might have been the reason the old piece warped in the first place.

5. Hold the new piece of siding in place and check for fit. It may be necessary to slide the adjacent pieces up and down a bit to get a tight fit. Usually tongue-and-groove siding pieces are held in place with caulk. If this is the case, cut the caulk seams with a utility knife and slide the pieces to achieve a good fit (figure D).

6. Just because the old piece was held in with caulk doesn't mean you're not going to reinforce your replacement piece with nails. Drill pilot holes first and hammer in nails at each end of the new siding board (figure E). Sink the nails with a nail set.

7. Seal the seams with caulk to further protect the siding from water damage.

8. Prime the front of the new piece now, being sure to cover the nail holes.

9. Paint the new piece of siding to match the existing siding. An exact match will depend on how old or weathered the existing siding is. One tip for matching paint is to take the old piece to a home improvement store and ask them to create a matching shade using a computer.