Fixing Dents In Steel Siding

A new generation of wood fillers hardeners and epoxies fill holes and firm up soft spots so they are as strong as the original wood.

Fixing dents in steel siding.

Fill the dent with the two part auto body filler. Hopefully the dent will pop out and the siding will be good as new. Since dents in the aluminum siding actually stretch the metal it s difficult to successfully pound out these dents like you would in a car s steel fender. Avoiding scratches and dents doesn t have to be costly but with a little time and forethought there is no reason damages to siding or roofing materials have to occur ever.

Drill a couple of 1 8 inch holes in the part of the siding that contains the dent. Step 1 pop any dents out of the aluminum siding by first drilling a 1 8 inch hole in the center of the dent with a power drill. Pull on the washer so the screw grips the siding pulling the dent out in the process. Place a flat washer onto a sheet metal screw and then screw it part of the way into one of the holes you drilled.

The easiest way to fill in the dents is with a premixed patching or glazing compound designed for steel doors. Attach a washer to the end of a 1 inch self tapping screw and then insert the screw into the drilled hole. If it s too hard to do with just your hands slide the jaws of a pair of pliers underneath the washer and tug. It s available at home centers and hardware stores.

Use a putty knife to scrape the surface level with the siding. For a heavy duty fix use a two part auto body filler. Several versions are available however i would highly recommend the use of ones with padded feet which would go against the siding. Next pull on the screw with a pair of pliers.

Grab the washer with pliers and pull to remove the dent. Hiding the dents is just like taping and sanding drywall except the patching material is a little thicker and tougher. When the paint dries your siding will look like new. So we re going to use epoxy filler to fill these blems before re painting our trailer note that this method obviously won t work for a vintage trailer with a polished skin.