Patch aluminum siding

Cyanoacrylate — also known as instant adhesives, super glue, crazy glue, ca glue, etc. All grades will bond aluminum well. Place scraps of wood underneath the edge of the upper piece to expose the nail flange of the piece that you are removing. The wood will hold the upper piece of siding out of the way. Carefully pry loose the nails holding the strip of siding in place, using the pry bar and hammer.

Remove the piece of aluminum siding. Aluminum siding is pretty tricky to reattach. If the bottom of the siding has come unhooked, a siding unlock tool will help you reattach it.

Drive new nails into the center of the slots on the siding nail hem. Snap the bottom edge of the piece of siding into top locking ridge over the nail hem. Get some aluminum nails with a small head. Then nail up at a 45 degree angle through the slit. That should allow the siding to expand and contract.. So instead, I cut off the bottom flange from the first strip of siding. Electric metal shears make this process soooo much easier than hand shears! I traced the shape of the conduit onto the back and cut it out with the same shears.

I also cut away the nailing strip on the top where it will overlap with the existing siding. It took a few trips back and forth to the shop to get the fit right, but it finally slid into place!

The old siding wasn't in the best shape after getting ripped off the wall, so there are a few dents along the edges. I used gutter sealant like a glue to hold the edges of the patch to the existing siding. Put on latex gloves first, because you don't want this stuff on your skin! Run a bead of sealant along all the cut edges except the nailing strip at the top.

Then press the siding piece in place. Once it holds in place on its own, drive nails through the nailing strip and into the backing. The siding should hang on the nails slightly so that it can expand and contract with the weather metal expands in the heat!

The next few pieces only needed notches cut out on the ends so it could slide under the existing siding. I was getting into a groove at this point and forgot to take photos of the notches. Once you get to the top, cut off the nailing strip the same way you cut off the bottom flange. Try to make this cut as close to the edge of the strip as possible so it lines up with the underside of the existing siding.

To prevent insects from working their way under the siding, I sealed all the edges with more gutter sealant. It might have been overkill, but I'd rather have to deal with touching up paint than a hive of bees in the walls! Make sure your sealant says it allows for seasonal movement, or you'll get buckling in the summer when the metal expands!