Regardless of the type of siding protecting your house, it will need regular care and eventually need to be replaced. Breaking and cracking siding as it ages is a problem you will want to address before it disturbs other parts of your house. There are a assortment of telling signs that can help you decide whether to do new siding, or at the very least, repairs.

By regularly inspecting your home’s siding, you can get a better picture of the condition of your siding.

What To Look For:

Dry Rot

Dry rot can be found when tapping on your siding with the rubber handle of a tool. The fungi that cause dry rot start below the siding’s surface, finally eating away your siding until only the top layer remains intact. Siding pieces suffering from decay should be replaced immediately because extensive dry rot requires your entire house to be re-sided.

You Keep Repainting Your Home

Every 5-6 years you have to apply a new coat of paint to your siding. Quality siding will maintain its shape and color for at the very least eight to ten years.

 Loose or Cracked Siding

1-2 loose or cracked boards after a storm is likely no cause for alarm, as it is often possible, depending on your comfort level, for you to replace those boards. If you choose to do so, it’s imperative to verify that no layers underneath are broken or cracked.

Loose Wallpaper / Peeling Paint

While not immediately obvious, loose wallpaper and peeling paint are both signs that your siding is faulty. With poor siding, moisture can seep underneath the outer layer, where it percolates your wallboard.


Typically, holes in your siding will be the result of insects. Insects that have gotten passed your siding are enough to make a person squirm, but add to that the damage from the holes, which allow moisture to get in.

Mildew, Fungus, Mold

Any growth on your home’s siding, particularly near the seams, might be sign that water is passing through and being held in the wall. The effect of this pooling is mildew, fungus, and/or mold.


Bubbles under your siding guarantees that water is being trapped behind the siding. Siding is supposed to keep moisture away from your interior walls.