Siding is a common way of covering the facade of a house. Basically, siding is exterior-wall cladding, and as such, it can be added to all kinds of buildings. Since siding can be made from various materials and it can come in different shapes and dispositions, it is considered to be very versatile. For example, siding can be made from vertical wood boards as well as horizontal stone slats. When it comes to maintenance, siding has to be regularly checked for damage, cracks and leaks in order to be fixed on time. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Locate the leak on your stone siding. Look for multiple locations and not just a single one. If there is one leak, there is likely to be more nearby. It is best to repair all the leaks at the same time to prevent further damage to the stone siding. This step is essential since it will help you diagnose the damage from the leak and more important, find its direct cause.
2. Remove the damaged stone veneers from your exterior wall. Use a pry tool to detach the stone panels. Whether you have an artificial/faux or a real/natural stone on your walls is not so important regarding the removal. The only difference is that natural stone is heavier, so you need to be more careful not to hurt yourself when removing.
3. Locate and fix the cause of the leak, otherwise the problem will re-appear once you repair the siding. Find the cause by checking the plumbing pipes in the walls and the roof elements. If the problem is plumbing, consult a professional plumber to fix the leak before you fix the siding. If the problem is in the roof, and the leak starts all the way up, be sure to repair or replace the damaged roof elements first.
4. Check and measure the overall damaged area on your facade. Then purchase the needed amount of stone siding to patch the hole. If you left a certain amount of stone panels when you originally covered your house, use that material since it will make a seamless finish. If not, try to find the closest match possible.
5. Leave the hole open for a few days, not covering it with new stone slats, allowing the water damage to dry thoroughly.
6. Install a weatherproof membrane all over the damaged area and attach it with small nails or staples. Either use nails from the stone-siding installing kit or an ordinary staple gun.
7. Install flashing at the bottom part of the hole, carefully and precisely so it doesn't show or protrude once the hole is covered. Use standard flashing from the installation kit for your particular kind of stone siding. If you are using the leftover siding and not newly bought stone panels, simply use standard sized flashing for this part of the task, attaching it with nails.
8. Attach stone veneers to the facade, starting from the bottom row that rests on the flashing. Apply a recommended amount of adhesive to the back of the stone and press them onto the wall surface.
9. Repeat installing row by row of stone slats until the patch is completely and seamlessly covered.
