Cracked, loose or storm battered siding in Rockford? Martin Exteriors Roofing & Siding fixes it the lasting way: we pull the damaged boards or sections and put in new ones, with James Hardie fiber cement first and vinyl as the other main option, matched to your house as closely as the product allows. We never patch siding with sealant or filler. The inspection is free. Call (815) 624-6278.
Signs Your Siding Needs Repair
Most siding problems start small and get worse once water finds its way behind the wall. Walk around the house and look for:
- Cracked or split boards. Long cracks along a vinyl panel or a split in a fiber cement or wood plank.
- Holes. From hail, a stray ball, a trimmer line or a mower throwing a stone.
- Loose or missing pieces. Panels that rattle, bow out or end up in the yard after a windy night.
- Dents and chips. Fresh marks on the side of the house that faced a hailstorm.
- Warped, soft or swollen boards. A sign that water has been getting in behind them.
- Woodpecker holes. Round holes in wood or engineered wood siding. See woodpecker siding damage repair.
How We Repair Siding
- Inspect the wall. We look at the damaged area and the boards around it, and check nearby trim and the roof edge above it.
- Find out why it failed. Impact, wind, water from above, bad nailing or plain age each call for a different fix.
- Pull the damaged boards or sections. We take out what is broken, not just what shows.
- Check the wrap behind. If the house wrap or sheathing is torn or wet, we deal with it before anything goes back on.
- Install new boards. Matched for profile, exposure and color as closely as the product allows, then nailed the way the maker calls for.
No caulk patches, no filler, no paint over a crack. A sealed crack is still a broken board, and it lets water in again within a season or two.
Repair With James Hardie
Martin is a Certified James Hardie Installer, and Hardie fiber cement is our first recommendation when damaged boards come off. It does not rot, it holds paint well and it stands up to Northern Illinois weather. When a wall of wood or engineered wood siding keeps failing, swapping that wall or section to Hardie often makes more sense than replacing the same boards again. Our James Hardie siding page covers the product, and wood vs Hardie siding explains why it helps on walls birds keep coming back to.
Repairing Vinyl Siding
Vinyl is the other main option. A cracked vinyl panel comes out and a new one locks into the panels around it. The hard part is color. Vinyl fades in the sun, and some older colors and profiles are no longer made. At the inspection we tell you whether a close match is available. If it is not, replacing one full side of the house keeps the color change at a corner, where the eye does not catch it. Learn more about vinyl siding.
Wind and Hail Damaged Siding
Wind usually pulls siding loose along the top of a wall or at corners, and once one panel lets go, the next ones go easier. Hail leaves dents, chips and holes on the side of the house that faced the storm. At the free inspection we photograph every damaged board so you can see what we see, and we look at the roof on the same visit, since a storm that hit the walls likely hit the shingles too. See wind damage repair, hail damage repair and storm damage repair.
Repair or Replace the Siding?
A repair is the right call when the damage is limited and the rest of the siding is sound. Replacing more makes sense when:
- Damage shows up on several walls, not just one.
- The siding is old enough that brittle panels crack as we take them off.
- Your color or profile is no longer made and a patch would stand out.
- We find soft sheathing or rot behind the boards.
We will tell you plainly which way we would go and why. If a full job is the better value, most siding jobs take 1 to 2 days. See siding replacement for the options.
Damage at the roof edge is different from wall siding. If the boards under or along the edge of your roof are rotted or sagging, see soffit and fascia repair.
Why Rockford Homeowners Call Martin
- Serving Rockford and the Stateline since 2006, and we have helped thousands of Rockford-area homeowners in that time.
- Certified James Hardie Installer.
- Voted What Rocks Rockford Best Siding, 2021 to 2025.
- Inc. 5000 Company.
- Open 24/7, with year round installs.
- Free inspections for every homeowner.
- Financing as low as $149/month for qualified buyers. See financing options.
Siding Repair Near You
We repair siding across Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin. Local pages: Rockford, Roscoe, Loves Park, Machesney Park, Belvidere, Beloit, Janesville, Elkhorn, Lake Geneva, Delavan. Book a free inspection or call (815) 624-6278.
Each town page covers the houses and siding we see there and how a repair goes: siding repair in Roscoe, siding repair in Loves Park, siding repair in Machesney Park, siding repair in Belvidere, siding repair in Beloit, siding repair in Janesville, siding repair in Elkhorn, siding repair in Lake Geneva, siding repair in Delavan, siding repair in Rockton, siding repair in South Beloit, siding repair in Cherry Valley, siding repair in Capron, siding repair in Caledonia, siding repair in Poplar Grove, siding repair in Harvard, siding repair in Milton and siding repair in Clinton. In Rockford, see siding repair for older Rockford homes.
Siding Repair FAQ
Can you replace just a few damaged siding boards?
Yes. When the damage is limited and the rest of the wall is sound, we take out only the damaged boards or sections and install new ones. We check the wrap behind them before the new boards go on.
Can you match my old vinyl siding color?
Often, but not always. Vinyl fades and some older colors are no longer made. We check at the inspection, and if a close match is not available, we can replace one full side so the change lands at a corner.
Do you seal cracks in siding?
No. A sealed crack is still a broken board and lets water back in. We replace the damaged board or section instead.
Can I switch damaged boards on one side of my house to James Hardie?
Yes. If one wall of wood or engineered wood siding keeps getting damaged, we can replace that wall or section with James Hardie fiber cement. We will show you how the new side will look next to the rest of the house first.
Is a siding repair inspection free?
Yes. Inspections are free for everyone. We photograph the damage and tell you whether repair or replacement makes more sense.
What causes siding to come loose in the wind?
Usually nails that were driven too tight or too loose, old panels that have lost their grip, or one damaged piece that lets wind get behind the rest. We fix the cause along with the boards.
Do you repair siding in the winter?
Yes. We do year round installs, so siding repairs do not have to wait for spring.
