How not to repair loose aluminum siding.
Aluminum siding is not used anymore. It was too easily damaged. Hitting it with a rock or a weed whacker would put a visible depression onto it. Hail storms would put many dings and dents into a sided wall.
Over time the nails would come loose, exposing the seam at the union of two pieces, and wind would blow it open.
The end would sometimes stay loose, flapping in future wind storms.
And because of its dent-ability it was difficult to reattach when that happened.
All manufactured siding, aluminum and vinyl, has a nailing slot at the top side, with a bent flange hanging over.
Into that flange is inserted the opposite extension at the bottom, clicking the one piece to the other. That clicked attachment can come apart.
The typical homeowner and untrained handyman would often repair such looseness the most practical way possible - with a nail or screw. The photo shows an example of a sheet metal screw used to secure the end of a formerly loose end of aluminum siding.
PRACTICAL MAYBE, BUT INCORRECT!
I have seen both attachments - nails and screws - used.
Of course it will rust.
Of course it will cause galvanic corrosion and eventually damage the siding.
This particular wall had many such sheet metal screws! So this wall had experienced a lot of looseness.
My recommendation: when you have to repair something, research the best practice and see if you, or someone you hire, can perform that repair. It does not pay to do it wrongly. This was an end-unit townhouse with a large sided wall. It looked very ugly with so many rusty screw heads all over the place. Repair things properly! Repair things well! And ugly is never the way to go.
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