A baseball went through my siding last summer and left a hole the size of a golf ball. My first thought was that I needed a contractor and a few hundred dollars. My neighbor laughed and handed me a tube of caulk.

Patching vinyl siding is genuinely a weekend morning project.

Assess the Damage

Small holes under an inch are easy patches. Bigger holes need a piece of matching siding as a backing patch. Cracked panels that are still intact can often be repaired with adhesive instead of replacement.

If the panel is split from top to bottom, you are better off replacing that one piece. Siding panels interlock, so a single piece can usually be removed and replaced.

Clean the Area

Scrub the damaged area with soapy water and rinse it well. Let it dry completely. Adhesive and caulk stick terribly to dusty siding.

I used a rag and a hose attachment and let it sit in the sun for 20 minutes. Clean and dry is half the battle.

Small Hole Patch

For holes under about an inch, use exterior grade vinyl repair caulk or a siding repair product. Squeeze the caulk into the hole and smooth it with a putty knife, slightly proud of the surface.

Once it cures, sand it flush with fine sandpaper. It will not match the texture perfectly, but from the street nobody will notice.

Bigger Hole Backing Patch

For larger holes, cut a square of matching siding or thin aluminum slightly bigger than the hole. Slide the patch behind the hole and secure it with construction adhesive or a few small screws.

Fill the front of the hole with repair caulk over the backing, smooth it, and let it cure. This gives the patch real structure instead of just filling air.

Color Match Trick

New caulk never matches old siding exactly. Paint the cured patch with exterior paint matched to your siding. Bring a small piece of the siding to the paint store and they can color match it.

I grabbed a loose scrap from behind my shed, matched the color, and the patch disappeared. Cost me $12 for the paint instead of a $300 siding call.