Can you put an extension ladder against vinyl siding without damaging the siding? If you can, any tips to prevent damaging the siding would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

Get some rubber 'boot's to put on the top of the ladder - they help to prevent the ladder from leaving marks on the siding and cushion and widen the point of impact just a little bit. The main thing is to use your head making sure the top of the ladder is set well so it won't move as you climb it.

 

And just to add...
If your home was sheathed with foamboard instead of plywood....try to set the ladder tips over 2 studs, not straddling one stud.

Many houses were built with ply only at the corners and foamboard over everything else.

 

Yea, I have that damn gypsum board. Hitting a stud from the outside seems a bit impractical. Is there anything with padding that extends the footprint of the upper part of the ladder horizontally? Thanks.

 

Sure...there was a suggestion on another thread to loosely attach a 3ft 1X4 to the top...so that when you get it in position the board can span a further distance but the top of the ladder will rest against it.

Of course the bottom support of the ladder is very important.

 

I see ladders on top of trucks going down the road all the time with big pieces of foam rubber duct taped over the tips of the vertical rails.

Quick Google image search yielded this Grippster.com - Ladder Safety Products

Duct taping the 1x4 across the top of the ladder (mentioned below) is probably best, as it would distribute the weight across a larger area.

 

Thanks I'll try the 1x4 and probably glue some old carpet to it. Another issue I have. The first row of siding has come loose from the starter strip. How the heck does that happen? Anyone seen this and what is the fix? Thanks.

 

If it came loose from the starter...likely it wasn't snapped in correctly or nailed correctly.

 

Yeah, the starter strip probably wasn't installed perfectly straight... if the starter got too high and they didn't pull up tight enough on the siding to try and compensate, that would explain why it came loose. If the siding isn't nailed securely, the siding could also be sagging, which would make it loose on the starter.

In either case, you can usually reattach it with your hands by just tucking it back in... but you'd probably be wise to fill the bottom lip of the siding up with some clear silicone before you snap it back on. That way when the silicone sets up it will be glued in place- it can still stretch a little- and you won't have to fix that same spot again next time the wind blows.

There is also a tool made to hook and unhook siding, it is called the Malco Sideswiper.

 

The siding doesn't catch the starter strip at all in most spots. I wish I could just snap it back in. I wonder if lowering the starter strip slightly would be the solution? Thanks.

 

That sounds really odd. Yeah, if it won't even snap in, then you should likely remove the entire first row of siding. You would unzip the bottom edge of the 2nd row of siding. Have a helper bend that 2nd row upward so that you can pull the nails in the 1st row. Once the 1st row is removed, you should be able to measure the distance from the bottom edge of the starter strip to the bottom edge of the 2nd row of siding. That distance should be 8" if you have double 4 siding, or 10" if you have double 5 siding. Most dutch lap is double 4 1/2" so that would be 9". Usually you want to snap a chalkline that represents the top edge of the starter strip so that you can get it perfectly straight. But in your case, measuring down from the existing 2nd row is probably best.

Once you have the starter strip back on you can use the Malco sideswiper to zip the siding back together.