Does replacement siding have to be exactly the same?

There was a storm that hit my area a week ago and one of the siding panels on my garage was damaged and came down. I've been trying to find a replacement piece but there is no identifying marks on the piece that came down. I found some siding that is similar in design and matches the dimensions of my existing siding but it's not exactl the same. Is it ok to use that or do I need to try and find the exact siding that is on my house?

 

Welcome to the forums!

It all depends on you and your tolerance for the difference. If the siding has been up for several yrs the odds are the color would be off even if you had the exact same siding. What does your insurance agent say [assuming there is a claim involved]

 

Does it have to be the same, no, but typ people try to find the same so that it doesn't stand out.

Siding styles, colors, manufactures are always changing so sometimes you get lucky, other times not!

Another option, install that odd piece in an inconspicuous location and use the existing in the obvious location!

 

Hopefully your siding is pure white as it seems to be most forgiving. Colored siding, brand new and from the same manufacturer can show slight variation from one production batch to another. Like others have said. A lot depends on your tolerance to minor imperfections. I resided my entire 6 year old house because of a variation in the siding's color. But as my wife will tell you, I can be a bit of a perfectionist at times.

 

Thank you for the responses! Fortunately we're not extremely particular on color difference. We mostly want to get it replaced. We purchased out home from flippers and so I have a feeling the siding will have to be addressed again in like 5 years or so. The siding isn't white but it is one of those greyish taupe colors that everyone has. Plus it's on the side of the garage so not as noticeable an area as the front.

 

In that case you just need to match the size and length. We assume it's vinyl siding (even though you never said) so common sizes are double 4, double 4.5, and double 5. Just measure the height of the laps.

Then measure the length of a full piece. Some common series of vinyl siding will be 12' long, others will be 12'6. So figure out which you have as that will narrow down a replacement size.

Then there are 2 common styles. Clapboard style lap siding, or Dutch lap siding. Dutch lap has a flat/concave/flat/concave look to it.

Then there is the profile of the siding itself, how each piece locks into the next... This is sometimes brand specific, so we would need a pic of your piece of siding to advise on that. (We need to see a side profile of an individual piece.)