Trying to match aluminum siding from the 80's, don't know the manufacturer or exact year. Any ideas?
Answers:
I spent most of my working life in the home building and home improvement business, so I am familiar with your problem. By the 1980's, vinyl siding had taken a big chunk out of the aluminum siding market due to the difference in price. By the mid 1990's there were only three companies still manufacturing aluminum siding, Alcoa, Reynolds, and Alside. Styles and colors were very limited and the price was astronomical.
Things haven't changed much. As far as I know, the only company still manufacturing residential aluminum siding is Alcoa. A Yahoo search for "aluminum siding manufacturers" will lead to quite a few results, but most of them are for commercial and mobile home applications.
My guess is that you won't be able to match the siding. I am all but certain that you won't be able to match the color. If you want to pursue the issue, have a couple of the older local home improvement companies in your area come out and have a look. Like me, they whould be able to look at your existing siding and identify the manufacturer.
Best solution might be to squeeze the insurance company for as much money for the claim as you can. They know full well that the siding cannot be matched and will usually make a cash settlement. You are then free to have your whole house redone in vinyl. This may not be the answer you wanted to hear, but it is the practical one.
If you decide to go the vinyl route, take a long look at Alcoa "Liberty Elite" siding. It is much thicker than the competition and looks much better on your house. You can also rest assured that Alcoa will be around in case of future warranty or casualty claims.
Good luck with your problem.
Other answers:
We just went through this exact same problem. We had storm damage to our house, and the insurance company is only paying for the cost to replace 2 sides and repaint the other 2 sides.. Our house was built in '79. We had to go to a local wholesale type of place. We were also told to take a new piece of siding to Home Depot and they would be able to match the color (white) for us to paint the "old" siding. Maybe try a search for aluminum siding online. Good luck.
We just went through this exact same problem. We had storm damage to our house, and the insurance company is only paying for the cost to replace 2 sides and repaint the other 2 sides.. Our house was built in '79. We had to go to a local wholesale type of place. We were also told to take a new piece of siding to Home Depot and they would be able to match the color (white) for us to paint the "old" siding. Maybe try a search for aluminum siding online. Good luck.
get enough new siding that is close to existing siding to side the entire rear wall. i am assuming you have some existing siding on the rear, as you remove the existing siding take care not to damage it and you can use it to replace any siding on other parts of the house. matching the paint is OK but chances are it won't match everywhere due to sun fade differences on different faces.