Restoring faded siding

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We recently had vinyl siding on one wall of our house replaced due to hail damage. The original siding was 10 years old. The siding contractors tell us that the siding that they used to replace the old with is a "match". Of course the old siding is quite faded and, depending upon the angle of the sun, there are times that the new and the old look to be different colours.

The first two pictures below show the new siding on the left and the old on the right. I must confess that the old siding has never been washed in the 8 years that we have owned the home.

The third picture shows new siding on the right, and old on the left with some handwashing using a combination of laundry detergent and some household cleaner. Following the handwash, the old siding looks less dusty, but none of the faded colour seems to have been restored.

My question is, can the old siding be restored to recover most of its original colour?

Thanks

[John Orr 206]

The old siding still has it's original color, its just hidden under a layer of oxidation. Literally, the siding is rusting. If you rub your hand over the old siding, you will find your hand covered with an oily residue and there will be a corresponding spot on the siding that looks like the original color. (This problem is worse on darker colored siding.) There once was a product (Restora - there's an insiders' joke there. LOL) that was supposed to do what you want, but it was pulled - thankfully! - from the market a few years ago.

The best advice I can give a homeowner - other than hiring a professional (sorry, I had to get that plug in!) is to wipe-down all of the old siding. A scrub brush will also work, though you will want to do it dry. (Having the surface wet will make it very difficult to see where you are, and need to be, working. Be aware that it may be difficult to remove all of the oxidation. The goal is to blend the old and new.

I hope this helps.

[Doug Black 18]

1. I don't think that is or was a color match; how old is this siding?

2. Some products can help short term but overall, you will see effects of UV rays on vinyl. So far as I know the effects are irreversible, but luckily, hard to notice and in time very hard to notice when on different sides of the home.