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How to Hang or Attach Hooks to Siding

Jackie Johnson

Attaching hooks to exterior siding can be a relatively easy task with the right tools. Hooks provide convenient ways to hang things on the exterior, or display ornamental art or crafts on homes or buildings.

Hanging flower baskets add to the street appeal of buildings.

Vinyl or aluminum siding has a lip behind the front face that makes it even easier to hang items with the hooks specially made for this type of siding. These hooks eliminate the need for drilling into the siding, which could void your warranty.

  1. Estimate how much weight the hooks have to hold. The weight of hanging plant baskets varies, as you water them and the plants dry out. Anchor bolts come in varying sizes, depending on the weight load they can safely carry. When you know the maximum weight of the load, you can choose the anchor bolts more accurately.

  2. Mark the siding with a pencil or chalk for the correct placement of the pilot holes,. If you are installing two or more hooks and want to make sure the hooks are perfectly parallel to the building, use a level as you mark the location for the pilot holes. Levels have bubbles inside that float to the center of the indicator window, when the level is perfectly aligned horizontally.

  3. Use the proper drill bit. You can use a wood bit when drilling into wood siding -- or a metal bit, if the siding is metal. The size of the anchor bolt determines the size of drill bit you need. The packaging of the anchor bolt will tell you what size bit to use. If you are not using anchor bolts, choose a bit that is slightly smaller than the threads of the hooks you want to use.

  4. Insert the anchor bolt into the holes. If the anchor bolts use toggles, you will have to use a screwdriver to tighten the bolt to the interior wall of the siding.

  5. Screw the hooks inside the anchor bolts, making sure the hooks are tight and facing straight up, so that they hold the object securely.

Vinyl Siding Hooks

  1. Place the hook flat against the siding with the protruding edge facing you.

  2. Slide the hook up quickly, so that the protrusion snaps onto the back-side of the siding.

  3. Test the stability of the hook by pulling it down, to make sure that the hook and the siding have made solid contact. If not, repeat the process until the hook is firmly anchored to the lip of the siding.

Tip

You can caulk around the entrance hole of the hook, to reduce the incidence of moisture entering the siding of your home or building.

Warning

When using hooks with vinyl siding, make sure you do not hang anything heavier than the manufacturer's recommendations. The hanging object could pull the hooks down, damaging the object and the siding.