Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 3: Fixing small holes made by woodpeckers
• Part 2 of 3: Fix larger holes
• Part 3 of 3: Preventing new woodpecker damage
• Warnings

Woodpeckers like to hammer with their beaks in soft cladding such as cedar wood. If your house has cedar siding and you live near a forest, the wood will likely be damaged by woodpeckers at some point. However, the damage caused by woodpeckers can be repaired fairly easily and easily. If you then take some precautions to ward off woodpeckers, your siding will soon never be damaged by woodpeckers again.

To step

Part 1 of 3: Fixing small holes made by woodpeckers

1. Chisel out the inside of the holes. Use a small chisel to make the holes on the inside slightly larger so that they are larger in the back than in the front. This prevents the repair material from being pushed out of the facade cladding.
   • If there is something behind the hole that you can drive a nail into, you can achieve the same effect with a nail. Let the head of the nail protrude slightly so that the epoxy filler adheres to it when it expands.
2. Fill the holes in the siding with wood filler. Use a putty knife to push the filler into the holes. Make sure to fill in the gaps completely and cover the gaps completely. When you're done, scrape off the excess filler with your putty knife and let it air dry.
   • To repair damage caused by woodpeckers, it is often recommended to fill the wood with epoxy filler.
   • Apply too much wood compound to your siding. It is important that you plug all holes and the excess wood filler can be easily removed.
   • Make sure to fill in the gaps in your siding on a good weather day so that the filler can air dry long enough.
3. Sand the filler until it is level with the undamaged wood. Wait for the filler to dry completely, then use coarse sandpaper to sand it down to the same level as the rest of your siding. When you run your fingers over the undamaged and damaged façade cladding, you should only feel a slight difference.
4. Paint over the filler so that the spots get the same color as the undamaged siding. Wipe all sanding dust off the wall and paint the repaired areas the same color as the cedar surrounding it.
   • Make sure to do this on a sunny day so that the paint dries quickly when you are done.

Part 2 of 3: Fix larger holes

1. Use a hole saw to cut a round hole in the damaged area. If a woodpecker has made a hole somewhere two or more inches in diameter, you will need to do a little more work. Cut a round or square hole in the affected area to make the wood easier to repair.
   • Before proceeding, make sure to remove all the wood and sanding dust from the hole you just made.
2. Fill the hole with insulating foam. You must first fill large gaps with insulation material to make the wood resistant to weather influences. For best results, use foam in an aerosol that does not expand much.
   • Do not fill the entire hole with foam. Leave two to three inches free. That's where the wood comes in.
   • It is important to spray insulating foam in the hole to prevent the piece of wood you are installing from falling into the hole.
3. Cut a piece of plywood slightly smaller than the hole. The piece of wood should fit tightly in the hole, so cut it slightly smaller than the hole. Make sure to use plywood that is just thick enough to fit the hole.
   • You can also use other woods, but it is often recommended to use plywood.
   • If the piece of wood turns out to be too big, sand it with sandpaper until it does fit.
4. Use wood filler to put the piece of wood in the hole. Apply wood filler around the edge of the piece of wood and the hole and tuck the wood into the hole. Scrape off the excess wood filler.
   • You can use the same wood filler that you used for repairing smaller holes.
   • Don't worry if the piece of wood sticks out of the hole a bit as this is easy to fix.
5. Sand and paint the repaired spot so it looks just like the rest of the siding. Wipe any sanding dust off the wall and paint the repaired area the same color as the surrounding cedar wood.
   • Make sure to do this on a sunny day so that the paint dries quickly when you are done.

Part 3 of 3: Preventing new woodpecker damage

1. Fight all insects in the wood. This is the most important step to prevent woodpecker damage. There are several reasons why woodpeckers hammer holes in wood, but they are more likely to hammer holes in your house if food can be found for them.
   • To fight a carpenter ant infestation, find the ant's nest and fill the entrance with fine insect powder to kill all the ants and the egg-laying ant queen.
   • To get rid of carpenter bees, find the small holes they made in the wood and hang traps for them. You can also use a powdered insecticide to fill in the holes and kill any eggs that have been laid.
2. Hang pottery birds and shiny objects on your home. With visual repellants, you can constantly deter woodpeckers from touching your cedar siding. By hanging earthenware birds and mirror objects on your wall cladding, the woodpeckers think there is a predator nearby.
   • Fake owls and mirror-eyed hawks work particularly well to ward off woodpeckers, as they are woodpeckers' natural predators.
   • Hang aluminum foil or brightly colored plastic strips on your siding to visually repel the woodpeckers in an inexpensive way.
3. Deter woodpeckers with loud noises. After hearing loud, scary noises several times, the woodpeckers will eventually understand not to make holes in your siding. You can deter woodpeckers by clapping your hands, firing a toy gun, or hitting the lid of a metal waste bin.
   • If your neighbors live close to you, talk to your neighbors before using loud noises to repel woodpeckers, or use only visual repellants.
   • This method probably won't work as well as using visual repellants unless you can make loud noises every time you see a woodpecker.
4. Use suet or bird feeders to lure woodpeckers away from your home. You may be able to prevent woodpeckers from making holes in your cedar siding by hanging or setting up bird feeders at a distance from your home. Place bird feeders near trees and other wooden structures to encourage woodpeckers to go elsewhere.
   • You can use normal bird feeders, but you will likely be more successful if you use suet, which is high-calorie bird food.
   • Move or hang the bird feeders farther away from your house every few days until there are no more woodpeckers making holes in your siding.
   • Check the suet from time to time to make sure squirrels aren't eating.

Warnings

• Woodpeckers are protected birds, so don't injure or kill them with whatever defense methods you use.
• Woodpeckers can be very persistent and difficult to drive out of their chosen territories. To best repel the woodpeckers, use your repellants as soon as possible after you first notice the damage.