Prevent Ladder Damage to Your House

Roger sees ladder damage all the time: black scrape marks on siding caused by leaning or dragging a ladder, dirt or other contaminants transferred to the siding by a ladder, or even worse, chipped paint on gutters, or even dented gutters. The culprit might be window washers, gutter installers or cleaners, amateur painters or pressure-washers, or it might even be you.

Repairing the Damage

Pressure-washing doesn’t help, nor does a cleaner like Jomax. Sometimes a magic eraser can reduce the scrape marks, but usually repainting is needed. And if metal gutters are damaged, they may have to be sanded and spot primed before repainting. Don't ignore seemingly minor damage to metal gutters because chipped paint eventually will cause rust. 

Prevention is the best medicine

If you’re having work done, be sure to have a conversation when you're getting the estimate about the need to make sure all ladders are clean and wrapped and equipped with a stabilizer when appropriate. Be sure to be there during the work so you can double-check to be certain the ladders are properly prepared. If you're doing the work yourself, get a pair of ladder booties and keep them clean.