Direct answer: Most squirrel-damaged deck skirting turns out to be a loose panel, a chewed opening at a weak spot, or rot that made the skirting easy to tear apart. Start by checking whether the damage is only cosmetic or whether the panel, fasteners, or framing behind it has gone soft.
Most likely: The most common fix is securing or replacing a localized section of deck skirting fasteners after you confirm the surrounding skirting and attachment points are still solid.
Squirrels usually go after the easiest spot, not the strongest one. If the skirting is thin, loose, or already damp at the bottom edge, they can chew or pry it open fast. Reality check: a neat-looking hole can still mean the panel around it is weak. Common wrong move: stuffing the opening with random mesh and a few screws without checking what the screws are biting into.
Don’t start with: Don’t start by sealing the hole shut while squirrels are still using it, and don’t cover soft or rotten skirting with a patch.
A round or ragged hole near a corner, seam, or bottom edge, with the rest of the skirting still looking mostly intact.
Start here: Check whether the panel is still firm around the hole and whether the fasteners nearby are holding tight.
The skirting has been pried away from the deck, often at one edge, with missing or backed-out fasteners.
Start here: Look for broken attachment points, split trim, or screws that no longer grab solid wood.
You patch the opening and squirrels come back to the same area, usually low to the ground or near a corner.
Start here: Inspect for a hidden gap, soft framing behind the skirting, or an easy climb path that keeps drawing them back.
The skirting edge feels spongy, flakes apart, or shows dark staining where it meets soil or splashback.
Start here: Stop thinking patch first and check for rot, trapped moisture, and whether the support behind the skirting is still sound.
Squirrels usually exploit movement first. If a panel rattles or bows, they can widen that opening quickly.
Quick check: Push gently on the damaged section and the next panel over. If both move, the problem is bigger than the chew mark.
Skirting close to soil, mulch, or splashback often softens at the bottom, making it easy for animals to tear through.
Quick check: Probe the lower edge with a screwdriver. If it sinks in easily or the wood crumbles, the skirting material is failing.
Corners, trim joints, and uneven ground leave small openings that squirrels enlarge instead of chewing through solid material.
Quick check: Follow the panel edges and ground line with a flashlight and look for daylight, rub marks, or disturbed dirt.
If squirrels are nesting, storing food, or using the space as a shortcut, they will keep reopening weak repairs.
Quick check: Look for fresh droppings, nesting material, chewed debris, or a worn path under the opening.
A clean repair fails fast if the space is still active, and trapped animals will tear the skirting back open.
Next move: If there is no fresh activity, you can inspect and repair without setting yourself up for an immediate repeat failure. If squirrels are still using the space, hold off on closing the opening and deal with the activity first.
What to conclude: Active use means the hole is serving a purpose, not just showing old damage.
This is the main split. A solid panel with a localized opening can often be resecured, but soft skirting needs material replacement, not a patch.
Next move: If the skirting stays firm and the damage is localized, move on to the attachment check and plan a targeted repair. If the panel is soft, swollen, or crumbling, skip patch ideas and plan to replace that skirting section and any failed attachment wood behind it.
What to conclude: Firm material points to animal entry through a weak spot. Soft material points to moisture damage that squirrels simply exposed.
A lot of deck skirting repairs fail because the panel was never the real problem. The screws or nails were attached to split trim, rotten blocking, or nothing solid at all.
Next move: If the backing is solid and only the fasteners failed, you can usually resecure the skirting with new deck skirting fasteners in sound material. If the backing wood is split, rotten, or missing, the repair needs more than a patch panel. Rebuild the attachment point before closing the opening.
Once you know whether the failure is fasteners, a panel section, or the backing behind it, you can make a repair that actually holds up outdoors.
Next move: A solid repair leaves the skirting flat, tight, and hard to flex by hand, with no obvious pry point at the old opening. If the repaired area still moves, the weakness extends farther than you first saw. Open the section up and keep following the soft or loose material until you reach solid wood.
The job is not done when the panel looks better. You want the opening gone, the skirting secure, and no easy return path at the same corner or ground line.
A good result: If the skirting stays tight and there is no fresh digging, chewing, or movement after a few days, the repair path was right.
If not: If squirrels reopen the area, you likely missed an adjacent gap or closed over weak material that still flexes under pressure.
What to conclude: Repeat entry usually points to another accessible opening nearby, not bad luck.
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Only if the surrounding skirting is still solid and firmly attached. If the panel is soft, split, or loose at the fasteners, a patch alone usually fails and the squirrels reopen it.
Lattice often breaks at the frame or trim first. Check the border pieces and the backing they attach to. If the frame is loose, replacing only the broken lattice section will not hold for long.
Rot usually shows up as soft wood, dark staining, swelling, peeling finish, or a screwdriver that sinks in easily. Chew damage on otherwise sound skirting is usually more localized and the surrounding material still feels firm.
Not as a shortcut over weak material. If the skirting or backing is soft or loose, fix that first. Mesh can help only after the repair area is solid and the opening details are properly closed.
Call for help if the damage reaches structural framing, the deck feels loose, the area is badly rotted, or animal activity is still active and you cannot safely clear the space before repair.