How To Cut Vinyl Siding: Tips For Contractors And DIY – 2024 Guide

Having a low cost and also being very affordable is what makes vinyl quite popular today and if you are considering re-siding your home, the material you are most likely to make use of is vinyl. The vinyl siding is made up of a thick, firm plastic material which is well treated to not just fight against moisture but also to fight against unwanted rotting. It serves as a protective cover for the exterior walls in your homes and how to cut vinyl siding is what this article would be talking about today so we encourage you to continue reading this article.

Vinyl siding is designed not only to mock materials but it can also have any look that it chooses to. It comes in lots of styles and its main advantages are having a low cost, having low maintenance and also being very easy to install. Even though its installation process is easy, it is quite advisable that the installation of a vinyl siding should be done by a professional contractor. However, the most important factor to consider when it comes to vinyl siding is how to cut vinyl and this article would be providing you with lots of tips that you can put into practice.

Not being careful and also a very slight disparity when cutting vinyl could lead to doing a sloppy job and this in the future might lead to expensive repairs. At this point you might be considering what kind of tool do you cut a vinyl siding with and that’s why you should stick around longer as we would be showing you some tools that you can make use of to cut a vinyl siding. This tools are the best that you can actually make use of because they tend to avoid rough edges as well as preventing cracks.

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Tools To Cut Vinyl Siding

 

When it comes to cutting vinyl siding, the kind of tool that you make use of has an important role to play in obtaining the best results and when it also comes down to the best tool that you can make use of, it is solely dependent on what tool you choose to work with or prefer. Below are some tools that you can consider making use of when cutting vinyl siding;

Bench Saws

This is a compound stationary saw that is designed to be mounted on a stationary table for cutting and when you want to cut vinyl siding with this tool, whoever that would be making the cuts is likely to make use of a miter saw, chop saw, jigsaw or a radial arm saw as they guarantee obtaining well detailed results. Chop saws are designed to cut mostly from a right angle so it is a better option to cut with a radial arm saw or a miter saw. No matter the kind of saw that you decide to cut your vinyl siding with, make sure that the bench is well fitted with a sharp toothed blade,

If you install the blades of this saw backwards, you are likely to make jagged free cuts which tends to melt the edges of your vinyl siding material. The sharp and fine toothed blades here are the best because they have the ability to cut through materials that are quite durable and you can also be rest assured that for every cut that they make, you would not have to worry over cracking, burning or any other form of damage.

Handheld Circular Saws

If you want to make rip cuts or cross cuts then the handheld circular saws are the best option that any installer can make use of and even though they are always portable, they are corded sometimes but are very lightweight. Being portable is the main reason why installers find it convenient to move about with this tool and when it comes to cutting vinyl siding, you can trust this type of saws to make perfect cuts but this is also dependent if they also house a fine toothed blade.

Snips

In the construction world, tin snips are what most contractors call scissors and it is quite useful when it comes to cutting soft metal tins. This type of shears would find it easy to slice through most vinyl sidings and if an installer makes use of tin snips, he can be able to make intricate and unusual cuts. Though they share the same look like scissors, snips are designed to be very stronger because of their blade which features a wedge cutting shape and delivers an excellent cutting action.

Utility Knife

If you take a quick look into the toolbox of any craftsman, you would definitely find an utility knife. Commonly referred to as a box knife, the utility knife is one that can be used in making localized and swift cuts when cutting through vinyl siding. This tool isn’t necessarily the best tool that anyone can make use of when cutting through vinyl siding but it also comes in handy when you need to cut small parts of vinyl siding.

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How To Cut Vinyl Siding

First, you need to make use of a measuring tape to find out the amount of vinyl siding that you would need to cut out  and after that, you also need to measure out the length of the wall that you would cover using the vinyl siding. The length of the wall should be subtracted from the amount of vinyl siding that you have already cut out and the value you have left is the exact amount of vinyl siding that you need. The windows and doors should be measured as well so as to get the accurate amount of vinyl siding that you would be needing.

When trying to mark out a line, a carpenters pencil is the best tool that you should make use of and this is because it offers a dark visible line which you can follow easily when trying to make a cut. You can also make use of your non dominant hand in making sure that the vinyl siding is held in place when trying to make a cut and you should also make a firm grip close to the marked line so as to prevent shifting when trying to make a cut. Ensure that you do not totally close your blades when making a cut so you can obtain a uniform cut.

Final Thoughts

Another thing that you also need to have around you when trying to make a vinyl cut is wearing safety goggles and after obtaining your first cut, you can make use of it as a standard measurement when trying to cut another piece. Ensure that you always pay attention to every detail when you are ready to have some vinyl siding in your home. However, if you decide to install vinyl siding yourself, always have it at the back of your mind that you are likely to make slight mistakes.

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