Vinyl siding is most commonly sold in 10 feet, and 12 feet panels. When installing them you will need to cut various pieces to fit a particular side of a building or home, you also may need to cut out interior parts for plumbing vents and pipes, and windows. In this article, I will explain all of the different options there are for cutting vinyl siding.
Overall, tin snips, a circular saw, miter saw, jig saw, dremel, chop saw, utility knife, angle grinder, and skill saw can be used to cut vinyl siding. Power saws create the cleanest cuts and require the least amount of effort. But, some can not be used to make angled cuts.
Vinyl siding is reasonably soft, and cuts quite easily. But, it tends to be a bit brittle and when cutting it, it can cause it to crack, or small chunks to break off along the edge. Therefore, there are a range of minor hacks to get the best and cleanest cuts, below I will explain what these are.
What Can You Use To Cut Vinyl Siding?
Vinyl siding is a unique material that has similar properties to plastic. Vinyl is susceptible to different issues when cutting. So, here’s a summary of all the tools that can be used to cut vinyl siding.
In general, you can use a chop saw, angle grinder, skill saw also called a circular saw, a miter saw, dremel, utility knife, and tin snips to cut vinyl siding. Non-power tools such as tin snips, and a utility knife work very well, but are quite labor intensive if you are making a lot of cuts.
Some tools you can use to cut vinyl siding work better than others. Overall, power saws with smaller blades work the best, and are the easiest to make a lot of cuts. Below, I will explain the pros and cons of each of the different options, as well as, some tips for making the cleanest cuts.
Can You Cut Vinyl Siding With a Circular Saw?
A circular saw is a common power tool that can also be hired temporarily. It has a very large blade that makes light work of thick material. Vinyl siding is very thin, and is a bit brittle, so here’s a summary of whether a circular saw can be used to cut vinyl siding.
It’s possible to cut vinyl siding with a circular saw. A circular saw makes one of the cleanest cuts out of all the options for cutting vinyl siding. It’s recommended to put the blade in backwards. This reduces how much the blade grabs. When the blade grabs it can break the vinyl.
It’s recommended to use around a 40 tooth blade on a circular saw. If you are cutting a large amount of vinyl siding then it’s a good idea to rig up a guide made out of wood. This makes it far easier to make perfectly straight cuts. Which makes a big difference when you’re cutting a lot of vinyl siding.
Can You Cut Vinyl Siding With a Jigsaw?
A jig saw is commonly used for both straight cuts, and curved cuts, and has a small blade relative to other types of power saws. This is whether a jigsaw can be used to cut vinyl siding.
As a general rule, you can cut vinyl siding with a jigsaw. It’s best to use a jigsaw blade that has smaller teeth, and to cut at a medium pace to reduce the risk of cracking. A jig saw works very well to cut vinyl siding, and is preferred over snips because it requires less effort.
This article and its contents are owned by Ready To DIY and was first published on 07/08/2022
It’s also easier to make straighter cuts that tin snips because the cut is made in one go. Unlike some other types of saw, it can be used to cut both straight cuts, and angled cuts. The reason is that it’s hand held so you can use it virtually anywhere. It’s best to place a piece of vinyl siding on the edge of a bench, and use the bench to stabilize the jigsaw, and the piece of vinyl siding.
Can You Cut Vinyl Siding With a Skill Saw?
A skill saw is very powerful and has a large blade. Just looking at one, you can tell it will make light work of vinyl siding. But, here’s whether a skill saw will make clean cuts and can be used to cut vinyl siding.
In general, vinyl siding can be cut with a skill saw. It also is one of the best ways to cut vinyl siding because the finished edge is very smooth, and it’s very easy to make the cut perfectly straight. It can also be used to make both straight cuts and angled cuts.
It’s been reported that a blade with 40 teeth or less works the best. A blade with more teeth than that grabs more, and is more likely to cause chunks of the vinyl siding to chip off. Or, to cause cracking.
Can You Cut Vinyl Siding With Miter Saw?
A miter saw is a stationary saw that has the ability to adjust the angle of the blade making it great for both straight cuts, and angled cuts. They have a very big blade, and are very powerful. Here’s if a miter saw can be used to cut vinyl siding.
In general, a miter saw can be used to cut vinyl siding. A miter saw makes the cleanest cuts on vinyl siding compared to other options such as tin snips. The best blade to use is an 8 inch, or 10 inch blade. Anything larger tends to grab the vinyl, which can cause the vinyl to crack and break.
A limitation of a miter saw is that if you use the recommended blade size it can’t be used to make angled cuts on vinyl siding. It just won’t reach far enough to complete them. It can still be used to start an angled cut. But, you’ll need to finish off the cut using tin snips.
Can You Use a Chop Saw To Cut Vinyl Siding?
A chop saw is a very large saw, and is more powerful than a miter saw. It’s also not designed to make angled cuts which tend to be required for cutting vinyl siding. Here’s the long and short of whether you can use a chop saw to cut vinyl siding.
As a general rule, a chop saw can be used to cut vinyl siding. A chop saw is one of the best types of saws to use to cut vinyl siding. It can be used to make both angled cuts and straight cuts. It’s best to use a blade that has 40 teeth or less to reduce the chances of cracking the vinyl.
A chop saw blade with more teeth tends to grab the vinyl siding more, and tends to cause vinyl to chip or crack.
Can You Cut Vinyl Siding With Utility Knife?
A utility knife is a common tool to have around, and there are a range of different blades, from strong heavy duty ones to reasonably weak ones used for cutting cardboard and paper. Vinyl siding is reasonably soft, so here’s if a utility knife can be used to cut vinyl siding to size.
In general, a utility knife can be used to cut vinyl siding. However, it doesn’t make the cleanest cuts, and is more labor intensive than other options like a miter saw, or angle grinder. It’s ideally suited to cutting out interior pieces of vinyl siding that are required to go around fixtures like plumbing.
If you’re making a lot of cuts, then it’s better to use a power saw. But, manual methods like a utility knife and tin snips work really well. You will need to apply a significant amount of pressure, and use a very sharp blade. Typically, you will also need to lightly sand the cut afterwards if it will be visible on the side of the house.
For a utility knife, ideally you should use a metal ruler to help make a really straight cut. As well as, use the most heavy duty blade that will fit into your utility knife.
Can You Cut Vinyl Siding With Angle Grinder?
An angle grinder is a very versatile tool that has a range of different blades that can be used for different types of materials. Angle grinders are known to be good for cutting some materials. So, here’s whether an angle grinder can be used to cut vinyl siding.
Overall, an angle grinder can be used to cut vinyl siding. However, it’s recommended to use a concrete blade. Other types of blades tend to melt the vinyl. The easiest way to use an angle grinder to cut vinyl siding is on the edge of a workbench or similar.
Doing so will allow you to stabilize the piece of vinyl siding. Another option is to cut it on a bench with a piece of wood that you don’t mind disposing of. With this method you cut through the vinyl siding and into the piece of wood below it. An angle grinder is good for making both straight cuts and angled cuts.
Can You Cut Vinyl Siding With a Dremel?
A dremel comes with a range of attachments, and is very versatile. It’s not the most high powered cutting tool out there but vinyl siding is reasonably soft and easy to cut. So, this is whether dremel can be used to cut vinyl siding.
A dremel can be used to cut vinyl siding. A dremel can also be used to cut out interior parts of vinyl siding such as for plumbing pipes or vents. It’s best to use a blade with fewer teeth to reduce the risk of cracking. For cutting out interior sections a rotary tool works well.
This article and its contents are owned by Ready To DIY and was first published on 07/08/2022
For example, if you need to cut out a circular or square hole for a vent, or plumbing pipe use a rotary tool. For straight cuts and angled cuts a circular blade attachment works well.
Can You Cut Vinyl Siding With Scissors?
There are a range of different types of scissors that range from being very heavy duty, to reasonably weak ones designed for cutting paper and card only. But, is it possible to use scissors to cut vinyl siding?
As a general rule, you can not cut vinyl siding with regular scissors. With a lot of effort you can cut through vinyl siding with a regular pair of scissors. But, typically it will break the hinge on the scissors. There are specially designed heavy duty scissors that can work.
These are more similar to tin snips.They have a very thick blade area and a much stronger hinge. These work reasonably well. One disadvantage of these is they require quite a bit of muscle. And after a lot of cutting they can make your hands sore.
Can You Cut Vinyl Siding With Shears?
There are a range of different types of shears that are designed for different purposes. Shears are more quite heavy duty and vinyl siding is reasonably thin and soft. So, this is whether they can be used for cutting vinyl siding.
Generally, it is possible to cut vinyl siding with shears. However, regular garden shears don’t create a very smooth and well finished cut. There are specially designed shears such as ‘J’ shears that work better. But, regular tin snips are recommended, and for best results use a power saw.
Shears do a similar job to tin snips. Care needs to be taken to make sure the cut is very smooth. Unlike a power saw that will create a very smooth edge without much effort. In general, they work well and will do the job.
Can You Cut Vinyl Siding With Tin Snips?
Tin snips as the name suggests are designed for cutting tin, and other thin sheets of metal. They are a simple tool to use, but vinyl siding is a unique material. Therefore, here’s a summary of whether tin snips can be used to cut vinyl siding.
As a general rule, tin snips can be used to cut vinyl siding. They are very versatile and can make both straight cuts, and angled cuts. The one issue with them is they are more labor intensive then using an electric saw miter saw. After a lot of cutting your hands will be sore.
They also don’t make clean and straight cuts as easily as a power saw. However, they work well enough that virtually everyone with experience cutting vinyl siding recommends them.
How To Cut Vinyl Siding Properly?
Cutting vinyl siding is reasonably easy once you’re aware of how to do it. Pieces of vinyl siding are also very light, thin, and easy to work with. These are the overall steps to cut vinyl siding properly.
Overall, first mark out the cut using a pencil, and straight edge. Then position the vinyl siding to be cut with a power saw. Or, make the cut using a pair of tin snips. With a power saw cut at a medium pace. With tin snips take care to cut as straight as possible.
This article and its contents are owned by Ready To DIY and was first published on 07/08/2022
Copyright protected content owner: ReadyToDIY.com and was initially posted on July 7, 2022.
Afterwards there can be some burs or minor imperfections along the cut. These can be smoothed off using a piece of fine metal sandpaper. Or, you can plan out your cuts so that they won’t be visible. For example, the cut will be under the factory cut.
The steps involved are:
- Planning the cuts
- Marking out the cuts
- Making the cuts
- Finishing the cuts
Installing vinyl siding is reasonably easy because you start at the bottom of the side of a building or house, and work your way up. Therefore, you can cut each piece to fit based on the piece before it. There is a bit of skill involved in fitting the vinyl siding into each other. Before starting any cuts it’s important to understand the ins and outs of installing the vinyl siding.
If the exterior side of your house has an angled roof you will need to make angled cuts on the piece of vinyl siding that is on the end. This can be done in the same way as making straight cuts. But, you will need a protractor tool to make sure the angle is perfect.
This is also reasonably easy, because you can simply measure from the top of the vinyl siding below it, along the top edge all the way to the roof to see where to position your protractor to mark the angle.
Copyright article owner is ReadyToDiy.com for this article. This post was first published on July 7, 2022.
In general, power saws such as a miter saw, chop saw, skill saw, dremel, and skill saw can be used. Tin snips can also be used, as well as, an angle grinder. It is possible to cut vinyl siding with a utility knife but a utility knife and tin snips are more labor intensive than using power tools.
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ReadyToDIY is the owner of this article. This post was published on July 7, 2022.