How to cut a plastic panel at home

Application of panels

In the process of sheathing, it is necessary to initially decide on the tool used for cutting the plastic panels. This material is widely used for finishing balconies or bathrooms, because it has an excellent set of properties. It is also impossible to forget about its practicality, which makes it even more popular. Plastic panels also attract buyers for their low cost and excellent appearance.

Each owner can independently finish the bathroom at home and at his discretion, because there are a huge variety of panel options that can be used for this. All PVC panels are manufactured with a standard length of 3 m.This is not always practical because it needs to be cut into pieces to obtain the desired size.

Hacksaw

A hacksaw is considered more practical to use, and it does not matter whether it is for metal or for wood. The only requirement when using a hacksaw for wood is the presence of small teeth, which should not be divorced, because this way the surface of the material that needs to be cut into pieces is destroyed. Such a tool is often used for crosscutting.

The advantage of this tool is the ability to cut multiple panels at the same time. For this operation, you will need to stack the material.

For convenience, when cutting, it is better to have the planks facing the contractor. When subjecting the length of the panels to a decrease, care must be taken not to apply enormous forces when pressing the tool, because this can break the PVC sheets.

Due to the plasticity that the material possesses, it does not take much effort to cut off the excess part of the panel.

Cutting rules

To carry out work safely, you must clearly follow the following rules:

• When working with panels that were brought in from the cold, you must wait a short period of time. This action is necessary in order to warm the material. If you do not heed the advice, then the plastic panels will break during the cutting process, thereby losing their neat appearance. Often there are cases when cracks appear on the surface that is cut along.
• In order to obtain several planks of the same length, it is necessary to lay them on at least 2 supports. Thus, protection against sagging or displacement occurs. It is recommended to abut the edge of the element that is not pruned against the wall. Thanks to this action, you can secure against their shift.

• You can make the process easier by marking with a pencil or felt-tip pen.
• It is necessary to cut correctly with the wrong side of the panel down, because during processing under the influence of the load, the profile of the strip changes and causes some inconvenience during the installation process. Microcracks often appear on the front surface, which appear in the future.
• When using a power tool, you must use protective goggles and gloves that can protect against debris and sawdust flying in different directions during the cutting process.

How to cut PVC panels: tool selection

Undoubtedly, tiles are considered to be a classic material for finishing a bathroom, however, PVC panels have an increased installation speed, and additional care of this material is not required, because neither soap nor water is deposited on their surface. Initially, plastic panels worked well due to their ease of installation. To carry out such work, you will not need help from specialists and a complex tool.

Currently, a huge number of tools have been created, thanks to which it is possible to shorten the length of a particular material. When working with plastic panels, it is necessary to take into account many factors, among which the main ones are practicality, cutting speed, surface quality, as well as ease of use.

Cutter

This tool has proven itself well due to its low cost. Perfect for home use.

The tool has excellent performance and the cut surface looks smooth. It should also be highlighted the fact that it does not require much physical effort to carry out the cutting. A huge advantage can also be called its compactness, in which it does not take up much space during its storage.

The disadvantage of the tool is the ability to cut only in a straight line of the mowing line, they cannot round off the edges.

Jigsaw, circular and angle grinder

These tools significantly speed up the length change process and also provide a superior cut edge appearance. These devices have proven themselves perfectly if you need to quickly slit a panel longitudinally.

In no case should we forget that when working at increased rotational speeds of the cutting tool on the surface that is being processed, defects in the form of melted edges may appear. In this case, unpleasant odors and substances harmful to health are emitted into the work area. It is necessary to decide which circle to process. In view of this fact, at first all work must be done at reduced speeds. With an angle grinder, you can get not only straight cuts, but also curly cuts.

Experts recommend using a regular jigsaw to obtain a high-quality surface, as well as increased productivity, as a tool used when cutting. In this case, an excellent smooth edge is obtained, which does not have any creases, and is also very practical in the process. The tool has proven itself perfectly both for longitudinal cutting and when cutting across the bar.

When using a jigsaw, you need to remember that you need to use a file with a fine tooth. Particular attention should be paid to the cutting mode. the minimum speed is selected and the pendulum stroke is turned off. This tool is excellent for cutting multiple panels at the same time.

This tool is perfect for cutting small quantities of plastic panels. Applying it, you just need to know some little things that can help and facilitate the process of changing the length.

The least suitable for such work is an ordinary kitchen knife, which can be found in any kitchen. Difficulties in working with this cutting tool arise due to the width of its blade. Even when perfectly sharpened, a kitchen knife will not cut through wall panels.

The performer will have to spend a lot of time if he does not have the opportunity to use another tool. In this case, the installation process will take longer.

A stationery knife is considered a more suitable tool for this, because using it, the material is not completely cut. After drawing along the front surface of the material, a groove is obtained. Turning over the bar and pressing on the edges, the PVC panel clearly breaks off along it, and the resulting small fringe, which covers the surface of the fracture, will absolutely not harm the appearance of the room in any way, because in any case it will be hidden either under the curbs or under the skirting board.

how to cut plexiglass

a loaf knife made of ceramics can also carry out such work. It will do a great job with plastic panels due to the presence of a wavy cutting edge. Working with such a tool, it will not be difficult to get an element that will perfectly fit into the interior of the bathroom.

To cut PVC panels, you can use different tools, each of which has its own advantages and disadvantages. There are also specialized professional tools to speed up and facilitate cutting.

How to cut a PVC panel with a utility knife, see below.

Basic cutting rules

So that the efforts on cutting PVC panels are not wasted, and the result of the work meets expectations, experts recommend adhering to a number of rules for working with plastic. These little secrets will help not only to significantly reduce the amount of spoiled material, but also save the master from unnecessary financial expenses and injuries.

When carrying out work in the heated season, do not start cutting panels that have recently been brought into the room. The plastic should naturally warm up to room temperature, which is achieved in at least 12 hours. The fact is that at low temperatures the plastic panel becomes fragile, and therefore it can crack and break off in large fragments.

Regardless of the chosen method of processing the material, it should be placed with its front side facing you, which will avoid deformation of the panel and difficulties during its further installation. When cut from the seamy side, you can find microcracks on the front part, which will manifest itself over time and significantly spoil the interior.

It is necessary to mark in advance the straight line of the planned cut, which can be done with a simple pencil and a stationery ruler.

To speed up the process of preparing the material for installation work, you can cut or saw several PVC panels at the same time. To do this, it is enough to fold them in a pile and create a two-point support. It is best to rest the opposite edge of the stack against the wall, which will help avoid shifting the products, respectively, as a result, parts of the same length will be obtained.

Material features

PVC panels are one of the modern types of finishing materials that are made by extrusion and are used both in the bathroom and in the living room. The main raw material in the production of such products is polyvinyl chloride, which is used to fill the mold. To give the panels the desired color, a certain amount of crushed natural chalk is added to their composition.

Decorating PVC panels can be done in one of the following ways:

• staining;
• thermal printing;
• offset printing.

Thermal printing is applied to the plastic surface using a special roller heated to high temperatures, which presses the film to the surface of the product. Thanks to this technology, it is possible to quickly and clearly apply a pattern without losing the brightness of the image. The panel itself does not need additional varnishing. Offset printing is used much less frequently due to its high cost.

Hacksaw

One of the universal devices for cutting any material is a hacksaw, which is sure to be found in the arsenal of any craftsman. It is she who will help, if necessary, cut the plastic wall panel. Such work will take more time than using a special cutter, but with significant volumes of cladding, this will not significantly affect the overall duration of the repair.

When using a hacksaw, you should listen to the following recommendations of experts:

• for working with plastic finishing materials, you should use a tool with small teeth, which is usually designed for working with metal or wood;
• to shorten the PVC panel, there is no need to apply strong physical forces, which can lead to damage to the material;
• you can cut several parts at once with a hacksaw by folding them in a pile and securing them to avoid bending or displacement.

To prevent the incision from being serrated, it is not recommended to use a tool with teeth set apart in different directions.

How to cut PVC panels?

PVC panel is one of the most popular materials for interior decoration. Its use in the interior attracts not only by its appearance, but also by its affordable price, ease of maintenance and installation. Due to the listed characteristics, many people prefer PVC panels, rather than tiles, when decorating personal hygiene rooms.

Cutter

If necessary, this tool can be independently made from available tools, for which it is enough to adhere to the following recommendations:

• it is necessary to prepare a metal strip, the thickness of which is at least 2 mm, and the width is 1 cm;
• then one of the edges of the workpiece should be cut off at an angle of 45 degrees;
• it is necessary to sharpen the edge of a homemade product using a grindstone;
• the opposite side should be wrapped with electrical tape, which will allow you to protect your hand from damage during work.

A professional cutter for plastic has a relatively low cost, so its purchase can be a profitable investment, because thanks to such a tool, the process of cutting PVC panels becomes not only more convenient, but also quite fast.

Choosing a cutting tool

Specialists in the implementation of repair work, who have to carry out the installation of PVC panels in their professional activities, know many secrets regarding the correct cutting of plastic materials up and down. After analyzing them, each owner who wants to make repairs on his own will be able to choose the most suitable professional tool for him or use the tools at hand.

The choice of a method for cutting panels usually depends on the tasks and capabilities of the master. Below are the types of cutting materials.

How To Cut Acrylic Sheet By Hand

Power tool

For quick sawing of PVC panels, a power tool at hand is best. For this purpose, you can use almost any device, which will help to significantly reduce the time spent on preparing for installation.

Often, cutting is performed using the following devices:

• jigsaw;
• angle grinder;
• circulars.

To work with plastic material, it is allowed to use only low revolutions, because with significant heating it begins to melt and release fumes that are toxic to the human body, and the cut in this case will turn out to be torn.

Using a jigsaw will help make the process of preparing PVC panels for installation much faster than using a hand tool.

How to easily cut plastic sheets by hand

However, with such a method of processing, the following nuances must be taken into account:

• before starting work, it is necessary to turn off the pendulum stroke;
• a file with as small teeth as possible should be used;
• you need to set the lowest speed of movement of the file, which will avoid excessive heating of the plastic at the cut.

Using a jigsaw is very convenient to cut stacks of panels, but make sure that their height does not exceed the length of the file installed in the tool.

The angle grinder is recognized as the most convenient and practical power tool for cutting PVC wall panels. By installing a cutting disc, you can make not only straight, but also curly cuts on the surface of the plastic. When processing plastic with a circle of an angle grinder, it turns on only at low speeds, which will avoid damage to the material due to melting of the edges.

In the absence of more practical and convenient tools, PVC can be cut with a knife.

To solve this problem, the following types of cutting products are suitable:

• Kitchen knife. This tool is suitable for cutting multiple panels in the process of repairing or replacing them. For large-scale wall decoration, such a procedure is unnecessarily long and painful.
• Construction knife. Among hand-held cutting tools, such a device is one of the best options for achieving a straight cut with relatively little effort.
• Stationery knife. Using a wooden ruler or square, this tool allows you to achieve a perfectly even cut of the panel, therefore it is often used to cut them.

Safety regulations

Like working with any building materials, processing PVC panels requires compliance with several safety rules. These recommendations are especially relevant if you plan to work with a tool that is connected to the power supply, for example, a jigsaw or an angle grinder. When cutting plastic with a power tool, there is a great danger that debris and sawdust can fly off the panels. Therefore, experts recommend purchasing safety glasses and gloves in advance, which should not be removed until the end of the work. These seemingly simple personal protective equipment can help keep your hands and eyes safe from injury.

These tips should help you decide on the choice of a tool, as well as create an interior of your own dreams and avoid most mistakes, because with a little effort, you can achieve the desired result, saving a lot of money.

How to easily and clearly cut a plastic panel is described in the video.