How To Cut Metal Siding
How to choose siding for cladding a house: types of material, rules for correct selection, photos and
Vinyl
than half of buyers make their choice in favor of vinyl siding, due to its characteristics:
- Cheapness.
- Simple assembly (light construction material) and aftercare.
- Heat resistance. The material is designed for a range of 50 to 50 ° C; does not burn in fire, but melts.
- Weather resistant. Excellent protection against wind, rain and snow.
- Wide range of colors.
The disadvantages include:
- Lifetime. Not as durable as other materials; fading in the sun over time (white. Turns yellow).
- Subtleties of installation. The panels react to temperature changes by expanding or contracting. During installation, this is taken into account, leaving gaps and not fixing the panels too tightly (otherwise the siding may wave or burst).
Wooden
The history of facade siding began with timber panels. Despite the advantages of natural wood, there are fewer and fewer people who want to use wooden siding every year. Modern panels are pressed from wood waste, and the facade requires an annual allocation of funds for treatment with protective mixtures. The material has undoubted advantages:
- Gives the facade a natural, eco-friendly look.
- Serves as additional protection against heat loss.
And the undoubted disadvantages:
- Needs periodic maintenance (otherwise, under the influence of atmospheric moisture, it deteriorates, darkens and rots).
- Fire hazard.
The choice of material: what to look for
Knowing what features each type of siding has, you can prioritize. Before choosing a siding for a wooden house, you need to remember that:
- Vinyl siding has a significant coefficient of expansion and is sensitive to sudden changes in temperature. So that it does not burst from frost, the installation must be done professionally.
- Wood siding least durable and even with proper care will last less than others.
- Metal siding may rust; after impact, a dent remains on the surface.
When choosing, they also pay attention to:
- Accommodation at home. For a building located in the shade, vinyl siding is enough, if the house is constantly in the sun, you should think about acrylic.
- Facade material quality (confirmed by a certificate). High-quality panels have the same thickness and structure, through paint and uniform color, one-size mounting holes that do not crack when slightly bent. If the size of the house cladding siding is different in the batch, installation problems are inevitable.
- Manufacturer. The market is widely presented with products not only domestic, but also Polish, Turkish, Canadian and other manufacturers. Theoretically, you can use panels from different companies if they are of the same size, but no one will give guarantees, for example, that such panels will fade in the same way in the sun. So at least the attractiveness of such a cladding is in question.
- The quality of the walls of the house. Uneven walls can be sewn up with any kind of siding, the main thing is to correctly build the crate.
- Colour. It determines not only the type of material, but also its cost. Stronger color means more pigment and more fade resistance.
Features of the use of siding in the cladding of wooden housing
Wooden buildings attract with their spectacular, natural appearance, the preservation of which is a difficult task. The arrangement of external cladding helps to protect wooden walls from destructive dampness and mold.
Most often, vinyl siding is the material for cladding a wooden building. The most demanded products are pastel colors (as the least fading) and with imitation of natural materials. Professional installation of siding can significantly extend the life of the house. It is more practical to use a galvanized profile as a frame, which is not prone to corrosion and deformation.
About material
Siding is a tracing of the English word; The translation means “outer skin” and clearly indicates the purpose of the material. Siding is the outer part of the curtain wall system, which is also called ventilated.
How to cut siding: an overview of tools
When starting to clad the facade, you should take care of the availability of all the necessary tools. What might be needed in this case? Devices for fastening and cutting of cladding sheets. And if fasteners are sold complete with siding, you need to think about the availability of tools for cutting the finishing material in the photo. These tools include:
- Electric saw, jigsaw,
- Hacksaw or scissors for cutting metal,
- Angle Grinder,
- Construction knife.
How and what to cut siding panels
It is fair to say that not only amateurs, but also professional builders face the problem of choosing the right tool. The fact is that siding can be vinyl, metal and plastic. Each type requires the use of a suitable tool.
Vinyl-based panels are often used for facade cladding. Of course, experts have a question: what is the best way to cut vinyl siding? Indeed, the instructions that come with the material indicate that the panels should be cut with a saw with fine teeth. In the case of an electric saw, it is almost impossible to choose a blade with such teeth. No major, reputable manufacturer makes such a tool. And even if you are lucky enough to find a disc with fine teeth, you still cannot make a beautiful cut. Small notches, for example, for facing window openings will have to be cut with ordinary construction scissors. Therefore, an electric saw is not the best choice for cutting vinyl and metal siding. However, this tool is also not suitable for plastic panels, since the plastic cracks from the action of the saw, and chips appear on the surface.
Not the best choice for cutting siding panels is a jigsaw. Firstly, this tool can only be used in warm weather, since in cold weather the jigsaw may not work at all. Secondly, the tool will only crosscut. End cuts are not made with a jigsaw. Thirdly, for cutting siding, it is necessary to use canvases with small teeth, designed to work with a laminate board.
For those who have doubts about how to properly cut siding, it is recommended to use a hacksaw for metal. This tool will easily cut metal, plastic, vinyl material in any weather. However, the length of the hacksaw blade is not enough for comfortable cross-cutting, therefore, for this case, you need to choose another additional tool.
Cutting metal siding with your own hands, it is convenient to use scissors for working with metal. Experts recommend using this tool only in the warm season, because in the cold season, facade cladding sheets are deformed and cracked. It is convenient to use scissors for cutting along the direction of the sheets, it is recommended to choose another tool for processing the end parts.
A knife is absolutely useless for cutting siding. This tool should not be used for either end-cutting or cross-cutting of panels.
An irreplaceable, best option for cutting siding is an angle grinder. To cut plastic, vinyl, basement or metal siding, you need to choose a disc 1.5 millimeters thick and 12.5 cm in diameter.Choosing a suitable rotation speed, you can easily make both end and longitudinal cuts. In this case, it is very important to follow the rules of safe working with the tool, since negligence can lead to injuries and damage to the siding.
How to properly cut siding using an angle grinder is presented on.
Thus, the best tools for cutting all types of siding, including plinth, are an angle grinder and metal scissors. The processing of panels using these two types of tools is fast and without loss of quality in the appearance of the facing. It is important to follow the rules for working with tools in order to avoid damage to the cladding panels and the occurrence of accidental injuries.
Tool overview
Now it’s time to get acquainted with the features of the tools. Manufacturers offer cutting with tools such as a saw, jigsaw, hacksaw, scissors, knife and everyone’s favorite “angle grinder”.
How to cut vinyl siding to minimize margin of error
In the process of installing the siding, in any case, you will need to cut it. In this regard, many people ask themselves the question.In order to carry out the installation of siding, you must have in your arsenal tools for cutting it.
Today there are many ways to carry out this operation, and each has its own characteristics, which you can familiarize yourself with by reading this article.
In order to carry out the installation of siding, you must have in your arsenal tools for cutting it
Angle Grinder
Almost all siding manufacturers claim that an angle grinder can damage the material, therefore, its use is impractical. According to them, in the process of cutting the material will start to seriously crack. However, is it really so?
When cutting the angle grinder, it is very important to hold the panel
Contrary to popular stereotypes, some people still decide to use an angle grinder. To the surprise of many, such a tool does not carry destructive power, but on the contrary allows you to achieve amazing evenness.
The main thing is to understand a few important points.
- It is worth working at low or medium speeds, since at high speeds there is a high risk of deformation of the panels.
- It is best to use medium power models, that is, 1000. 1400 watts. However, you can use less powerful analogs.
- It is important to pay attention to protecting the device from dust. In particular, it is necessary to equip the instrument with a special diaphragm. Metal dust can harm the angle grinder if it gets into the engine.
- Use only a thin disc (100-125 mm in diameter and 1.5-2 mm in thickness). impressive models can seriously damage the surface. In addition, they do not provide high accuracy.
- Pay particular attention to the notch of the bead in the upper part, since during the execution it is necessary to stop the operation of the tool in time. If this is not done, the entire panel can be cut through. For insurance, you can ask your partner to follow the movement of the car.
Jigsaw
Familiar to many from school lessons, the jigsaw can also be used to cut siding.
However, it is worth clarifying a few important points:
Even an inexperienced master can handle using a jigsaw
Before cutting the metal siding, the support must be prepared. Siding panels are not a durable material, so they will seriously sag when pressed.
It is recommended to build a support from wooden blocks.
The key purpose of this blade is laminate cutting. Do not under any circumstances try to cut the panels with a canvas of a different size, as they will inevitably break.
When using a jigsaw, keep a distance of 30-40 cm from it to avoid metal shavings on your face and clothes
With a jigsaw with the recommended blade size, it is quite easy to make both transverse and longitudinal cuts. But with the cutouts at the ends, this tool will not be able to master absolutely. Another caveat. When using a jigsaw, the cut turns out to be largely torn, so this tool can only be used in good warm weather.
Metal scissors
It is very important to know that cutting the siding with scissors is possible only in warm weather, since at low temperatures the material will seriously crack. However, some models of scissors can have this effect in any weather, so it is very important to take a responsible approach to their choice.
It is also worth understanding the following points:
- When cutting with scissors, do not completely close their ends, as this will damage the material.
- It is recommended to start cutting from the upper edges, on which the fastener is located. However, such a measure leads to the fact that a person will make more efforts. In addition, having reached the top edge, the movement of the edges of the scissors will be extremely difficult to stop.
In practice, it turns out that to stop the movement of the edges of the scissors, you need to either practice for a very long time, or have not hefty physical strength. However, there is an easier way out of this situation. To start cutting the siding from the bottom, contrary to the recommendations.
Today there are semi-automatic models of scissors that greatly simplify the cutting process.
An inexperienced craftsman may inevitably face the fact that, as a result of certain efforts during cutting, the siding will begin to wrinkle, and if the work is carried out at relatively low temperatures, it will crack. If you have not dealt with metal scissors, check out the tutorial at the end of this article, which will help you understand the basics. However, it is better to practice before starting cutting, for this you can use a small piece of the panel.
Electric saw
Many siding manufacturers recommend their consumers to cut siding with a fine-toothed saw.
Such a recommendation carries a number of negative aspects:
- First, quite a few manufacturers have this type of saw. The world famous Bosch, for example, does not have it at all, despite the fact that it is one of the leaders in this field.
As a result, consumers have a search problem.
Working with such a massive tool requires certain skills, remember this
- Secondly, even if a person has found such a saw, it will be quite difficult to cut with it. Simply put, such a tool is only suitable for an experienced technician.
- Thirdly, with its help, it is almost impossible to make end cuts. As a result, a person will have to purchase an additional tool for this operation. The question arises, why then use a saw at all?
- Finally, the last point worth noting is the fact that only a professional can notice inaccuracies in the cutting process.
This is due to the fact that the person performing the cutting practically does not see how it is being cut, since the support platform obstructs the view. This jeopardizes the success of the entire operation.
It looks extremely strange that the instructions of most siding manufacturers recommend cutting with a saw.
The naked eye shows that this tool is hardly suitable for this operation. Some companies will stir various images, on which it is carried out without any problems.Using a jigsaw, even an inexperienced saw can handle it, but this is only in the picture.
Wooden
To create this type of cladding, wood chips are used by pressing them. When installing wooden siding, specially designed self-tapping screws are used.
This table provides some characteristics of different varieties of this building and finishing material:
| Variety | Thickness, mm | Service life, years | Color spectrum | The need for special care |
| Vinyl | 0.8-1.6 | 55 | 25 colors | – |
| Aluminum | 0.8-1.00 | 55 | 35colors | – |
| Steel | 0.9-2.0 | 55 | Any colors | – |
| Wooden | 0.9 | 26 | 10 colors | – |
What are the types of material
There is a wide selection of different finishing panels on the building materials market.
Among the most popular varieties are:
Cutting tools
When installing any kind of material, it becomes necessary to perform this type of operation, such as longitudinal, transverse or angular cutting of the cladding:
- Despite the fact that these works can be done by hand, you cannot do without special equipment and tools.
- In this regard, our readers have a question “How to cut metal siding or other varieties of this finishing material?”
In order to cut the siding, you need to choose the right tool for this, as well as have information on the intricacies of this procedure using different equipment:
How to cut different types of siding
The popularity of the material is due to the fact that it is simple and easy to work with it, for example, cut and assemble. “How to cut siding?”. This question interests many of our readers. Let’s try to figure this out.
Hacksaw for metal work
Based on the tests carried out, it is safe to say that using a hacksaw for cutting siding is not the best choice. The reason is that you will have to spend a lot of time to work with a hacksaw.
Of course, if necessary, cutting vinyl siding with a metal hacksaw. This tool can be used, but extreme caution should be exercised: if the saw blade moves sharply or the blade is angled, the edges of the vinyl can easily crumble or crack.
Steel
On sale you can find painted, unpainted or coated with a polymer coating:
- Special locks are used to fasten steel panels to each other.
- Steel panels can have a flat, shaped or profiled surface.
- With ease of installation, the steel type of panels is durable and reliable.
In addition, this type of finishing material is resistant to alkaline or acidic acids.