Cutting Fiber Cement Siding Tips

Use a specialized blade used with the saw such as mikita hardiblade or dewalts filber cement blade.

Cutting fiber cement siding tips.

Even a carbide tooth blade will last for only part of the day. Fiberboard cement siding is highly abrasive. Additional materials such as nails saw and caulk 2. When you cut fiber cement it s important you cut it on the back side explains tim larson with allura.

We use the bullet tools cutter and a shear for dust free cutting. These are specialized to reduce the dust caused from cutting these planks. When cutting fiber cement panels using the right protective equipment and tools is crucial. It s best to stagger the joints in each successive course to avoid noticeable patterns.

How to stagger lap siding for walls longer than 12 feet you ll need to butt additional lengths of siding together. When cutting fiber cement siding with circular saw use a blade that has only four or six teeth. You can make your own fiber cement starter strip by ripping a piece of hardieplank lap siding into 1 1 4 inch strips. Using a cost per square foot metric it s less than a penny per square foot.

Cut the frieze board to length photo 3. To keep dust to a minimum use a circular saw that s equipped with either a dust collection bag or electric fan that blows dust into a bucket. I have found that the shears cut better from the back side. For a slow but virtually dustless way to cut siding use power shears.

Use your eyeware and ear protection. You have to make the cuts very slowly. There are many cost effective circular saw and vacuum options that meet table 1 requirements for cutting fiber cement. Even if you do invest in higher end tools the total cost per job is low.

However insulated as well as more decorative options such as panels and fillers board and batten shingles 1 octagons and half rounds will cost approximately 6 8 sq ft. Fiber cement siding averages 4 per square foot for standard siding for a total of 770 for the project. These blades cut quickly and create less dust. At home centers you can buy diamond blades made specifically for cutting fiber cement.

Fiber cement siding hardiplank cutting tips. If builders don t use shears for cutting the panels they should use a circular saw with a fiber cement blade. Socal siding is one of the premier family owned and operated construction companies in southern california.