If you’re tired of waiting around for someone to come fix your siding and happen to have access to a miter saw, then you’re in luck.
In this post, we’ll detail the process through which you can easily cut vinyl siding using a miter saw.
Vinyl siding is fairly easy to cut, especially if it’s a small piece that got dented or scratched.
If you’ve used a miter saw before, this should be a walk in the park.
So without further ado, let’s get into it.
Tools Needed to Cut Vinyl Siding
While miter saws are definitely a part of cutting vinyl siding, you’ll also need other tools to accurately and adequately cut vinyl siding without damaging it beyond repair.
You’ll need at least one of the following tools but if you have all three, they will ensure the cleanest cut:
- Miter saw
- Tin snips
- Utility knife with a hook blade
You will also need the following:
- Safety goggles
- Carpenter’s square
- Measuring tape
- Straight edge
- Pencil
- Vinyl siding
Each tool is required for a specific use and for different types of cuts when it comes to the vinyl siding.
We’ve summarized the different ways you will use the tools given above to get the perfect result.
Miter Saw
A miter saw would be used, as you can probably imagine, for longer and more angled cuts in the vinyl siding.
This is when you really want to customize a large piece or have a large number of pieces you need to cut through.
Of course, cutting a ton of pieces manually would be a pain so that’s definitely something you should employ the miter saw for.
A miter saw can be used for cutting many small individual pieces but can also be used for bigger pieces or if you want to cut extreme angles within the vinyl siding.
An important thing to note when cutting vinyl siding is that you should turn your saw blade around when using a miter saw. If you cut vinyl siding with the blade edges of your miter saw pointing down, then you will risk chipping your siding.
On the other hand, turning the blade around will result in a much smoother cut with more precise lines.
Tin Snips
Tin snips will come in handy in a variety of different situations when you’re working with vinyl siding, hence, it’s definitely a good idea to have them around.
If you don’t own a pair of tin snips, then it’s a good idea to invest in one if you’re working on a project with vinyl siding.
Tin snips have the ability to cut any angle and they can easily cut through vinyl siding with no issues.
Need to quickly cut a section that just won’t fit right or need to cut out a section to fit an exterior angle? Your tin snips are perfect for the job.
Utility Knife
A utility knife is perfect for making straight edge cuts within the vinyl siding.
Most utility knives will work perfectly for this but if you have a utility knife with a hook blade attachment, that would be even better.
A hook blade hooks the edge of your utility knife and enables you to drag it through the vinyl siding in order to make a seamless, straight edge cut. This makes working with vinyl siding much easier.
With these three tools, you can tackle small-scale to large-scale projects that include working with vinyl siding with ease.
How to Cut Vinyl Siding with a Miter Saw in 4 Basic Steps
In order to make clean cuts within your vinyl siding using a miter saw, follow these steps:
Step 1: Fit your miter saw onto your workbench and equip it with a fine-toothed plywood blade.
For precise and smooth cuts, put the blade backward.
Step 2: Fit the vinyl siding you want to make cuts into onto your workbench.
Step 3: Hold the strip of siding and make markings on it with your pencil where you want to make the cuts.
Step 4: Let the miter saw reach full speed and then slowly feed it onto the siding in order to cut it.
Be careful not to overpressure the blade as that can damage it, just moderate pressure is more than enough.
Buyers’ Guide for Cutting Tools for Vinyl Siding
As we’ve briefly discussed above, there are a number of tools you can use for cutting vinyl siding.
That being said, you may be confused about whether you need all of those tools or if you can get by just having one or two of them.
That’s exactly what we’ll be discussing in this section.
We’ll detail factors that you need to think about which will help you decide exactly what tools would best fit your project, including vinyl siding.
These factors are:
Efficiency
Ask yourself:
How quickly do you need to get the job done?
The faster you are able to cut the vinyl siding, the shorter your project will take.
This can result in you saving a ton of time as well as money.
If getting the job done quickly is a priority for you, then it can be a good idea to look into electric methods of cutting vinyl siding.
This would include electric shears or a miter saw.
A miter saw is great for making faster cuts and reducing the number of marks you have to make on the vinyl siding.
On the other hand, electric shears make it much easier to maneuver and make more intricate cuts on the vinyl siding.
Portability
While tools like miter saws are great for efficiency and getting the job done quickly, one aspect where they lack is portability.
Miter saws are highly difficult to move from one place to another.
While electric shears are much more portable, you still need an electrical outlet to get them to work and you still can’t fit them in your pocket or tool belt.
If it’s portability that you’re looking for with your tools, then the manual cutting tools are definitely the ones to go for rather than the electric ones.
Tools like utility knives and tin snips are lightweight and can fit into your pocket or toolbelt quite easily.
Thus, you can carry them with you up a ladder where you may be installing vinyl siding. If you go up to find that the siding doesn’t quite fit properly, you can make a minor cut to fix it using your utility knife or tin snips.
If you didn’t have these tools, then you would have to come all the way back down, turn on your miter saw, fit the vinyl siding onto your workbench and then, make the cut.
Electricity
We briefly covered how not having access to electricity can really cause inconvenience when you’re working with different power tools.
Thus, depending on your project, this is something you’ll have to consider.
Will you have easy access to electrical outlets where you’ll be working?
If you will, then it’s a good idea to go for tools that need electricity.
If you won’t, then it’s a good idea to opt for manual tools.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Why do we Put on the Miter Saw Blade Backwards when Cutting Vinyl Siding?
It’s generally preferable to put in the miter saw blade backward when cutting vinyl siding because when the blade is rotating backward, not only does it cut the vinyl but it also melts the edges in order to make a very smooth cut.
This makes for a clean and precise cut within the vinyl siding which is, of course, desirable.
2. What Tools Do You Need to Cut Vinyl Siding?
We’ve detailed the tools you need above but essentially, you will need the following:
- Miter saw (or a handheld circular saw)
- Tin snips
- Utility knife (preferably with a hook blade attachment)
- Safety goggles
- Carpenter’s square
- Measuring tape
- Straight edge
- Pencil
- Vinyl siding
- Hammer
- Pry bar
3. How Much Does Vinyl Siding Cost?
This depends on the type of vinyl siding you’re getting.
Below, we’ve detailed the cost of different types of vinyl sidings per square foot:
| Vinyl Siding Type | Average Cost (Per Square Foot) |
|---|---|
| Shake | $3 – $10 |
| Clapboard | $1 – $6 |
| Vertical | $3 – $8 |
| Log | $3 – $5 |
| Board and Batten | $2.50 – $8 |
| Stone | $4 – $10 |
| Insulated | $4 – $12 |
| Brick | $4 – $10 |
4. How to Cut Vinyl Siding that’s Already Installed?
You can utilize a rotary tool to cut siding that is already installed. You can also use a rotary tool to make curved and angled cuts.
This is possible if you equip your rotary tool with a mini saw blade or a zip tool.
Wrapping Things Up…
This brings us to the conclusion of our post on how to cut vinyl siding using a miter saw.
As you can see, you can easily cut vinyl siding with many different types of tools including a miter saw, a circular saw, utility knives, tin snips, angle grinders, and much more.
No matter what your budget or skill level is, you can easily find tools to cut it and save money on your home renovation or any other project you may be tackling.