Cutting Fiber Cement Siding

One of the biggest complaints i hear though is how hard it is to cut the siding during installation.

Cutting fiber cement siding.

Even if you do invest in higher end tools the total cost per job is low. Fiber cement siding fibre cement cladding in the uk and fibro in australia is a building material used to cover the exterior of a building in both commercial and domestic applications. Fiber cement siding manufacturers say you can cut the stuff with any good quality carbide tipped blade. Installing fiber cement siding is an alternative to wood vinyl and stucco the cost is more than vinyl but less than wood and stucco so it is a project that is cost effective than the former options.

Fiber cement is a composite material made of cement reinforced with cellulose fibers. Originally asbestos was used as the reinforcing material but due to safety concerns that was replaced by cellulose. When cutting fiber cement siding with circular saw use a blade that has only four or six teeth. 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.

Cut the frieze board to length photo 3. Fiber cement siding has become a very popular siding choice for new homes and remodeling jobs. At home centers you can buy diamond blades made specifically for cutting fiber cement. There are many cost effective circular saw and vacuum options that meet table 1 requirements for cutting fiber cement.

I got two hours out of a thin kerf 24 tooth carbide blade on my wormdrive before sparks. There are several ways to cut fiber cement siding and each method has it s pros and cons. Even a carbide tooth blade will last for only part of the day. Using a cost per square foot metric it s less than a penny per square foot.

These blades cut quickly and create less dust.