Cutting Fiber Cement Siding

Cut the frieze board to length photo 3.

Cutting fiber cement siding. Even if you do invest in higher end tools the total cost per job is low. 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. For a slow but virtually dustless way to cut siding use power shears.

Using a cost per square foot metric it s less than a penny per square foot. One of the biggest complaints i hear though is how hard it is to cut the siding during installation. 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 got two hours out of a thin kerf 24 tooth carbide blade on my wormdrive before sparks.

Cutting fiber cement siding. Fiber cement is a composite material made of cement reinforced with cellulose fibers. Fiber cement siding manufacturers say you can cut the stuff with any good quality carbide tipped blade. These blades cut quickly and create less dust.

There are several ways to cut fiber cement siding and each method has it s pros and cons. 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. Even a carbide tooth blade will last for only part of the day. 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.