How To Trim Out Vinyl Siding

Trimming out windows and doors is one of the most important steps when installing new siding on a home.

How to trim out vinyl siding.

Step one after making your initial measurements and marking out the appropriate line with a pencil and carpenter s square mount your fine tooth saw blade so that it is positioned backward inside your circular saw. Before installing door and window trim first caulk around the openings to create a moisture and air proof seal. There are three ways to cut vinyl siding each of which is the best for different circumstances. 1 2 inch 1 3 cm plywood or osb are common substrates and these are generally covered with roofing felt or another moisture barrier prior to siding the walls.

3 lock the notched siding into place and. Pull siding away from house and cut through the bottom edge with aviation snips. Mark the line you want to cut on the siding with a pencil and straight edge. Go over the line a few times with the pencil.

If you re cutting dark vinyl siding run a piece of light colored masking tape over the section you want to cut. If you need to cut a lot of vinyl strips and you re making short. Use tin snips or a rotary tool to make curved cuts. Along the tops install j channel trim with horizontal siding and base trim with vertical siding.

For even more personality and charm add a decorative corner or crown molding above the door or window. The best way to cut vinyl siding. Notch out the siding along the marks you created using tin snips for the vertical cuts and a utility knife and straight edge for the horizontal cut. A well done trim installation can set up the rest of the project for success and dramatically improve the overall appearance of the home.

Lift up the course above and pull the nails holding siding to wall. You can also use tin snips to make crosscuts. Install the tops first then the sides and then the bottoms of the window surrounds. Make crosscuts on vinyl siding using a circular saw but you should install a vinyl cutting blade to minimize chip out.

Cut out the damaged piece of siding leaving a space 2 inches shorter than the replacement piece. You want it to be dark enough so you can see it when you re using the saw. Lineal trim can help unify and accent a home s exterior adding a design element that can be both subtle and distinctive. The reason for needing this kind of blade is to keep the cut clean and neat which affects the aesthetic of the vinyl siding and how well it fits together with other pieces.

Use zip tool to disengage top of siding from the course above. Remove any siding or exterior finish that isn t compatible with vinyl siding and make sure the walls are sheathed with a substrate to receive the siding.