Vinyl siding is a key element found on the sides of most houses across the country. Some have considered this a cosmetic change that brings out more color and appearance in a home’s exterior. This version of siding is quite durable to inclement weather but there will be points when it becomes damaged or needs to be tended to. Most local home improvement stores have an ample supply of replacement siding available but the issue with that is that it does not come pre-cut for the exact measurements that you need for your house. When the vinyl has been wrecked in some way, the below steps will assist you in how to cut a piece of vinyl siding accordingly to replace the damaged part. This is a very simple project and should take you no more than a few hours on the weekend.
Items Needed for the Vinyl Siding Repairs:
- Tape measure
- Vinyl siding (This usually comes in a long strip)
- Sharpie or writing utensil for measurements
- Paper
- Tin Snips or a miter saw would be the best choices to cut the vinyl siding. Saw would be optimal to avoid any sharp uneven edges on the strip.
Steps to Cutting and Repairing Vinyl Siding:
• Using the tape measure, measure the location where you want to attach the vinyl siding using a ruler. The main key is not to bring the vinyl to the wall and make the measurements using the siding itself propped up against the side of your home. This will lead to extra time wasted cutting to reach a perfect fit. Proper measurements need to be done to get the exact cut needed in the shortest amount of time.
• Place the vinyl siding replacement on a flat surface or preferably between to saw horses for stability on both ends. Never attempt to cut the siding on the end of a shelf in your garage or work area. The vinyl siding is not very stable and you will definitely make an uneven slice through the siding if not support properly which will require extra time to even it out to a straight edge
• Mark with writing implements the exact measurements for the cutting of the vinyl that you accumulated earlier. Based upon the siding only coming one sheet at a time, make sure that all measurements are as accurate as possibly to avoid having to make another trip to the hardware store for more replacement siding.
• Make the necessary cut into the vinyl siding. The cut can be made using tin snips but you need to be extra careful and slow when cutting to avoid going outside of your measurements. Using a hand saw or a miter saw may be the best option to make a straight cut in a shorter amount of time.
• Once the piece is cut, the vinyl siding is ready to be replaced on the side of your home. Based upon the type of siding you are using, it should snap into place in connection with siding above or below it. If not then you should be able to securely fasten the siding using specially made material, such as epoxy, to affix the replacement piece accordingly.
