The Best Ways to Cut the Siding to Replace Your Aluminum Windows

Wood Siding

• If you need to cut wood siding out, the best option is to use a circular saw set to the depth of the wood siding. After you mark the area you need to cut around the window, you can run the circular saw through the marks and only cut deep enough to cut through the siding. This will keep you from damaging the waterproofing and the subwall beneath the siding, preserving it for new siding after you have replaced the window.

Vinyl Siding

• Vinyl siding is best cut with a utility knife, but you also can use tin snips such as those used to cut sheet metal. However, the preferred method is the utility knife because you can pull the knife through the siding upward and not cut through to the subwall beneath. Instead, the knife is pulled upward at an angle so you only cut through the siding itself, removing just what you need around the window and nothing more.

Fiber Cement Siding

• Cutting fiber cement siding out from around windows is a tricky venture. You need to avoid using a circular saw or an angle grinder, even though they might be the best option, because they aren’t the preferred method. They create far too much dust. Instead, use a pair of hand-held sheers, such as tin snips, or an electric version of the shears. It is a dust-free method that allows you to control the cut to remove the window precisely.

Composite Siding

• There are numerous ways to cut composite sidings, ranging from angle grinders to utility knives to metal shears. The exact method depends on the manufacturer of your composite siding. If you are in doubt about which method is the best for your particular version of siding, contact the manufacturer. As a general rule, shears are the best, just as they are for fiber siding. Angle grinders work, but they create a lot of dust, and utility knives are best for scoring and snapping the pieces during initial installation.