Menu
Business Advice4 min

Siding That’s a Cut Above

Siding installers use many different brands of circular saws, but their preferred saw may not be as important as the siding material they are cutting with it. Some builders can sometimes be a bit removed from the importance placed on saw choice and would probably rely on their subcontractors choice, like Brent Taylor. “I don’t have much of an opinion on that because I use subcontracted labor,” says Brent Taylor, owner of O.C. Taylor in Raleigh, North Carolina, who was featured in an episode of Designing Spaces on Lifetime Network renovating a century-old house using LP® SmartSide® Trim & Siding.

“For cutting LP® SmartSide® siding, all you need is a circular saw with a blade for OSB or plywood,” says Oscar Trejo, an LP field technician in the Madison, Wisconsin area. Trejo uses a cordless Hitachi circular saw, but he says that there are many other great brands. Most installers prefer cordless saws because there’s seldom electric power on the jobsite.

“Almost any saw will do because LP SmartSide siding cuts and handles just like ordinary wood,” says Gordon Jacobsen from Karp Associates, the Connecticut company overseeing the renovation of the 2019 Idea House by the team at This Old House.

“I can cut five pieces of LP SmartSide siding at once with a Skilsaw, while cutting that much fiber cement would cause breakage,” says JB Homebuilding’s Eduilho DaSilva, Jr., who manages the trim and siding crews on the Idea House.

Cordless circular saws continue to get lighter and more sophisticated every year, but even the most basic models have no trouble cutting engineered wood siding with ease.

Continue Reading

Business Solutions

4 min

Q&A: How Home Orientation Impacts Continuous Insulation

There’s a lot to consider when it comes to building an energy-efficient home for your clients and the many nuances that change with each build—including its orientation to the sun.

Continue Reading

Resiliency Solutions

5 min
HOW A RADIANT BARRIER CAN IMPROVE BURIED DUCT PERFORMANCE

There are several insulation methods based on attic design, but ducts placed over the bottom of truss chords and buried under insulation in a vented attic is a popular builder option.

Sustainability Solutions

8 min
How to Drive Effective Communication and Collaboration on the Jobsite

Every jobsite has a ton of moving parts, from product shipments, supplies, and schedules to subcontractors and homeowners. It's no wonder that many project teams can struggle to maintain quality jobsite communication and collaboration throughout the building process.

Sustainability Solutions

6 min
Carbon Negative, Future Positive: LP® Structural Solutions Portfolio Releases Environmental Product Declarations

In an era where environmental responsibility is paramount, we are proud to announce a remarkable achievement: the LP® Structural Solutions portfolio has been officially designated as carbon negative. This milestone is a testament to our unwavering commitment to redefining construction materials for the better with a focus on sustainability, resiliency and groundbreaking advancements.