I'm in the process of replacing plywood siding on my house with hardiboard hz-5. The original plywood was installed before the soffits, and now I'm unable to remove the soffits because of how they're set up. I need to cut about 40 linear feet of this plywood and I'm looking for a tool that can help me get close to flush with the soffit. My circular saw worked for removing most of it, but I can only get about 1.5 inches from the soffit due to the guide. Ideally, I want to get within a half inch so I can use a trim piece to cover it up, but at this distance, the trim would be too large. Any suggestions?
2 Answers
Have you thought about removing the soffit? It might be better to avoid leaving a strip of plywood at the top of your walls and ending up with an awkward seam between the plywood and hardibacker.
You should try using a flush cut or toe kick saw. This type of saw can help you make those closer cuts that your circular saw can't get to. Check out this one from Harbor Freight, it looks pretty solid!
That sounds like it might just work for me!
I considered it, but since the soffit is also plywood, and I want to keep costs down and save time, I'm trying to avoid pulling it down. If it isn’t broken, I think it’s best to leave it.