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Cutting FRP panels ?

CheckeredFlag

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Joined
Mar 28, 2013
Messages
988
Location
Mid Michigan
Have you ever cut FRP ?

What did you use ?

Is it thin enough to score and cut with something like a box cutter, or should I use a jigsaw (or ?)

Would you use some kind of adhesive to put it on drywall ?

How about plywood ?

Considering putting FRP on the wall, but I've never used it before
 
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Amitygravel

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Mar 26, 2010
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Location
Claremont Illinois
Angle grinder , diamond blade. Done deal.
FRP takes a specific adhesive. Trowel it on.
Wipe then damn stuff off the face with water while its still wet.
Otherwise you'll be using mineral spirits and lots of elbow grease if it dries.
Set up saw horses with a sheet of plywood on it. Lay the FRP on it to cut.
At least wear a disposable face mask , the dust can be pretty obnoxious.
Edges can be pretty sharp too.
Don't get the adhesive too thick either. Let it tack up or you'll be pushing the sheets back up constantly.
The adhesive will work on drywall and plywood equally well.
 
Last edited:

A_Pmech

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May 8, 2007
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8,002
Location
IL
It cuts fine with a standard ATB carbide circular saw blade. Just don't cut too fast.

I wear a GOOD mask and goggles as suggested. You don't want glass dust in your eyes or lungs. A bunny suit can prevent the 2-day itchies after sawing a bunch of it.
 

willymakeit

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Apr 27, 2009
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1,244
Location
Springfield Mo.
Try a sheetmetal cutter with the cutter in the center. Having a brain fart and cant remember the name. We used them , no dust ect.
 

dwm

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Aug 28, 2010
Messages
861
Location
Southeast Michigan
All good advice from Amitygravel. And yes, a jigsaw with a fine tooth blade works fine as long as the FRP is supported near the cut line so it doesn't flap and crack. Scoring and snapping isn't very effective, you'll likely crack it. I have been using my oscillating multitool to cut it lately, with a round type flush cutting bimetal blade. Goes through it like butter and it's easier to carry around than the jigsaw. And since the blade travel is very low, there's less risk of it grabbing and cracking a piece that's not fully supported.

In addition, since I see you're in Michigan like me... best to apply it in warm temperatures. The troweled-on adhesive doesn't like cold temperatures when curing.

For small pieces, I have been using 3M Super90 spray adhesive. Don't even think about using it on a piece that you aren't certain you can position in one try with no sliding, but the Super90 is very strong and sets up nearly instantly. I like it for small pieces that I know I can put in place without having to slide them into position.

The Liquid Nails FRP adhesive (FRP-310) from Home Depot works well. I'd advise opening the bucket at the contractor's desk before leaving the store though. Two 3.5-gallon buckets I bought this winter were bad and I didn't know it until I opened them at home. Looked to me like they had frozen and rethawed many times, and the adhesive was useless. I had to return them.

Note that it's inadvisable to use the adhesive on painted walls. In the spots where I went over painted drywall, I sanded, applied two thin coats of primer and scuff sanded before troweling on the adhesive. It has held up fine so far, with some fairly brutal temperature cycling. It's not recommended for exterior applications, but it's been fine in my currently unheated garage. Heater goes in later this year.
 
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Garage Customz

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Feb 5, 2014
Messages
51
Location
A van by the river
Have you ever cut FRP ?

What did you use ?

Is it thin enough to score and cut with something like a box cutter, or should I use a jigsaw (or ?)

Would you use some kind of adhesive to put it on drywall ?

How about plywood ?

Considering putting FRP on the wall, but I've never used it before

The majority of our business is the restaurant industry, so we put up a boat load of FRP. Great stuff for a wall in a garage IMO. Very easy material to work with if you prepare first. Also, if you are hanging full sheets, I would suggest having an extra set of hands to help out as putting it on the wall and getting it to fit in the trim peices takes some maneuvering.

Cut with snips or you will have fiberglass dust everywhere. We use electric sheet metal shears.

Put up a plywood cut table, layout your sheet on this. I advise to dry fit every piece to make sure you measured correct and that everything fits. Flip it over and trowel on the FRP adhesive, you can get this at HD or Lowes. The water based stuff is easiest to work with, but make sure if you want to reuse your trowel ever, have a bucket of warm water nearby to throw the trowel in after every panel. Let it soak while you are putting the panel up and wipe it off before glueing the next one.

We almost always pin our sheets. You can get these at HD/Lowes also. Lay out a pattern and mark with a sharpie before you glue and put on the wall. Once the panel is up, drill a 1/4" hole in the wall and insert the pin. Hammer it in til it's flush. WEAR safety glasses for this as sometimes the pins will snap and fly off like a bullet.

As far as putting this over a painted wall, that has never been a problem for us. Again, if you are nervous about it sticking make sure to pin this area. Another thing, once it is up and glued, take a rolling pin and roll the sheet to make sure the adhesive has contact to your wall surface. Good luck.
 

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Michigan Mike

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Joined
Sep 12, 2012
Messages
449
Location
Kalamazoo Mi.
I am a retired comercial carpenter. I have hung quite a bit of frp. They make a carbide blade knife for formica work. This is what my favorite cutting tool was.Minimal dust. Just score the sheet a couple of times and snap it. If your cutting curves or angles I second the good pair of tin snips. For large areas the pins are a good idea also. good luck Mike
 
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