How to Cut Gutter Guards
Climbing a ladder to clean the leaves and sticks out of your gutter once or twice a year is a chore most homeowners would rather do without. If you install gutter guards, though, you can kiss this chore goodbye. Gutter guards are screens or grates that keep debris out of your gutters. They are easy to install. However, installation does include some measuring and cutting to fit the guards properly to your gutters' lengths. Cutting the guards properly is important for tight, flat fits. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Install the first piece of gutter guard on a section of your gutter. Position the second piece next to it, butting up the metal edges. A small piece of the second guard's mesh will overlap the first guard's metal edge; use tin snips to cut this small square of mesh off.
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Continue installing gutter guards, cutting off the overlapping mesh, until you cannot install another full guard. Measure the distance from the last guard to the gutter's end. Transfer this measurement to a guard.
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Use a level to achieve a straight line across the gutter guard's width. Trace along the level with a marker. Cut along the line with tin snips.
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Measure the length from the previously installed guard to the outer apex of the gutter corner when you approach a corner. Transfer this measurement to a new guard.
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Set a speed square on this mark and angle it backward on the gutter guard to 45 degrees. Trace along the speed square's edge with a marker. Cut the gutter guard at the mark with a tin snips. Your next piece will also require a 45 degree cut. You might achieve this by flipping the guard, if it is reversible; otherwise you'll want to cut the tapering piece from the uninstalled guard that you previously cut at 45 degrees, then cut a new 45 degree angle -- cut in reverse of the way you cut the first angle -- into the uninstalled guard. Discard the triangular scrap pieces.
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References
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