Find Studs Behind Siding

Walk very slowly along the exterior siding while holding the stud finder.

Find studs behind siding.

For vinyl siding use a vinyl siding removal tool to unsnap the seal between two pieces of siding allowing you to see the nail heads. The edges must be nailed into a stud. Once you find one stud it s easy to find the rest of them. Oh i just need to find a stud to hang this picture and fifteen holes later you re convinced the wall is held up by pixie dust and a wish because apparently there s no wood behind it.

The better way is to locate the edges of the osb sheathing. Measure 16 and mark additional stud locations. Shine a flashlight. An electronic device called a stud finder can help you locate the studs but if you don t have one there are several low tech ways to find the beams using only household items.

If that s true and i wanted to hit a stud close to dead center i d probably make myself about a 6 long 3 32 diameter drill bit locate a stud from inside and bore a hole from inside out next to the stud. This is not always the case depending on the installer. Use a metal detector to find the nails in the studs if you get dew on the house in the morning a lot of the time you can see exactly where the studs are when there is dew on the siding and it is just starting to evaporate it usually evaporates off the studs first since they are a bit warmer. The standard space between studs is 16 or 24 inches although in some homes the distance between studs is less regular.

A little light will go off or the finder will make a beeping noise when it finds a. Place the stud finder at the edge of the exterior siding. Remove the section of siding at the elevation you plan on mounting the awning at. I found these answers on a different site.

For solid cladding such as stucco or brick your best bet is to locate the studs inside the house and then transfer the measurements to the exterior wall.