Finding Studs Under Siding

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

Finding studs under siding.

How to find exterior wall studs standard wall construction. Exterior wall studs measurements. Turn power off to the room. Since the baseboard is attached to the studs look to see if.

In theory the siding should be nailed at the studs. You will also find studs. This is not always the case depending on the installer. Remove the cover plate.

Place the stud finder at the edge of the exterior siding. Measure 16 and mark additional stud locations. The edges must be nailed into a stud. Using a window as a location guide use a stud finder on the inside to locate a stud or two and transfer that to the outside.

Sadly you can t always rely on the nails holding any type of siding to indicate where the studs are but if it s vinyl over plywood the plywood nails should be a good guide. If i don t have any luck. Today s structural codes require builders to space wall studs uniformly to accommodate. Remove the section of siding at the elevation you plan on mounting the awning at.

A little light will go off or the finder will make a beeping noise when it finds a stud. Locate the switches and outlets which indicate a stud. Studs are generally spaced between 16 24 on center which means from the middle of one stud to the middle of one next to it 16 is the most common dimension though. Then you can check for studs however you like drilling test holes etc.

Look at the trim for where it has been nailed to a stud. Keeping these points in mind here are the ways i ve been most successful at finding studs. 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. Don t have a stud finder.

To the best of my knowledge we won t see a stud by lifting siding unless the house was built about 1925. If you have gaps around the outlet box use a long nail or knife blade to locate the stud on either side of the box. The better way is to locate the edges of the osb sheathing.