Finding Studs Under Siding

How to find exterior wall studs standard wall construction.

Finding studs under siding.

Remove the section of siding at the elevation you plan on mounting the awning at. Walk very slowly along the exterior siding while holding the stud finder. In theory the siding should be nailed at the studs. Exterior wall studs measurements.

Builders use an outside corner as a reference point when framing walls so you might. Since the baseboard is attached to the studs look to see if. You will also find studs. The edges must be nailed into a stud.

This is not always the case depending on the installer. 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. Remove the cover plate. 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.

Place the stud finder at the edge of the exterior siding. 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 you have gaps around the outlet box use a long nail or knife blade to locate the stud on either side of the box. Turn power off to the room.

Draw a mark at the exact location where the stud finder locates a stud. Don t have a stud finder. If i don t have any luck. 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.

Then you can check for studs however you like drilling test holes etc. The better way is to locate the edges of the osb sheathing. Keeping these points in mind here are the ways i ve been most successful at finding studs. Locate an outlet on the wall.

Look at the trim for where it has been nailed to a stud. Today s structural codes require builders to space wall studs uniformly to accommodate. A little light will go off or the finder will make a beeping noise when it finds a stud.