How to Support Siding for Nailing

Measure the area of your wall to install the pieces of wood. The pieces will need to be screwed onto the wall studs for the home. If a piece terminates over empty space between two wall studs, you need to cut it off so that it straddles half of a stud, allowing another piece to be installed adjacent to it so that both pieces straddle half of the stud. Then you will be able to screw both pieces in place. The idea is to install full sheets where possible, and cut the ends off where it is necessary to cover the studs.

Transfer any wall measurements to your piece of plywood or OSB. Mark both the top of the sheet and the bottom of the sheet. Then snap a chalk line between the two lines. This is the line where the sheet needs to straddle a stud or be against the eaves of the house and around windows.

Don safety gear and cut the piece along the chalk line with the circular saw. Set the depth of the blade to the thickness of the board, hold the saw in both hands, pull the trigger and push the blade through the wood.

Mount the plywood or OSB in place. Use wood screws to drill through the wood and into the wall studs. Place the screws every 4 to 6 inches vertically up the sheet of wood along the stud. Repeat the measuring, cutting and drilling process for each subsequent piece of plywood. Allow at least an eighth-inch gap between the sheets to allow for swelling of the wood. Stagger the rows so there are no matching vertical joints.