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Framing Basement Walls




Steps for Framing Basement Walls




Framing basement walls can be easy with some instructionsplanning and preparation.

Before you start your basement renovations you should draw up a floor plan and measure the foundation walls and partitions to see how much material(2x4s) you will need.

Nomatter what the floor layout is like. The one thing that never changeswith basements is the foundation walls and that's where you start.

I like to start with a wall that has a window. In case I need to make some adjustments.

Start framing the basement foundation walls first (preferably with a window), measure 6 inches from the wall at one end and 6 inches from the same wall at the measurements.

Witha helper holding a chalk line on the 6 inch mark and you holding theother end of the chalk line on the other 6 inch mark as tight aspossible, lift the chalk line up and snap it to mark a strait line onthe basement floor.(let’s call this line,line "A").
Put the shortend of the framing square (short side) flash on the other end of thesame wall, make a pencil mark on both marked line 6 inches away fromthe unmarked wall. Draw a line along the long side of the square andyou should end up with a 90 degree corner. Now hold one end of thechalk line precisely on the corner of the last pencil mark and stretchit along the other end of the wall. Make sure to have the chalk lineexactly on the pencil line,so that you start out with two square walls.Stretch and snap the line. (let's call this line "B").

When ever you are framing basement walls, it is very important to have the corners square.



TIP:

To check the square of a corner, mark 3 feet from the corner end onLine "A" and 4 feet from the corner end on line "B", measurethe two marks from "A" to "B" (Line "C" should measure a distance of 5feet.) If the difference is one sixteenth of an inch or more, you willhave to adjust the line to meet the 5 feet point.

Framing Basement Walls - step by step.

Reference: Studs are the upright 2x4s that make up the framing wall. Top and bottom plates are then nailed to the studs

It is important to have the basement floor clean and ready before you start building the basement walls.

Placetop and bottom plates, flat on top of each other next to the chalk lineand measure from the ceiling to the top of the plates at a few places.Take a note of the smallest measurement and cut the studs one eight ofan inch shorter then this measurement (for an easier fit). This will bethe length of your studs.

Cut the studs to measure andput them aside. The next step is to take the bottom and top plates,place them on top of one another or side by side (which ever youprefer) and even with each other.

Starting from theright side of the top and bottom plates, use a combination square andmark a line across both plates every 16-3/4 inches and make a mark on the right hand side of the line ( the mark is where the stud will be nailed ). I personally feel, this is the best way to marktop and bottom plates when framing basement walls. It helps keepingevery thing square and even.

Next step is to spread the top and bottom plates and place the studs ( the ones that you have already cut out ) length wise between the plates.

Tip:
It is very important to have the basement walls square and plumb while you're framing basement walls for the finishing Ex:(doors, window casing, baseboard and basement ceiling).

Lineup the studs with the lines that you just marked on the plates ( thecenter of the stud should be below the mark ) and nail the platesto the studs.( two or three nails for each end of the studs ). Now thewall is ready to be lined up in place. Don't forget to nail a stud at3-1/2" from the end of the framed wall the drywall backing.(See diagrambelow).

Stand the wall up and line it up between the chalkline and the basement foundation wall. You can move it close to thewall as long as it stands plumb all around (I like to leave a minimumof one inch from all the foundation walls ). Use the chalk line as aguide and make sure that both ends of the bottom plate are at the samedistance form it.

Once the framed wall is up and inplace, shim the top plate against the floor joists with cedar shakesyou can buy the cedar shakes from your local hardware store.

NOTE:From my experience with framing basement walls, I found that if you makesure that all framing walls are square and plumb, the finished productwill always turn out good.

Double check the wall to makesure it is plumb all around and start nailing the bottom plate withthree or three and a half inches concrete nails.



Usinga four foot level, check to make sure the front and side of the studsare plumb and nail the top plate to the floor joists or backing (depending where the wall is lined up ). You can repeat the sameprocedures to frame the rest of the basement foundation walls exceptwhere there's windows or doorways which I will cover later on.

Ifthe wall ends up running in between the floor joists, cut to fit andnail flash, pieces of 2x4s between the two floor joists every threefeet or so. This will serve as backing to nail the wall to.

Note:

For load bearing walls, Click here

Iincluded some diagrams to help you along the way. If you study thesediagrams you will find it easier to frame the basement walls.

You can use the contact page form to reach me with any comments,suggestions or questions.

Enjoy.