First Steps in Wall Construction

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Constructing an inside wall will likely be a part of many home repair and remodeling projects. Adding a new fence to your home may sound like a monumental task, but it’s relatively easy if you take the time to plan it out carefully beforehand. Changes to the room’s lighting, heating, and maybe plumbing and HVAC systems are almost inevitable.

The wall will serve merely as a divider and have no bearing capacity beyond its weight. This means that lightweight materials can be employed. A wall’s framework comprises the floor plate, the ceiling plate, and the studs spaced at regular intervals in between. Plates and studs should be made from 2-by-3 lumber. They will support the “skin,” or wall covering on both sides.

The foot plate should be fastened to the ground first. Nail the container to the floor every two feet if it is made of wood, using l0d nails. If the floor is concrete, you should drill holes every three feet through the plate and into the concrete at a depth of 9/16″. You can use metal or fiber plugs to secure screws through the vessel. Make a notation on the scale indicating where the doorway will go. Before cutting the rough doorway opening, measure the width and add 1″ on each side for the door frame (or jamb) and l3/8″ on each side for the short studs. To make aligning the sole plates on both sides of the doorway easier, cut out the container where the door will be positioned after it has been fastened down. If you want to be able to remove the piece later, don’t nail the plate at the spot where the doorway will be.

The next step is to make the necessary cuts and install the top plate. Use a plumb bob or a straight piece of wood that has been leveled to indicate where the top plate will go. An adjacent wall can’t be used as a reference point because it could be crooked. The direction of the joists above it and the type of ceiling material you have will determine how you secure the top plate. You can nail your plate to the posts if it runs perpendicular to them. Plan the wall so that the top plate will be directly under a beam, giving the appropriate nailing surface if the scale is to run parallel to the posts and a plasterboard ceiling is to be installed. Molly anchors can attach the container to a sound plaster ceiling.

The studs are precisely sized to fit the space between the two plates. They are typically placed at 16″ intervals but can be placed at 20″ or 24″ intervals if the wall covering is available in those sizes. 8d nails hammer studs into place in the plates on all four sides. Before any studs are nailed into the sole plate, it’s a good idea to mark off where they’ll go. Please find the two full-length studs on either side of the door opening and then measure and record the distance between them. If your wall has an exterior corner or door, you can use this as the starting point for your markings. One stud should be fastened to each wall your new wall contacts, regardless of the ultimate spacing. Once the studs have been leveled and marked on the top plate, they can be fastened down. Using spacers, which are just strips of l-by-3 material cut to uniform lengths (14%” long where stud spacing is 16″ on centers), could make things easier. Nail these into the plates and in between the top and bottom studs. You won’t need a level again once you’ve tried up the first stud with these strips.

Horizontal 2-by-3s attached between studs add further support to the wall. Their placement and quantity are also somewhat determined by the subsequent wall treatment. Two cross braces placed at regular 8-foot intervals are sufficient for the typical wall. These can support all sheet materials (plywood, plasterboard, etc.), but only one central brace is necessary if the covering is made of full-length vertical boards. These braces can be offset by their width so that l0d or 16d nails can be driven through them and into the studs. This prevents a lot of stubbing one’s toe. Nail each end with two pins.

Doorway Framing

Construction of the wall has begun. The more complicated procedures can now start. Return to the previously designated doorway and remove the plate. The two studs can guide the saw. Find out how tall the door you want to utilize is. Height requirements often range between 6′ 8″ and 7′. To account for the frame, add 1″ to the height, and if you want to install a threshold, add another 1″. Use this total length to determine how long a pair of shorter studs need to be before they can be nailed to the longer studs on either side of the opening. Nail through both ends of the plate you just hacked off. Above these short studs, cut two 2-by-3s to the width of space, pin them together, and insert. Don’t let the limited width of these parts become horizontal. Nail this lintel, a header, into the wall studs on either side. The space between the title and the top plate is filled with a short stud called a cripple. The same method is applied to any other wall cavities. If the opening does not reach the sole plate, as in a pass-through, you can fill the space with a double 2-by-3. The bottom and top sole plates have short studs connecting them to the sole.

Changing Direction

An exterior corner post for a typical short wall is made from three pieces of 2-by-3 linked in the manner shown. Two components may be used, connected as an L, and fixed in place on the sole plate if the interior surface of this wall will not be covered (as in a rough closet, for example). However, the three-piece post is required to protect both sides of a fence.

Between the Bricks

Position outlet boxes, switch receptacles, and light dishes, and run any necessary wire through the wall now. Install any new or extended heating pipes, ducts, or plumbing fixtures today. Mark the locations of any built-ins that will be recessed into the wall space between studs, and install the necessary supports.

KevinLe, a civil engineer, always thinks of ways to simplify his life… He has shifted his focus to study a new area, Valves Technology. His latest website, http://valveproducts.net, has a wealth of information about Valves, including where to get them, how to keep them in good working order, what components make them up, how they operate, and even what others think of them.

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