To divide a large, open-plan room into two smaller rooms, you can install a stud partition wall to create an extra room. By following our guide on how to build a stud wall with door frame, you will greatly enhance your home and add value to your property. This is the ideal solution if you are looking for more space or privacy for your home office or even just wanting to hide away all of those pesky garden tools that always seem to be lying around the house
Method
- Measure the area to be covered and add 2″ to both length and width for drywall joints. If you’re using 1/2″ drywall, use 3/8″ thick spacers instead of 1/4″.
- Use a stud finder (or ruler) to locate where the studs are in your wall; this is where you’ll nail your frames into place. Make sure there’s at least 3/4″ between each frame so that it doesn’t rest against or touch another one when it gets nailed in place later on. Also make sure there are no electrical wires running behind this section of wall—you don’t want them getting caught by nails later on
- Once you’ve found all five of your framed areas, measure down from the top of the topmost frame by three inches and mark it with a pencil—this will become your “sticky note.” It should look something like this
1. Marking out the wall size
- Marking out the wall size
Mark out the base of the stud wall on a level surface and measure up from this point to mark a height for your top row of studs. Use a chalk line or pencil to mark where you want your bottom row of studs to be, then use that line as reference when marking out the remaining rows. The distance between each row should be exactly 100mm (4 inches). If you don’t have great precision with your measuring tape, take care that they are not too close together or too far apart – if they are too close together, it will make it difficult to fit insulation between them later; if they are too far apart, extra time spent filling holes and fixing joints will add up over time
2. Cutting timber to length
This step is pretty easy. You must use a hacksaw, but be careful not to cut yourself. You will also need a metal ruler and square, along with a pencil and spirit level, protractor and calculator (to compute length).
3. Positioning the sill plate horizontally
- Make sure the sill plate is level, horizontal and square
It’s important to make sure that not only is your wall going to be built straight, but also that it’s plumb and level—otherwise the door frame will be crooked. To do this, you want to use a spirit level on the sides of each piece of timber so that they are flush with one another (meaning they’re parallel). Next, check for squareness by placing a measuring tape along two opposite edges of each piece of timber—if an edge is long enough for both measurements to meet at either end without gaps or overlapping then you’ve got yourself a truly square wall
4. Fitting studs to the plate
- The first step is to make sure that the position of the studs on your door frame are correct. To do this, measure from each corner of the opening with a tape measure and mark where you want each stud to go with a pencil.
- Next, you’ll need to cut your timbers down to size for fitting into the wall frame. You can use either a handsaw or circular saw for this job; if you’re using plywood sheets and MDF board as your base layer materials, remember not to waste any excess wood when cutting them down – just work out what size pieces will fit into each space available within your wall design and cut accordingly.
5. Fitting the sole plate
As the foundation of your wall, the sill plate is crucial to its construction. The sill plate is a horizontal member that sits on top of the foundation and touches the ground beneath it (in this case, cement). It acts as a base for all vertical members that make up your stud frame.
Sill plates can be made from any number of materials—wooden pieces are common, but metal or even concrete can also be used effectively in certain situations. The material you choose should match with other materials used in your home’s structure so that everything looks uniform throughout.
6. Installing the plates to level
For this step, you’ll want to level the plates of your studs to be as flat and even as possible. This is very important for a good finish, so take your time with this step.
Use a spirit level or another method (such as wood blocks) to check that each plate is level. If you have uneven ground at all, either use some shims under one end of the studs or build up an area beneath them so they’re all even on top of the ground.
Once your first 2x2m section is assembled and fairly flat, use it as a template for building another section if needed. For example, if you need more than one door frame but don’t have enough space in your wall cavity to install both at once (or do not have enough materials), make sure both doors fit into one side of their respective openings before beginning construction on another wall plate assembly.
7. Cutting the door frame opening
- With a framing square, measure the width of your door frame and mark this measurement on the stud wall.
- Cut along the line with your circular saw and repeat on the other side of the stud wall so you have two identical openings in your stud wall (one for each side of your door frame). If you prefer, you can use a jigsaw to cut out these openings.
- Check that your door frame fits into both new openings in your stud wall before continuing and make any necessary adjustments as needed before installing it into place between them with nails or screws depending on what type of wood you used for framing materials around doors (see above steps 1-4).
- Check once more that everything is level before proceeding to step 5 below
8. Holding up vertical and diagonal timber members
- Use a spirit level to check that vertical and diagonal members are level.
- Use a tape measure to check diagonals are equal.
- Use a spirit level to check all walls are level.
- Use a spirit level to check all walls are square.
- Use a tape measure to check all walls are square, if not, adjust timber until square again
9. Nailing diagonal members to studs
Now that the wall studs are in place, you’re ready to nail diagonal members onto them. You should use a nail gun with appropriate nails for the job: galvanized nails if you are using pressure-treated lumber, or stainless steel nails if you are using cedar or pine boards. Use enough nails so that they protrude from the surface of each board by approximately 3/4″ (19mm), but don’t overdo it—there is no need to go overboard with your measures here!
The type of wood and size of your board will determine how many nails to use. For example, if you have a 2×4 (48mm x 89mm) piece of 1/2″ thick pine board then one nail every 12″ would be sufficient since this will give an average penetration depth across its entire surface area; however, if instead we were trying our hand at making something more substantial like 4′ x 8′ sheets out of 3/4″ thick cedar planks then perhaps two per side would be better suited as we want some extra strength there due to their larger size and weight capacity compared against smaller materials such as plywood sheets which tend not take too kindly when subjected too much strain on account ergo why they break down so quickly under heavy loads placed on top
If you do not have experience, it is always best to seek help from someone who does, especially if you are not sure how to carry out any of this work safely
It is always best to seek help from someone who does, especially if you are not sure how to carry out any of this work safely. You can find a local builder or hire a professional to do the work for you. If you do not have experience, it is always best to seek help from someone who does, especially if you are not sure how to carry out any of this work safely
Conclusion
The most important point to note when building any wall, is that you need to be absolutely 100% sure that the area is completely safe and suitable for walling. This can only be done by a qualified surveyor who has checked the area thoroughly and given their approval of the work. In addition to this, you should always check with your local area council’s planning department as they will be able to advise you on what kind of building regulations apply within your area. This way, you will know exactly what type of walls and structures are allowed before starting out on any job or project in particular – leading us nicely onto our next section
