Install a wooden sill plate along the concrete floor. The sill plate should be pressure-treated lumber and thick enough to provide a solid base for the wall frame. Screws or nails should be used to anchor the sill plate to the floor using plastic anchors or masonry screws that are appropriate for the type of concrete in your home. Because of its weight, a full basement wall can easily push out from the floor unless it is anchored every 32″. If there are obstructions under the floor that prevent anchoring at 32″ intervals, consider installing blocking between joists at 32″ intervals to anchor your wall frame – this will make it more stable.
Lumber
Lumber is a generic term for wood. It can be sold in many different sizes and dimensions, and the lengths of lumber are usually standardized.
Lumber is sold by the board foot, which is equivalent to 12 inches long by 1 inch thick by 12 inches wide. This means that a piece of lumber with a length of 4 feet would be sold as having 48 board feet. Lumber comes in bundles and may also be graded according to its quality (in ascending order):
- Select – grade A-1 (best quality)
- No. 2 – grade B-1 (better quality)
- Standard – grade C-2 (good quality).
Studs
A stud is a vertical piece of lumber that supports the weight of the wall and ceiling. Traditionally, studs are 2x4s or 2x6s.
To calculate how many studs are needed for a room, you must first determine how much load-bearing capacity each wall will need to support. For example: If you’re building out your basement into a room with an interior height above 6 feet (2 meters), you’ll need to use at least 16″ on center (O/C) spacing between vertical framing members in order to add another layer of drywall over top without having it sag or crack under its own weight; otherwise, it’s likely that the entire structure would collapse once you added those extra layers above.
Nails
Nails are the most common fastener used in framing and will be used to attach the framing members together, attach wall sheathing to the framing members, and attach siding over the wall sheathing.
Be sure to use nails that are strong enough for your purpose (hardwood or softwood) and that have sufficient length to go through both pieces of wood.
Hammer
- Hammer the nails into the wall studs. (Use a hammer with a claw if you are nailing into concrete.)
- Hammer out any nails that you have driven in too far.
- Remove any nails that are sticking up above your floor or sill plate.
Tape measure
A tape measure is a tool used to measure distance. Depending on the type of tape measure you have, it may also be used to mark measurements. This is beneficial when framing walls in a basement, as the markings will indicate where to nail or screw the wood into place.
If you’re planning on framing walls in your basement and need to know how much space you have for them, take a look at our article about calculating the amount of room space available for adding framing.
Plumb bob
A plumb bob is a weight on a string. It’s used to find the vertical, level and center of your wall. You can also use it to find the angle and distance of an object.
Simply place the plumb bob where you want it and mark where the string intersects with your reference line (or another object) on the wall. You can then use this point as a reference for further markings or framing of your walls
Framing square
A framing square is a tool that can be used to check all of these things. The framing square has a ruler on one side and a 90-degree angle on another. It looks like an L with the vertical line being longer than the horizontal line. A framing square is also called an “L” or “T” square.
A basic use of this tool is to check whether a wall is plumb and level, which means straight up and down (plumb) and evenly spaced from side to side (level). If you put your ear against the wall, you should be able to hear if there’s any difference in sound from one side of the wall to another when knocking on it with your knuckles or tapping it with something light-weight like pencil erasers or small rubber bouncy balls (these are great for kids too!). If there isn’t much difference in noise level between sides then chances are good that your wall is at least mostly straight up and down; otherwise there would be more noticeable differences in sound intensity when hitting different parts of each side.”
Nail gun (optional)
Even though you can build your wall with a hammer, a nail gun is much faster and more accurate. A nail gun is also safer than using a hammer, because it reduces the chance of injury to yourself or others since there’s no swinging arm involved. The tool has other advantages: it’s easier to get into corners, which saves time when framing out the room. It’s also more convenient than using a hammer, because you don’t have to bend over as far with every nail placement and can drive nails from different positions on your body just by changing pressure levels in your grip on the trigger (up for less power, down for more).
Carefully consider the layout of your basement room. Once you’ve decided on a plan, draw it to scale on graph paper. Be sure to include windows, doors, closets and anything else that might affect your framing. Pencil in the locations for electrical outlets, phone jacks and other fixtures.
Install a wooden sill plate along the concrete floor. The sill plate should be pressure-treated lumber and thick enough to provide a solid base for the wall frame. Screws or nails should be used to anchor the sill plate to the floor using plastic anchors or masonry screws that are appropriate for the type of concrete in your home. Because of its weight, a full basement wall can easily push out from the floor unless it is anchored every 32″. If there are obstructions under the floor that prevent anchoring at 32″ intervals, consider installing blocking between joists at 32″ intervals to anchor your wall frame – this will make it more stable.
- Install a wooden sill plate along the concrete floor. The sill plate should be pressure-treated lumber and thick enough to provide a solid base for the wall frame. Screws or nails should be used to anchor the sill plate to the floor using plastic anchors or masonry screws that are appropriate for the type of concrete in your home. Because of its weight, a full basement wall can easily push out from the floor unless it is anchored every 32″. If there are obstructions under the floor that prevent anchoring at 32″ intervals, consider installing blocking between joists at 32″ intervals to anchor your wall frame – this will make it more stable.
Conclusion
Now you’re ready to install the wall frame. First, cut studs to length and toe-nail them in place. Then, use shims and a story pole to position the top plate. Nail it in place so that it is level and flush with one end of the wall.
Now measure the distance between your marks on the top plate, add 3″ for overlap and cut a jack stud for each side of the door or window opening (Photo 12). The jack studs will support the header. Install these studs along with king studs to complete each side of your opening. Don’t forget to nail blocking between all studs at 32″ intervals for additional support.
Next, build headers from two 2×10’s nailed together on edge. Use a rafter square to mark 45-degree angles on both ends so that they’ll fit snugly into place within the door or window frame (Photo 14). Some framers prefer using metal hangers instead of building wood headers because they save time and they’re stronger than wood headers. If you decide not to use metal hangers, remember not to nail into the ends of any header more than 1/3 its width – this weakens its integrity substantially! Also remember that if you have an 8′ high wall above ground level, your header should be made from two 2×12’s laid flat rather than standing on edge like in our diagram here; this helps prevent warping caused by uneven pressure being applied against their long edges when standing upright like that.
