Basement Framing: Build And Improvise

When building the framing walls in your basement you will need to show inventiveness and cleverness. Framing basement walls is not an easy task, but, with determination and ability to improvise, you can do them on your own.

Start with the perimeter wall

You cannot have a warm basement without considering installing walls that are at least as thick as the interior walls of your house. You can use, for the perimeter walls, studs of 2"x4". Some people do not intend to insulate their basement for acquiring more warmth, but for dryness. If that is your case, then you can install drywall and then attach some furring strips directly to the perimeter walls. These can be glued and nailed into the concrete.

Continue with the internal walls

Some considerations are needed before continuing your job with the installation of the interior walls. These should be designed as being shorter that the height of the room. Because the basement floor can present a lot of variations, you might get stuck, if the walls cannot be put into place. As the interior walls are raised directly on the floor of the basement, it is important if your house is built on clay based soil. This means that the floor will show some elasticity and the walls can be forced a little to occupy the assigned place. For stability, use L-shaped steel clips to keep the walls capable of moving, but on the same vertical position.

If you deal with many obstructions, like pipes, in your basement, simply build some walls around them, in order to maintain your design.

How to stick build walls

Here is how you anchor the walls inside your basement. A top plate that is perpendicular to the floor joists must be nailed first. Then, a bottom plate must be nailed and glued into the floor. Treated lumber is the favorite material for the bottom plate as it can deal with moisture. Make sure that both plates are parallel and then install studs of 2"x4" at a 16" distance one from the other, along them.

What to do about obstacles

Wall framing that is many times used for boxing ductwork is called soffit. You will just need two parallel 2"x2" plates that must be linked through studs. Proceed in the same way as you did when you completed your stick build walls for the interior. You will need two soffits, executed in the same way, to insulate the ductwork from the rest of the room. It is important that your soffits are straight, so make your measurements before hand. Before cutting every stud, make your measurements again, so floor variations won't ruin your plan.

Up to the ceiling

For the ceiling, you will need to install a horizontal wall. You can use the same procedure as with the soffits, but the 2"x4" studs will be used for the pipes that are lower the floor joists. If there are no such obstacles, than you can use a 1"x3" strapping to complete the work. The strapping must simply be installed parallel to the floor joists.

Freeda is a writer and publisher of Article Click. For more FREE articles for your ezine and websites visit - www.articleclick.com

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