Basement Wall Building Tips

		Good workmanship is the key to a good remodeling job. Check these simple tips before you begin

Tailing up the studs that will form the structural support for the new basement wall of your remodeling job is a highly satisfactory task. It goes so fast. Savor the sense of self-esteem you can get from this phase of the work and remember it later when you get to the tougher jobs.

Standard material for wall studs is 2x4 lumber. Actually, 2x4s don't measure 2 in. by 4 in. This is the size of the timber before it is smoothed down, and the hunk of wood that you have to work with measures a little less on each dimension.

One word of caution: Put up the studding following absolutely standard spacing (this will be spelled out later). There's a reason for this hard and fast rule. The various other materials that will get hooked onto the stud of the basement wall (such as insulation or finished wall surfaces) have all been manufactured with this spacing in mind. If you take off on a tangent with any nifty innovations of your own, you may very well end up cowering behind the eight ball.

In most parts of the country, fir lumber is used for studding. This is a fairly decent wood that's rather strong, holds nails quite well, and unless it's stored under very sad conditions, won't twist or warp to the point where you can't use it. However, keep in mind that this is structural wood.

Mark off for new partition with chalk line at right angle to existing wall {see left). Nail shoe in place (left, insert) and cut a 2x4 to exact length to fit in between the shoe and the ceiling.

Top support for wall, the plate, is next nailed in place (soe above). Select a straight 2x4 for use as a measuring stick. Hold it against the shoe and move it back and forth until it's level.

With steps illustrated, plate will be in posi­tion directly above shoe and can be nailed (right).

A square quickly positions verticals. Hold short leg against shoe; mark on both sides o long leg.

Measure individually for each vertical stud and cut to size. Toenail stud at angle on both sides.

It'll have neither the finish nor the sleek straight lines of cabinet wood. If you have the time for it and if the Lumber dealer won't toss you for suggesting the procedure, it's a good idea to check through the stack of lumber at the yard. Pick out studs that are reasonably straight and not graced with giant knots that cut down on strength.

Two-by-fours come in lengths up to 20 ft. Most common sizes, however, are 12, 14, 16 and 18 ft. Some lumberyards are very cooperative and will saw the stock into any size you want. Others limit such ac­tivity to cutting long lengths in half. And then there are still the old die-hards who say nuts to you and deliver the stuff as is. Before you order lumber figure out pre­cisely how much you need and order it in lengths that will cut with the least amount of waste. At the same time, keep in mind that you have to get the timber either up­stairs or downstairs and this may involve negotiating some tight corners. Naturally you probably won't be able to get lumber the exact size you want, but try to avoid ending up with a whole crate of little 1-ft. leftovers. While this wood does make ex­cellent kindling, you can buy fire wood for a lot less.

Putting Up a Stud Wall

Measure along an existing basement wall to the point where the new partition will connect. Drive a nail into the floor at this spot. Tie one end of a chalk line onto the nail. What's a chalk line? It's a length of tough builder's twine that's been rubbed across a big lump of carpenter's chalk. If you want to get fancy, you can buy the same deal on a little reel affair that is filled with chalk dust. In either form the gadget is a very handy marking device.

Reel off enough chalk line to take you out to the end of your new partition wall. At this point, you really need an assistant to hold the line taut. Place a large carpen­ter's square so that one leg lines up with the old wall and the corner of the square rests up against the nail that you've just driven into the floor. Jockey your line back and forth until it is aligned perfectly with the other leg of the square. Stretch it taut, pull it up at the center and let it snap down to make a neat chalk line along the floor.

Place a 2x4 flat side down on the floor and line it up carefully with the chalk stripe. This hunk of wood is called a shoe and it forms the base of your new partition wall. Fasten the wood using 16-penny nails spaced about 16 in. apart. It's a good idea to stagger them slightly in a wavy line so you don't split the timber. Naturally, if you're fastening to a concrete floor, the procedure gets a little more complicated. In this case, follow the suggestions given in the chapter on basement preparations for fastening into concrete walls. Inci­dentally, don't bother cutting the shoe to allow for a door opening. Just continue right across, but don't nail at this point. Later, when you've framed in the opening for the door (and have tripped over the lumber three or four times), you can saw out the excess wood.

Carefully measure the distance between the top of the shoe and the ceiling. Cut a straight 2x4 to this exact length and nail to the wall where the new partition meets the existing wall. Be sure to place a level alongside the wood and jockey it back and forth until you get it absolutely straight up and down before tacking it into place.

Use double studs nailed to each other and toe-nailed to the plate and shoe to frame in a door.

Blocking (2x4s nailed horizontally between studs) is used to provide a nailing surface where needed.

Measure for the 2x4 that will form the top support of the new wall and cut it to size. This piece is called a plate. Get a friend to hang onto one end of the plate while you nail the other end to the ceiling right next to the old wall. Line it up care­fully with the upright stud that you've al­ready fastened in place. At this point the plate is only fastened at one end and it can pivot back and forth on this nail. If your friend weren't holding the other end, it would probably fall down on your head.

To insulate attic living space, run material across collar beams, down rafters and knee wall. Air will provide cooling by circulating as indicated.

Frame in attic walls as required. Useless space is framed in as shown below, and can be used for storage built-ins. The chimney will be covered.

Scrounge through your lumber pile and select a nice straight 2x4. It should be long enough to reach from floor to ceiling minus about 1 in. Sight along the side of the timber using the old pool parlor technique to make sure that it's straight because this piece of wood is a measuring stick of sorts. Here's how to use it.

Rest the bottom end of your measuring stick against the side of the shoe. Hold it in place with your foot. The top edge of this timber rests against the side of the plate and you hold it there with your hand. With your other hand, hold a level flat against the side of the measuring stick. Jockey the whole works back and forth until the bubble in the level is centered, then nail the loose end of the plate to the ceiling. If you've been lucky enough to locate an absolutely straight stud as a measuring stick, mark it carefully and put it aside so that you can use it for the same job later on.

To insulate attic floor, simply pour loose insula­tion down between the joists and rake it level.

Some types of insulation can be cut with a sharp knife; others will cut better with heavy shears. Photos Mineral Wool Insulation AWL

Installing the Verticals

The next job is to fill in the rest of the vertical studs. If you've never done much wood working, you may not know that a carpenter's square handles all the measur­ing almost automatically. Hold the square so that the short leg rests against the side of the shoe. Then make a pencil mark on either side of the long leg. This will space the studs exactly 16 in. on centers. The photograph makes this step clear. It's really a very simple operation. The pro­cedure has one additional advantage. Be­cause you're marking off guide lines on both sides of the stud position, you don't have to bother centering the uprights on a single mark.

Measure the distance between the shoe and the plate. Repeat this procedure several points along the new wall. If you happen to be lucky or live in a house that was built by an old-time carpenter this dimension may be the same all the way along. You can use this to advantage and cut all of the studs at one time. Without going to too much trouble, you can make up a simple jig that will hold all of them in position so that you can slice through the whole batch of timber with one sweep of a power saw.

For the folks whose luck has run out. Better play this safe. Measure individually for each stud and cut it to size as you go.

Place the stud on the shoe and hold it down by toenailing at an angle through the stud into the shoe. There's a little technique to this job because

Arrange to borrow a stapler where you buy your insulation. This tool makes the job easy to accomplish.

the hammer blows tend to push the stud off the marks. You can overcome this by starting one nail on each side of the stud. Hit one nail a couple of blows and then switch over to the other. If this procedure annoys you, you can probably get along by bracing the stud with your brogan.

Once you have fastened the stud to the shoe, attach it to the plate in the same way. First, place a level against the side of the stud, jockey it back and forth until the bubble is centered and then mark the po­sition on the plate before nailing.

Framing Doors and Windows

The procedure is a little bit different for framing in a door opening. In this case, double up on the studs at the sides of the opening. Nail the double studs to the shoe and the plate in the usual manner. Also nail them to each other at three or four points along each way so that you end up with a solid heavy-duty timber.

You'll also need a horizontal double timber at the top of the door. Height of this is determined by the size door you are using. Fasten doubled-up 2x4s to the studs on either side of the opening. Maintain standard 16-in. spacing for the studs by fastening short lengths in place (toenail­ing again) in the space between the short horizontal stud above the door and the plate. To toss in a little terminology, the horizontal studs are called headers. Simi­larly, in the jargon of the carpentry world, the short studs between header and plate are called cripples. Get enough of these terms under your belt and you can win respect at the Elks Club's next meeting.

Another word of caution: Spend a little extra time in framing for doors, windows and the like. If this phase of the job isn't accurate you'll have a miserable job fitting in the door jamb, trying to hang the door, fastening up the trim, etc.

The procedure for framing windows is exactly the same as that for doors with one exception. You need headers (double 2x4s) at both the top and bottom of the opening. Because of this, you'll have to fit cripples into the top and bottom stud space.

Before we leave this subject, there's an­other technique you should know about. Occasionally you'll want to hook into a stud to the basment wall, but when you measure over there's nothing but blank space at that point. To get a nailing surface all you have to do is attach blocking. Cut 2x4s long enough to fit horizontally between two adjacent studs. If these were above a door they could be called headers. Fasten the horizontal timber in place by nailing through the studs into the ends of the short lengths of wood. Add blocking wherever you need extra support. Add as much as you need to make a firm junction.

To insulate ceiling, use a T support to hold up the loose end of batting as you staple it into place. Tack insulation to sides of studs, plate and shoe, not to lace. Leave tan air space on both sides.

Photos courtesy Bistitch Staplers Staple hammer automatically drives staple when it hits the surface. It's somewhat quicker to use.

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