General contractor Tom Silva and carpenter Nathan Gilbert explain everything there is to know about building a non-load-bearing partition wall for host Kevin O’Connor. The three discuss how to layout a new wall, the different components of a wall, and how to prepare the wall for a door.
It Starts With Layout
The first step in framing an interior, non-load-bearing wall is performing the layout. The wall needs to be straight, plumb, and parallel to other walls. The most handy tool for this is a laser, but the process can be performed with a chalk line and tape measure.
Pro Tip: Tom Silva, This Old House general contractor, explains the advantage of a laser: “It’s gonna give you a straight line across the floor, up the walls and across the ceiling.” As Kevin O’Connor adds, “You follow that line and you’re gonna be straight, you’re gonna be plumb.”
Note: Red and blue chalk will stain carpets, fabric, and furniture, so use white chalk whenever working inside.
Then Come the Plates
There are two plates to consider. These are the horizontal boards at the top and bottom of the wall. Install these along the lines performed during the layout, ensuring that any studs installed between them will be plumb. For non-load-bearing walls, a single top plate is all that’s necessary.
When tilting the completed wall into position, align the face edge of the top plate alongside your ceiling line. If necessary, use a sledgehammer and a scrap-wood pounding block to tap the sole plate into alignment with the chalk line on the floor. Then check that the stud edges and faces are plumb with a level. Where the top plate isn’t snug against the ceiling, shim under the sole plate at the stud locations.
Once the wall is framed, it’s fine to cut out the bottom plate where a door will exist. But, framing the wall with one solid bottom plate allows for easier alignment, so it’s easier to frame the wall and then remove the door plate later.
Pro Tip: Tom Silva, general contractor on This Old House, explains the reasoning behind keeping the bottom plate intact during framing: “The nice thing about cutting that out afterwards, when you run that straight through the wall, it lines up the wall to make sure everything is parallel with one another. That’s key.”
Understanding Studs
There are several types of studs to consider:
- Standards run from the top plate to the bottom plate, usually spaced 16 inches on center.
- King studs are similar to standard studs, however they’re installed on either side of a wall or window opening.
- Jack studs are installed inside the opening, flush against the king studs, and they run from the bottom of a header to the bottom plate. This additional stud provides more rigidity for the door or window and provides a framework for the trim to be attached to.
- Cripple studs are installed over the header, between the top plate and the header.
Pro Tip: Tom Silva, general contractor on This Old House, explains the role of the jack stud: “It basically is a filler stud that gives you something to fasten your trim to. But also something for your header to rest on.”
But What’s a Header?
A header is a horizontal component that’s installed over the opening of a window or door. They serve as support to strengthen and distribute the weight of the drywall and framing around the door or window, preventing any pinching or warping.
Stud Spacing
As mentioned, most walls are framed 16 inches on center. This provides plenty of support for drywall and allows for easy insulating. However, 24 inches on center is also suitable, but it requires a thicker drywall to prevent bouncing and warping or the installation of blocking between the studs for more support.
Pro Tip: Tom Silva, This Old House general contractor, explains why 24-inch spacing requires adjustments: “If you go 24 on center, you now have to take that half-inch wallboard and use a thicker wallboard, 5/8, or you measure down from the ceiling, let’s say 48 inches, because that’s the width of a 4×8 sheet… and then put it on center. You put a block at the joints to lessen that happening, or you kick up the thickness of the wallboard so that it doesn’t bend to 5/8.”
