Framing Basement Walls

If you have an extra space in the basement, it would be better to make use of the room instead of leaving it idle. There are several steps that you need to go through before getting a nice room in the basement. One of them is to frame the basement walls, which is definitely a very important action to be done.

Before starting the project of framing the basement walls, there are some materials that you need to prepare some materials like the framing and pressure treated lumber, ramset, chop saw, pneumatic nailer, pneumatic stapler, air compressor, wire strippers, power drill, hammer, screwdrivers, and utility knife.

You need to check the wall carefully because even though the foundation of the walls seems to be straight and plumb, there are many cases where the walls are not how it looks like. Also, it is necessary to install and adjust several things like the wiring, plumbing, duct work, and others before getting the walls framed. The reason is because it would be difficult to access those things when you have closed walls in the basement. If you are planning to get some furniture or other big equipments in the basement, make sure that there is enough space to allow the distribution of the items there.

Although it might be exciting to work right away in finishing the basement, there are things that need to be done for safety reasons. For example, before working on a circuit or wiring in the basement, it would be great if you contact a licensed electrician to get some tips and suggestions in finishing the work. With the framing, there are several building codes that you need to follow. So you need to have a consultation with the local authority before starting the framing process. Don’t forget to prepare the safety gears like eyewear, mask, etc while operating the machines.

If there is an existing framework in the basement, you need to check if that is properly attached and functions correctly or not. Otherwise you would need to remove it. By using claw and sledgehammers, you would be able to get rid of the drywall. Make sure to remove the studs that are glued to the foundation as well. For doing that, you can use the pry bars.

After everything is cleared, you can start the framing of the floating wall system. Some materials that are used in concrete can cause the floor to shift or expand which can cause several damages. It also depends on the ground where the basement stands. In order to avoid any damages, you might need to install the floating wall.

So the first thing you need to do is to set a base plate in a parallel position with one concrete wall. And then you can continue the process by lining up several boards of pressure treated lumber which must be fastened to the floor. Make sure that the boards are fixed firmly and permanently. You can use a ramset that gives you a .22 caliber blast of firearm to drive anchors for the best result.

The next step is to construct one segment of the wall frame on the floor. This has to be done in order to get an easier layout and fastening. The perimeter boards must be measured and cut; you can use the chop saw for that purpose. And then you need to join those boards with the framing nailer. Afterwards you could cut the studs to length and nail them within the perimeter of 16 inches intervals.

Framing out a windowsill is also am important process to be done. After measuring the concrete wall, you need to support the sill by nailing two queen studs and shorter cripple studs above and below. Then you can continue by setting the completed wall section on top of the base plate. The pieces of the scrap lumbers are necessary to support the frame when you nail them to the sill plate on top of the foundation.

When you are using the floating wall system like this, you must remember that the bottom of the frame is not directly attached to the base plate, but it hangs approximately 3.5 inches above the base place. The next thing you need to do is to drill a few holes through the wall frame on the bottom part. Afterwards you can drive spikes through and into the base plate. The purpose of putting the spikes is the hold the wall in the place while giving it the possibility to move up or down. Also, if the concrete material expands, you can feel secure since there is the base plate that will prevent any damages.

You can continue working on framing the wall by using the same process. In order to get more information about the materials and procedure, you can also ask a professional building constructor. And don’t forget to frame your basement based on the building codes.