Framing a Concrete Wall

Build a frame before installing drywall over concrete.

If you plan on finishing a basement or other room with concrete walls, you need to build wooden wall frames on which you can hang drywall or sheetrock. Building this type of frame is not dissimilar to framing a home or other structure, but it does require some special considerations because you'll be building over existing structures. Once you have the wall frame built, mask that boring concrete with some fresh drywall or sheetrock for a simple renovation.

Things You'll Need

• Measuring tape
• Pencil
• 2-by-4-inch lumber
• 2-by-4-inch pressure treated lumber
• Circular saw
• Chalk line
• Concrete nails or screws
• Hammer, drill or nailgun
• Plumb bob or laser level
• Spirit level
• Framing nails

Instructions

1. Measure the length of the wall and cut two pieces of 2-by-4-inch lumber to this length with a circular saw. These will form the top and bottom plates for the wall frame -- the bottom plate must be made of pressure-treated lumber to resist moisture.

2. Make a chalk line on the floor where you intend to build the frame -- make the frame 1/2-inch from the concrete wall. Secure the bottom plate to the floor with concrete screws or nails.

3. Mark the bottom plate with a scrap of 2-by-4-lumber by placing the lumber so that it's outside wide edge is flush with the end of the bottom plate. Draw along the inside of the scrap to mark where the first stud will go.

4. Measure 16 inches from this line and make a mark. Place the scrap so the mark is exactly centered on it, then trace along both edges. This will indicate where the next stud will go. Continue this process until you have made marks every 16 inches.

5. Use a plumb bob or laser level to mark the ceiling, where you will install the top plate. Either of these tools will ensure that the top and bottom plates are lined up exactly. Secure the top plate to the ceiling joists with screws or nails.

6. Measure from the first stud marking on the bottom plate to the top plate and use this measurement to cut the first stud out of 2-by-4-inch lumber. Since you are working on a concrete surface, which may be uneven in some spots, measure and cut each stud individually.

7. Slide the first stud into place and check it with a spirit level to ensure it is at a perfect 90-degree angle. Secure it to the top and bottom plates using three framing nails for each end -- two on one side of the stud and one on the other.

8. Drive each nail at about a 45-degree angle through the stud and into the plates -- this technique is called "toe-nailing." Repeat this process until you have installed all of the studs.

References

• Don Vandervort's Home Tips: How to Build an Interior Wall