How to Stud Out a Basement

Studs provide a surface on which to nail drywall.

For homeowners with growing families, a lack of space in your home can be an issue. If moving or building an addition onto your home isn't an option, converting your basement from a storage space to a living space can be the answer. One of the steps in this process is framing out the foundation walls with wood on which you can install drywall. This is a project that you can complete in a day with the help of an assistant.

Things You'll Need

• Tape measure
• Pencil
• Chalk line
• Saw
• Pressure-treated 2-inch by 4-inch boards
• Drill
• Masonry screws
• Standard 2-inch by 4-inch boards
• Nail gun
• Level
• Assistant

Instructions

1. Make small marks on the concrete floor next to the walls where the frames will be installed and snap chalk lines to provide a guide.

2. Measure and cut sill plates to the proper length. Sill plates are pieces of pressure-treated 2-inch by 4-inch boards that connect the wooden frame to the concrete floor.

3. Drill pilot holes into the concrete floor with a masonry drill bit. Follow local building codes when spacing the holes.

4. Install the sill plates where the walls are being built by attaching them to the floor with masonry screws.

5. Measure and cut standard 2-inch by 4-inch boards to fit the height of the wall. Allow space for the boards on the top and bottom of the wall frames (the top and bottom plates).

6. Lay a 2-inch by 4-inch board on its edge and nail one of the studs to the top of it on one end.

7. Temporarily drive a nail partway into the center of the end stud near the bottom plate. Hook the end of your tape measure around it, and mark off the locations for the studs. Generally, the studs will be 16 inches apart, but check your local building codes, as this requirement can vary by municipality.

8. Install the studs along the marks on the bottom plate.

9. Nail a 2-inch by 4-inch board to the top of the studs (this is the top plate).

10. Lift the frame into position on top of the sill plate with the help of an assistant. Check the frame to make sure that it is level (vertically straight) and plumb (horizontally straight). Nail it to the sill plate and to the ceiling joists.

11. Construct and install the rest of the frames.

Tips & Warnings

• Wear safety goggles when sawing wood.

• Contact your local zoning board before doing any construction to learn the building codes that you need to follow. You can be fined, forced to make expensive modifications or even forced to tear down the walls if they're not built to code.

References

• Finish a Basement.com: How to Frame a Wall
• Basements101: Framing a Basement Wall or Building a Wall
• The Home Depot: Framing a New Wall