How to Lay a Wall out for the Studs
Whether it's a house, a shed, a garage or room addition, one of the core assemblies in a wood-framed structure is a stud wall. Proper layout of the wall for studs is part of a coordinated building system that works on even multiples of common building materials, like drywall, plywood and other finishes. All builders follow the same standards for the sake of uniformity, and the method for laying out a wall correctly is a basic procedure common to all framed walls. Does this Spark an idea?
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Circular saw
- Tape measure
- Combination square
- Framing square
- Framing lumber, 2-by-4, 16 feet long
- Standard studs, 2-by-4, 92 1/4 inches long
- 8d sinker or box nails
- Hammer
Instructions
-
-
1
Measure the length of the planned wall. Cut two pieces of of 2-by-4 framing lumber to that length. These will be the top and bottom horizontal framing pieces for the wall, called "plates." The wall studs will attach to the top plate and the bottom (sill) plate to form the wall frame.
-
2
Align the top and sill plates you cut in Step 1 against each other on a flat, level surface. Place them on edge, face-to-face. Position them so their ends are flush with each other, and tack them together, using 8d nails spaced approximately 3 feet apart, or as needed. Holding the plates together simplifies the layout, which must match exactly on both plates.
-
-
3
Choose an end to start from, and mark the first wall-stud position at 15 1/4 inches from that end of the plates. Mark both plates. Place a small "X" beside the marks, on the other side of the marks from your starting point. You will be nailing the studs at 16-inch intervals, center-to-center. If you place the edge of the first 2-by-4 stud at 15 1/4 inches, the center will be at 16 inches. The "X" is the common marking to show you where the center of a stud will be with respect to the layout line. For each layout line you make, an edge of the stud will be on the line, and the center of the stud will be on the "X"-marked side of the line.
-
4
Lay the smaller blade of a framing square flat on the side the plates, with the edge of the blade flush with the edge of the plates and one end on the first layout line. Mark a line at the end of the blade and square it across both plates, continuing to mark the "X" on the same side at each layout line. Note: The shorter blade of the framing square is 16 inches long; using it to space the layout lines keeps them equidistant at the proper spacing interval for the studs.
-
5
Move the framing square to the layout line marked in Step 4 and repeat the marking at the end of the short blade.
-
6
Repeat Step 5 as many times as needed to complete the wall-stud layout over the full length of both plates, squaring each of the lines across both plates.
-
7
Separate the laid-out wall plates. Position them parallel and spaced appropriately to place the wall studs between them. Frame the wall by installing a wall stud at each of the layout lines, using two 16d sinker or box nails through the plates and into each end of each stud.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
A framing square is one of the essential basic tools in home building. More than a 90-degree angle, one blade is 24 inches long and the other blade is 16 inches long, both commonly used intervals for wall-stud layout.
For a wall-stud layout that is 24 inches on center, mark the first layout line at 23 1/4 inches and then follow the same described procedure to complete the wall layout.
Remember to include the layout of any windows or doors in the wall as part of the layout to ensure they are accurately positioned and framed with the wall.
