How To Frame Out Basement Walls
Are you looking at your unfinished basement in Toronto and thinking it’s time to make this space more usable? Or maybe you just want to re-frame one of the basement walls? Un-finished basements are not as hard to finish compared to other rooms in the house because you are working with a clean slate. One of the first things you’ll need to know is how to frame out basement walls so you can get started with renovating the rest of your basement a lot more smoothly.
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Materials That You Will Need for DIY Basement Framing:
- Safety Goggles
- Foam Board
- Foam Board Glue
- Chalk Reel
- Drill
- Drill Bits
- Drywall Screws
- Hammer
- Nails
- Circular Saw
- Lumber 1×3
- Lumber 2×4
1. Exterior Basement Wall Set-Up
- It is a good idea to prepare the exterior basement wall in order for the interior basement walls to be attached to them.
- To start with, attach the foam board to the exterior walls with foam board glue. Foam board is an insulation that will keep the basement energy efficient.
- Using a chalk reel, draw horizontal guidelines onto the foam board about 8 cm from the top and bottom of the wall, as well as the centre.
- Drill holes through the foam board to the exterior wall and hammer in spring spikes through each pilot hole.
- Attach 1×3 boards with drywall screws so that they are lined up horizontally to the wall. Then screw in vertical 1×3 boards that are spaced about 40 cm apart from the horizontal boards.
- Cut the boards (also known as plates) the length needed to attach them to the floor and the ceiling. Mark them every 40 cm so you know where to nail the studs into them.
HINT: You should install a cross brace only if the new wall is parallel to the ceiling joists.
2. Frame
- Start framing the interior basement wall by cutting your 2×4 boards so they become the joists. They need to be a height that reaches from the floor to the ceiling, so make sure you remember the height of the top and bottom plates before you cut them.
- Nail studs to the bottom plate by using two nails per stud and repeat this for the top plate as well.
- Carefully lift the frame into place. It is never a good idea to work alone, so get assistance from someone to lift it carefully into place.
3. Attach
- Moving to the final step to frame out basement walls, you need to attach the frame to the ceiling joists and cross braces (if installed) or the prepped exterior basement wall using nails.
- Find some shims and place them wherever necessary.
Learning how to frame out basement walls requires some patience and a well-thought-out plan. Framing out a basement wall is a way to get your basement renovation off to a smooth start, creating a put-together space so you can focus on getting everything else done properly. If you would like some help with the rest of this job, why not give Home Painters Toronto a call? Call us NOW at 416-494-9095 or email us at Brian@HomePaintersToronto.com and get your free basement framing cost estimate and useful tips to frame out basement walls.
