How to Frame Interior Header Beams

Use 2-by-4-inch lumber for door headers in most cases. However, a load-bearing interior wall that supports any weight of the house will require 2-by-6-inch boards. Install door headers with wall studs on either side of the door opening. The header fits horizontally at the top of the opening at whatever width is required. Use short "cripple" studs from the header to the wall plate on either end of the header to support it.

Make basic interior door headers with two 2-by-4-inch boards sandwiched around 1/2-inch plywood that's cut 3 1/2 inches wide to conform to the boards. Nail outside header boards to the plywood with 2 1/2-inch nails, driven in with a hammer from both sides of the header. Cut the 2-by-4-inch boards and plywood with a circular saw to the width between the two outside studs, usually 33 inches for a 30-inch door.

Place the header at the top of the door opening, usually about 82 inches above the ground. Level it with a level, and secure it with 16d framing nails driven into each 2-by-4-inch board through the full "king" studs. Measure the distance from the bottom of the header to the bottom of the wall plate, and cut two 2-by-4-inch "queen" studs to fit. Nail those in place to the full studs on the outside, and toenail them to the bottom of the header with nails driven diagonally.

Measure from the top of the header to the bottom of the top wall plate, and cut short "cripple" studs to fill that gap, spaced on 16-inch centers from the full wall studs. Cut the bottom wall plate with a circular saw on the inside of each queen stud.