How to Frame a New Wall

Run a stud finder along the ceiling, looking for ceiling joists. If your wall will be running parallel to the ceiling joists, choose a location for the wall directly beneath a joist. If your wall will be running perpendicular to the ceiling joists, you may place your wall wherever you would like it to be. Use a pencil to make a line where the wall will be. If your wall will be placed perpendicular to the joists in the ceiling, mark the location of each joist with an X.

Nail a plumb bob to the ceiling at the end of the new wall. Lower the plumb bob until it is barely touching the floor. Mark this place on the floor. Repeat this step by attaching a plumb bob to the ceiling at the other end of the wall. Lower the plumb bob and mark the place where it touches the floor. Draw a line between these two locations to show the length of the wall on the floor.

Measure the length of the wall and cut three pieces of lumber to fit that length.

Screw one of the three pieces of lumber to the ceiling. The screws should be 3 inches long and should be inserted into the ceiling joists. To make it easier, drill a pilot hole slightly smaller than the screws themselves before inserting the screws.

Lay the remaining two pieces of lumber side by side so that their ends are flush with each other. These pieces are the top and bottom plates. The top and bottom plates will form the top and bottom of the wall frame. Lay the plates flat and clamp them together.

Measure a length of 1.5 inches starting from one end of the plates and draw a line. Draw an X in this 1.5-inch space, then measure a space of 16 inches and draw a line. After the length of 16 inches, measure a length of 1.5 inches, then draw another X in the space 1.5 inches long. Continue this pattern until you get to the other end of the plates. The 1.5-inch-long spaces marked with an X indicate the location of the studs in the wall. When you reach the other end of the plates, mark a space for three studs side by side. Don't worry if this means that there is less than 16 inches between the group of three studs and the next stud on the wall.

Measure the space between the lumber you screwed into the ceiling and the floor. Subtract 3 inches. This is the length to which you will cut the studs.

Nail the studs into place between the bottom plate and the top plate. Line up each stud with the places you marked with an X.

Raise the frame into a vertical position and slide it into place beneath the piece of lumber you screwed into the wall. The end of the frame with three studs placed all in a row should be positioned at the end away from the existing walls.

Nail the frame to the floor and to the piece of lumber you screwed to the ceiling.