How to Frame Non-Load-Bearing Walls With Doors

Use a stud finder to find studs in the existing walls where you're going to build the new non-load bearing wall. You need to attach the framing of the new wall to the studs of an existing wall to provide a secure base for the new wall.

Snap a chalk line on the floor where the new wall is going. Mark the location for the door.

Cut pressure-treated two-by-four boards to fit between the walls and the marks for the door. These will be the sill plates for the wall frame.

Place the sill plates into position on the floor, and screw them into place with a screw every 6 inches.

Cut a two-by-four to fit the length of the top of the wall, and one to match each sill plate.

Measure and cut the wall studs for the framing. The standard spacing for studs is 16 inches apart, so divide the length of the sill plates by 16 to determine how many studs you need. Determine the height by measuring the distance between the ceiling and sill plate and subtracting the thickness of two two-by-four boards. The two-by-fours are actually closer to 1 1/2 inches thick.

Nail the studs to the bottom plates of the wall frame. The bottom plates are the two-by-fours that were cut to match the sill plates. Nail the studs to each end of the bottom plate, with studs in between the end studs spaced no more than 16 inches apart.

Nail the top plate to the tops of the studs. The top plate is the two-by-four you cut that is the same length as the entire wall.

Move the assembled frame into place on top of the sill plates with an assistant's help. Make sure the framing is straight, and nail the framing to the ceiling, the sill plates and the studs in the intersecting walls.

Measure and cut two two-by-four boards that match the height of the door to be the jack studs. Stand the jack studs on end against the studs around the doorframe -- the king studs -- and nail them to the king studs.

Measure the distance between the two king studs to determine the length of the header. Cut a two-by-four for the header, place it on top of the jack studs and nail it to the king studs.

Cut a stud called the cripple stud to fit between the top plate and the header out of a two-by-four board. Position the cripple stud between the header and top plate and nail it to them by driving the nails in at a 45-degree angle. If there's more than 16 inches between the cripple stud and the king studs, use more than one cripple stud.