How to Frame a Basement Pillar

If you're finishing your basement, you may be perplexed by how to conceal those unsightly support pillars. Concealing the pillars behind drywall will make the pillars more decorative yet allow them to remain functional. The first step to covering the pillars with drywall is framing them with wood. The wood frame will provide a foundation on which to secure plywood sections.

Measuring tape
Chalk
Pressure-treated 2-by-4 lumber
Circular saw
Drill
Masonry bit
Concrete screws
Wood screws

Instructions

- 1
  Determine how large you want the drywall cover to be; you can build a small cover that sits right against the pillar or you build a large cover to make a grander statement. Use a measuring tape to make your measurements around the base of the pole.
- 2
  Mark out the area around the base of the pillar. Use a measuring tape, chalk and a straightedge to mark out the location of the frame on the floor.
- 3
  Cut pressure-treated 2-by-4s with a circular saw to equal the measurements of the sides of taken in Step 1. Cut two sets of 2-by-4s -- one for the base and one for the top of the frame.
- 4
  Place the cut 2-by-4s over the chalk lines on the floor. Drill holes 2 inches from each of the edges of the 2-by-4s. Use a masonry bit to drill the holes through the 2-by-4s and the floor.
- 5
  Drill concrete screws through the holes in the 2-by-4s and into the floor.
- 6
  Mark out the dimensions that are equal to the base of the frame onto the ceiling joists above the pillar, using a measuring tape, straightedge and chalk.
- 7
  Position the cut 2-by-4s in place over the chalk lines. Drill wood screws through the 2-by-4s and into the ceiling joists. Position the screws so they are 2 inches from each of the edges of the 2-by-4s.

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