How to Connect Prefabricated Walls

Carpenters usually frame a home's exterior walls on the job site, but this is not the only option. Certain manufacturers make prefabricated wall panels. In this type of construction, the wall is completely framed at the point of manufacture and transferred to the job site, where the walls are connected to each other. The key aspect of this connection involves making sure the wall is perfectly plumb before securing it to an existing wall at the corner.

Wall panel
4-foot level
2-inch by 4-inch brace
Hammer
Nails
16d nails

Instructions

- 1
  Have helpers assist you in setting the wall into position at a 90-degree angle against the corner of the wall already in place.
- 2
  Check the wall for plumb with a 4-foot level.
- 3
  Nail a 2-inch by 4-inch brace against the side of a stud or header near one end of the wall. Nail a wooden cleat to the plywood flooring. Nail the other end of the brace to the cleat so it supports the wall. Fasten another brace to the opposite side of the wall and nail it to a cleat.
- 4
  Ensure that the corner of the wall fits flush against the corner of the abutting wall.
- 5
  Lean the level against every third or fourth stud to check for plumb. Release the braces and adjust the wall with the assistance of your helpers to achieve plumb, if necessary.
- 6
  Hammer a 16d nail at the bottom of the end stud where it rests against the corner of the abutting wall. Continue to place 16d nails all the way up the end stud. Space the nails about 12 inches apart on center.
- 7
  Nail the wall to the sole plate. Hammer a 16d nail in every stud bay. Remove the braces and cleats.

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