How to Frame a Pantry

Find the studs along the wall where you want to place the pantry. Use a stud finder and mark each stud. The walls will need to be nailed to the studs, and they will determine the exact size of your pantry. Measure the length of each of your walls and the height of the ceiling. Subtract four inches from the height of the ceiling for the length of your height pieces. Determine the space between the door frame and the ceiling by subtracting the difference, and then subtract four more inches.

Cut your 2-by-4s. You will need two pieces the length of each wall. These will serve as the top and bottom of the frame. You will need enough height pieces so you can place one every 18 inches along the length of each wall. Cut a piece that is the length of the door frame. Cut short pieces that will go above the door frame according to your measurements in Step 1.

Frame the walls that do not have a door in them. The top and bottom pieces of the wall will lay flat and flush with the ceiling and the floor. The height pieces should be nailed at both ends, and then 18 inches all the way across. The wall frame needs to have square corners, so that the wall will be straight. Use two nails for each side of the stud.

Create the wall with the door frame. Lay out the pieces for the four outside pieces of the frame. Then put in the height pieces. Determine where the door will go. One height stud needs to go on either side of the door. Nail the top frame for the door into place at each stud, and then attach the shorter pieces between the top of the wall frame and the top of the door frame you are creating.

Install the walls. Nail them into place through the existing drywall into a stud that you marked on the wall. The nails should go from the floor to the ceiling about 12 inches apart from each other. Then nail the frame into the floor and ceiling. You may need someone to help you hold the walls while you nail them in place.

Put up the drywall using drywall screws. After you have hung the drywall use the compound and tape to fill in the seams and screw holes. Sand and paint the drywall.

Place the door in the frame and nail it into place. The nails should be about 12 inches apart from each other to keep it secure.