How to Frame a Cellar Wall

When you decide to finish your basement or cellar, one of the first courses of action is to frame out the walls so you can mask them with drywall. Cellar walls are typically made of concrete or brick, neither of which is particularly conducive to giving your cellar an attractive, finished look. Since these new walls are just masking walls, you don't need to worry about building heavy frames for load-bearing walls, which requires a thorough knowledge of construction and carpentry.

Measuring tape
Treated 2-by-4-inch lumber
Pine 2-by-4-inch lumber
Circular saw
Chalk line
Concrete screws
Drill
Plumb bob or laser level
Wood screws
Level
Framing nails
Hammer or nail gun

Instructions

- 1
  Measure along the top and bottom of the wall you wish to frame -- it is not unusual for the top and bottom plates of a cellar wall to be different lengths. Use the bottom measurement to cut a piece of treated 2-by-4-inch lumber down to size. The top plate may be made of regular 2-by-4-inch pine lumber.
- 2
  Snap a chalk line down on the floor in front of the wall you are framing. Align the bottom plate along this line so that the plate is approximately 1/2-inch from the wall. Secure the plate to the floor with concrete screws.
- 3
  Place a laser level or plumb bob on the bottom plate to show where you need to install the top plate along the ceiling joists. Secure the plate to the joists with wood screws.
- 4
  Measure along the top of the bottom plate and make a mark every 16 inches. Measure from each mark on the top of the bottom plate to the bottom of the top plate -- this will give you the length of each stud. You will also need studs for the two outer edges of the frame.
- 5
  Cut studs from 2-by-4-inch lumber using the measurements you took earlier. Slide the first stud into place and check it with a level to ensure that it is straight and at a 90-degree angle.
- 6
  Nail the stud in place with three framing nails in each end. Drive the nails at an angle so they go through the stud and into the top and bottom plates. Always drive two nails on one side of the stud and one through the opposite side. Repeat the process until you have installed all of the studs.

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