How to Frame a Closet With No Ceiling Joists or Floor Joists

Building walls or structures where there is no existing joist framework requires a different approach than the norm. In most cases joists are available to use as a sturdy base on which the structure can rest, borrowing strength and creating a rigid whole. When this does not exist, the closet, in this case, must be built to hold itself up using the existing floor surface and ceiling as anchor and/or wedge points and providing much of its own strength.

Tape measure
Two-by-four lumber
Circular saw
Hammer
Nails
Level
Power drill
Wood bit
Drywall screws
Screw gun
Safety goggles
Work gloves

Instructions

- 1
  Assemble each wall of the closet prior to raising it into position to create the tightest and most sturdy structure possible. Use your tape measure to gauge the total height of the structure from floor to ceiling. Measure the length of the closet wall as well from end to end.
- 2
  Cut a length of two-by-four to fit the length of the wall with your circular saw. This will serve as the bottom plate. Cut another to the same length to serve as the top plate. Measure and cut two-by-fours to the height of the wall, making sure to subtract 1 1/2 inches at each end of the measurement to account for the top and bottom plates.
- 3
  Lay the top and bottom plates on the floor parallel to one another and install the upright studs you have just cut. Start at one end of the plates and fasten one stud to the top and bottom plates by driving nails through the plates and into the ends of the stud. Repeat this process every 16 inches until you reach the other end of the plates, and the first wall is framed.
- 4
  Tilt the wall up until it wedges between the ceiling and floor in the desired installation location. Use your hammer to strike the top and bottom plates until the wall stands perfectly straight. Use your level to check that the wall is plumb.
- 5
  Make pilot holes through the bottom plate, but not into the flooring surface below, every 16 inches or so with your power drill and wood bit. Drive drywall screws into the holes and tighten them with your screw gun. The flooring surface typically has a wooden underlay or base that will help to hold the bottom plates in place.
- 6
  Build the next wall in the same manner as the first. Erect and install it in the same way. Fasten each wall to the next with your hammer and nails. The result will be free-standing walls that borrow strength from one another at each corner, forming a more sturdy closet.

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