How to Frame an Interior Corner in a Basement

Lay two 2-by-4-inch boards on a flat surface and line up their top and bottom edges. These boards will be the header and footer along one side of the corner. If you need to cut the boards to fit them in a smaller space, measure them both from the same end and use a carpenter's square to draw a straight line across both boards. Cut the boards with a circular saw then lay them down and line their edges up again.

Measure 1/2 inches along the board from the end that will not be in the corner. Draw a line across both boards using a carpenter's square and put an X between the edge of the board and the line. This X indicates the placement of the first wall stud.

Measure 16 inches along the boards from the same edge and draw another line. Measure 1-1/2 inches from this line and make a second line. Place an X between the lines. Continue to measure along the boards using 16-inch intervals. Measure 4-1/2 inches along the boards from the edge that will be in the corner. Draw a line across the boards and place an X between the line and the boards' edge. Three wall studs will go on the corner end.

Measure the room's height from floor to ceiling and subtract 3 inches to allow room for both the header and footer. Cut 2-by-4-inch boards to this length to be the wall studs. Separate the header and footer boards and place a wall stud board between each X mark. Nail the wall studs in place with 2-inch nails. At the corner end, secure the wall studs to the header and footer the same way you did for the other wall studs but position them tight against one another.

Lift the wall into place. Hold a level against the wall to ensure it is plumb. Hammer 2-inch nails through the header and into each ceiling joist and 3-inch nails through the footer and into the subfloor.

Repeat Step 1 to create a header and footer for the corner's other wall. Mark wall stud placements on the boards working from the end furthest from the corner. When you reach the corner end, measure 1-1/2 inches from this end and make a line across both boards. You will need just one wall stud at this end.

Cut wall studs for this wall the same way you did for the previous wall. Nail the wall studs in place. Lift the second wall into place. Use a level to check that the wall is plumb. Nail this wall to the ceiling joists and subfloor. The wall studs in the corner should form a V.