How to Frame a Wall and Soffit

Framing the Wall

• 1

  Measure the length of the floor where you're installing the new wall, and cut a sill plate to match. The sill plate is a pressure-treated 2-by-4 board upon which the wall frame will rest. It helps prevent the frame from being exposed to moisture, which could cause it to rot.

• 2

  Cut two untreated 2-by-4 boards that are the same length as the sill plate. These will serve soon as the top and bottom plates of the frame.

• 3

  Attach the pressure-treated sill plate to the floor, using one screw every 6 inches. If the subfloor is wooden, use galvanized screws; if it's concrete, use masonry screws.

• 4

  Lay the top and bottom plates on the sill plate, then measure the distance between the uppermost plate and the ceiling joists to determine the length of the vertical studs of the wall frame.

• 5

  Cut the studs for the wall to length, using untreated 2-by-4 boards. You need enough studs so that they are spaced 16 inches apart at most.

• 6

  Remove the top and bottom plates from the secured sill plate. Nail one stud into each end of the bottom plate. These are called the end studs. Nail studs into the bottom plate between the two end studs, keeping them no more than 16 inches apart.

• 7

  Nail the top plate to the top of the framing.

• 8

  Lift the frame onto the sill plate. Nail the bottom plate to the sill plate every 6 inches, and nail the top plate to the ceiling joists.

Framing the Soffit

• 9

  Snap a chalk line on the wall frame to mark the location of the soffit frame. If the soffit is being used to conceal pipes or ducts, place it at least 2 inches beneath the lowest-hanging obstruction. If it's being used for strictly decorative purposes, you can place it as low as you desire.

• 10

  Place a 2-by-4 board against the studs along the bottom edge of the chalk line, and screw the board to the studs.

• 11

  Measure and cut two 2-by-2 boards that are the length of the soffit.

• 12

  Measure and cut sheets of half-inch plywood that are the same length as the soffit. The width of the plywood is the same as the distance between the bottom of the ceiling joists and the bottom edge of the 2-by-4 screwed to the studs. The plywood and the 2-by-2 boards compose the side panel for the soffit.

• 13

  Assemble the side panel by laying the 2-by-2s on the ground parallel to each other, then laying the plywood on top of them and aligning the edges. Attach the plywood to the 2-by-2s with 1-5/8-inch screws placed every 6 inches.

• 14

  Mark the location of the soffit's side edge onto the bottom of the ceiling joists by snapping a chalk line. If the soffit is being used to conceal pipes or ducts, be sure to add a 2-inch-wide space below the plane where the infrastructure hangs.

• 15

  Screw the side panel to the ceiling joists with 3-inch screws. Position the panel so that the side with the 2-by-2 boards is facing away from the wall frame.

• 16

  Cut lookouts to fit the space between the 2-by-4 board on the wall studs and the inner edge of the side panel. Lookouts are 2-by-2 boards that you'll install along the bottom edge of the soffit, providing stability to the soffit and creating a place to attach the drywall. Like the wall studs, the lookouts are spaced no more than 16 inches apart.

• 17

  Place the lookouts into position between the bottom of the space between the wall stud and the side panel. Nail them to the side panel by driving nails through the side panel and into the end of the lookout. Nail them to the 2-by-4 along the wall frame by toenailing them. Toenailing is a process by which you drive the nails through the lookouts and into the 2-by-4 board at a 45-degree angle.