How to Build a Double Framed Wall for Built-In Cabinets

Snap two parallel chalk lines onto the floor showing the path that you wish the new walls to take. Make the space between the lines equal to the desired depth of your cabinets. Measure the length of the chalk lines with a tape measure to get the length of the proposed wall.

Cut three 2-by-4-inch planks to match the measured length of the wall using a circular saw.

Divide the measured length by 16 to determine the number of wall studs required for the wall. Round up the resulting number to ensure that there will be enough studs to provide end pieces as well as intermediate wall studs. If you intend to place larger cabinets, greater than 14-1/2 inches in width, into the wall then increase the wall-stud spacing to 24 inches by dividing the measured length of the wall by 24 and rounding the result up. If cabinets are more than 22-1/2-inches in width you'll need to subtract a wall stud for each cabinet you intend to install to leave room for the cabinet framing in the walls.

Measure the height of the room from floor to ceiling joist. Subtract 4-1/2-inches from the measurement and use the adjusted height for sizing the wall studs. 2-by-4-inch planks are actually only 1-1/2-inches thick, so you'll need to account for the thickness of the three planks forming the doubled top plate and bottom plate of the wall that the wall studs will be placed between. Cut the calculated number of wall studs from 2-by-4-inch pieces of lumber with the circular saw to match the adjusted height.

Assemble the wall on the floor so that you can easily reach all areas of the wall for joining the wall frame together. Place the three wall-length planks onto the floor, parallel to one another and sitting on the 2-inch wide edges. Set two of the planks butted against one another, edge to edge to create a 4-by-4-inch sized plank to serve as the top plate, which is the full-length plank running along the top of the wall. Set the third wall-length plank parallel to the other two with the distance of a wall stud between them. This third plank serves as the bottom plate of the wall, and is nailed to the floor.

Mark the planks with a pencil every 16 or 24 inches, depending on your desired stud spacing, and skipping the spaces where you intend to place a cabinet if the cabinet is too large to fit between studs. For 15-inch spacing you'll need cabinets that are 14-1/2-inches wide including the cabinet body, for 24-inch frames you can fit cabinets up to 22-1/2-inches in width between the studs. Place a wall stud cut to fit between the two planks centered at each mark with two of the studs flush with the two ends of the length plank. Position the studs on their 2-inch edges.

Nail the stud planks in place between the length planks using a framing nailer to drive the nails through the doubled top plate and the bottom plate, and into the ends of the wall studs. Use two nails per joint. For those spaces where you skipped a stud, measure the width of the space with the tape measure and then cut two 2-by-4-inch planks to match the measurement. Nail the two planks between the adjoining studs in the space, positioned so they frame the height of your cabinet, with one plank running through the space right above where the top of your recessed cabinet will sit, and the second board running through the space right below the bottom of the cabinet.

Raise the wall and set it along the first chalk line with the line running centered beneath the bottom plank. Set the top plank against the ceiling joists, and have a helper hold the wall in position. Place a carpenter’s level against the front of a wall stud and adjust the top of the wall against the ceiling joists until the wall is plumb. Move the level to the side of the stud and then move the stud slightly left or right until the level shows that the wall is square.

Nail the wall to the floor using the finish nailer through the bottom plank every 4-inches, and then nail the wall to the ceiling joists, placing two nails through the top plank and into the joist above. If connecting with an existing stud wall, then nail the stud on the end to the wall stud beneath the wall covering.

Repeat the framing process for the second wall. Raise the wall and place along the second chalk line and adjust it until it’s also plumb and square. Nail the second wall in place to complete your double-framed wall.