How to Finish a Basement: Framing and Insulating (page 3 of 3)

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How to Finish a Basement: Framing and Insulating: Framing Around Obstructions

Framing Partition Walls
Partition walls are any walls that aren’t against exterior foundation walls or walls that support floors above. Lay out partition walls by snapping chalk lines to mark both sides of the bottom plates. That keeps you from building walls on the wrong side of single lines! Mark door openings on the floor to avoid putting glue under doors. Frame partition walls as you did the outside walls, again installing blocking between joists wherever it’s needed. Add 2x6 backers on walls that meet partitions. They provide support and nailers for drywall. Before you tie the partition walls to exterior stud walls (non-masonry, without foam), staple 2-ft. wide strips of polyethylene over the 2x6 backers. That way you’ll be able to seal this type of outside wall with a continuous moisture barrier in cooler climate zones.

In a basement, the top and bottom plates are often different lengths. That’s because top plates may project past foundation walls and be longer or run into soffits and be shorter. When you line up the plates to mark stud locations, be sure to account for differences.

Frame the door openings 2-1/2 in. higher and 2-1/2 in. wider than the door you’re installing. This “rough opening” allows adequate space for the door plus its frame. Use a regular stud plus a “trimmer” on each side of the door. If you have low headroom, you may need to cut your doors down or special-order shorter ones. Remember to allow overhead space for the door trim. Trim that’s either missing or ripped too narrow over doors with inadequate clearance will really detract from the appearance of the room.

Nearly every basement has something that will project past finished surfaces. That can include beams, posts, drain lines, water piping or surface-mounted wires. It’s a simple matter to frame or fur out around projections and then drywall and finish them to blend in with surrounding surfaces. You’ll have to maintain access to other things like electrical junction boxes and plumbing shutoffs and cleanouts. If you need future access to anything, just frame around it and cut out the opening when you drywall. Then, after taping and painting, screw a “return air” grate over the opening to conceal it but still have access. Return air grates are available in various sizes for about $5 at home centers. Check the sizes of available grates and frame the accesses slightly smaller.

Sometimes furring down part of or the entire ceiling is the best way to bury surface-mounted pipes or wires. Use either 2x4s or 2x2s running perpendicular to the joists to add 1-1/2 in. of dead space so you can drywall over the top of everything. Be sure to run all the wiring and other things you might want before hanging the drywall.

If you have a lot of deep projections from the ceiling or you need a lot of access, consider installing a suspended ceiling rather than drywalling. The downside is that you’ll lose at least a few additional inches of ceiling height.

Finish round steel columns by framing around them with 2x4s. You can then face the framing with drywall or decorative wood.