Long Stud Wall

[Jupiter01]

Hi All,

I have built stud walls in the past and all have been under 3 metres which means that the top and bottom plate are a single unit. I now need to build a couple of stud walls which are around 6 metres in length. Can someone please advise on how I can strengthen this and specifically the relationship between the top/bottom plates and the vertical studs, given that I will need need to two piece for the top and bottom frames.

Thnaks in advance.

 

[r896neo]

Use a double sole plate, a double head plate and stagger the joints screwing them thoroughly.

More important on longer stud walls is a good secure fixing to ceiling and floor for stiffness

 

[Jupiter01]

My issue will be that I am in between roof joists and also floor joists...
I was planning to put some cross members between the joists. Is that how you would approach it?

 

[tomfe]

Well you'll have to have something to fix it to
Either that or move the wall

 

[Jupiter01]

I can't move the wall because of the dimensions I need to achieve. Do you have any advice on the cross members? i.e. size, frequency, fixing, etc. Thanks

 

[hansPulesh]

You'll need to join the studding to the ceiling and floor somehow - how were you thinking of doing this? Have you got access to the ceiling joists and floor joists? You could put noggins into the floor and ceiling between the joists where the studding will go and then screw/bolt the studding to the noggins.

Just be sure to attach the stud work to something secure otherwise it will fall out at some point.

 

[jeds]

I don't see that much gain by doubling header and sole plates. Adding a 600mm length across the joint would be just as good. Important to fix to floor and ceiling though. Noggins at 600 centres is standard.

 

[Jupiter01]

I have full access to floor and ceiling joists. Perhaps I should add a joist at 400 centres as this is where the studding will go? Also, doubling the top and bottom plate made sense. Is there an alternative?

 

[Doggit]

Square noggins should support the floor and ceiling plates, and setting them at 500 centres should be fine. You could use a 4mtr sole plate, and a 2mtr ceiling plate, and then alternate the next set. But if you decided to double up the plates for absolute rigidity then I'd start with a 4mtr and a 2mtr on top of it, and then put the 2mtr down, and overlap the 4mtr on it, and I suspect that's what R896 is trying to suggest. How high is the wall though.

 

[noseall]

This is a stud wall we're talking about, innit?

A simple brace across the joint will be ok if it happens to be in a 'weak' spot, i.e. away from any ceiling fixings. The sole plate will be fine.

We may set up a pre-jointed header if line continuity is required. We would just lie the header pieces on the floor, fix a jointing piece of 4" x 2" across the joint (400mm each side), make sure its all nice and straight, then fix them together. Offering this up would require at least two blokes and don't forget to flip it over!

We often do the same thing with a ridge board, i.e. join them together before offering them up, as straightness and continuity is uber important regards a cut roof ridge. A roof can look a right horses arse with a bent ridge.

 

[Jupiter01]

The wall is 2.2m high.
Am I okay to use my 4x2 as the noggins across the joists? I can place these at 500 centres.

 

[Doggit]

4x2 should be fine, as they aren't carrying any real weight with a 2.2m high wall; more like holding it in place.

 

[Jupiter01]

Hi, I'm not sure I follow the point on not carrying weight...
I would have thought that most of the weight will be on these noggins? Yes, some of it will be taken away by fixing the upright to the solid wall but otherwise, all of the load will be bearing on these noggins.

 

[noseall]

Hi, I'm not sure I follow the point on not carrying weight...
I would have thought that most of the weight will be on these noggins? Yes, some of it will be taken away by fixing the upright to the solid wall but otherwise, all of the load will be bearing on these noggins.

How can the wall load be on the nog's? Are you sure you know what a noggin is?

 

[Doggit]

if the joists are 16" apart, and the wall is going along the centre of the joists, if you build a wall above it then there'll only be a slight very deflection on the floorboards straddling the joists, but one that could increase over time. Lifting the floor boards every 500mm, and putting in a 4x2 square truss, rather than the normal cross pieces will help support the new wall.