stud wall from chipboard - any handy hints?

Question

Hello. I've got in my 4x8 half-inch chipboard and a load of 3x2 sawn. Now, I've done this before, but in a cellar only 9 feet high, and mainly with single panelled partitions, so that was quite easy. I wedged my 2x2 studs between the ceiling and the floor and it worked a treat.

Now I need to do the same in a building much higher (far far too high to fix studs to the ceiling ie. like 30 feet high) and although I think I know where to start, does anyone have any pointers / tips? My main concern is getting the stability so the whole thing is not prone to falling over. Please note I would rather not create a ceiling in the rooms I am creating (yet). Please also note these will be panelled on each side and filled with rockwool, but for speed I would like to panel just one side initially if I can get away with it.

All the info I can find is re plasterboard partitions, well I don't want that; I won't go into why just take my word for it!

Or just give a step by step if you prefer! Thanks

NONO no! Sorry! It is not 30 feet high! Just 8 feet (for now) but will be 10, 12 maximum later on when I extend it. But for now the wall needs to be just 8 feet high! The 30 feet figure is how high the ceiling in the room is. I absolutely do not want to build a 30 foot wall! I was just saying that it is too high to fix stubs to the ceiling.....! Thanks

yes there will be a gap between partition and ceiling. A very large one of about 22 feet! This is deliberate and intended. I may add false ceilings to my partitioned rooms later but not now.

Answer 1

If you have any corners to your stud wall and you are sheathing it with chipboard, just screw it to the floor, the corners act as opposing braces and the sheathing prevents racking. Preferably you should have no loose ends to the wall, if you get my drift, and if you do just work in a suitable overhead diagonal brace form some surface or other. Without any notion of your layout that is about as much as I can give, except to say don't worry about it. there aren't any hidden pitfalls, just think about the structure as you decide what you're doing


Oh and put fastenings into your sheathing about 200mm around edges and 400mm centres within (and please make sure you put in a head and sole plate.. where head plate joins make it land in middle of a shheet of board to help keep top straight). Hope this helps

Answer 2

Well, I have done this before - but not to a height of 30 ft - that's very high for an unsupported stud wall! So, the main issue is how to secure the top bottom and sides, well enough to cope with the strain of such a big expanse of wall.

You didn't say how wide it is - but if the ht is 30 ft I imagine that it is fairly wide too.




I would investigate the floor and ceiling first (or if it's a barn or similar, with no ceiling) the ares where the vertical beams meet the roofspace.

Maybe you could secure horizontal beams to the floor and create (footholds) for the vertical posts - then work out how to secure the vertical posts to the roof.

Once the verticals are secure - the rest is easy. Span the verticals with horizontal beams at the right height to accept your chipboard sheets. Doing one side first is not an problem as you can then fit any light switches etc fro the other side, then fill the gap with wool before panelling up on the other side.

The main issues is: make sure that you secure the vertical posts - extremely well first.

ps OK - but the problem still exists - how to support the top beam? You need to brace this somehow - wedging will NOT be sufficient. Depending on how wide your room is, I would recommend a fairly hefty top beam, which you can secure to either the wall or a vertical post which is secured to the wall. Builder's merchants sell galvanized wall brackets for this - they use them when making second storey floors.

Answer 3

Lay down a flat line of 2x4 on the floor outlining the edges of the room,mark this base line in 16 inches spaces starting 3/4 of an inch from the wall.(This is the center of the first 2x4)
Cut the 2x4 studs 91.5 inches ,for an 8 foot wall,and nail them to the base so that the 2x4 center is on the mark.
Toe nail it using two nails on one side and one on the other.
After you got a few studs up nail a thin strap of wood across them about 5 feet high,keeping the same distance(16 inches off center) and prop the wall up so it is perpendicular to the base.
Once you got 8 feet of wall up( seven studs) nail a 2x4 flat on top of the studs,starting from the middle of the first stud and keeping the 16 inches,on top of this nail another flat 2x4 cutting 16 inches off so that the joint do not coincide.
Once you finish the wall use a chalk line and mark a line from the floor at the beginning of the wall to the a point on top of the wall 8 feet away,then measure the gap between 2x4 and cut a 2x4 that lenght at 45 degrees (in the same direction ) and nail that piece inside the studs along the marked line.This will give the wall a lot of strenght and it could be used as a load bearing wall.
If the wall is longer than 8 feet ,repeat the same procedure going down.

Answer 4

If you can't fasten the top to the ceiling then surely you will have a gap between the top and the ceiling. Anyway, you need to fasten it somewhere, either at the top or by bracing a long piece of timber wall to wall and using that as the top bracing. Then build the studwork. Don't just wedge it in - timber expands and contracts and will fall over at some point. It MUST be fastened. Contact me if you get stuck

Answer 5

you have given lots of info ..but you have missed an important one ..how LONG is this wall ...any more than 12 feet long and it will lose its stability ..an easy way out is to fit a diagonal section of wall ..ie 90 degrees opposite to main ..this will stabilise it ..try and get top rail as one piece