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DIY for Homeowners

How to Make a Partition Wall // Garage Storage

6/21/2018

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text by Vicki     Sign up to get Mother Daughter Projects updates in your email!

This post is sponsored by The Home Depot. 
Never in my life did I ever imagine myself building a wall, but here in my sixties, I've just helped build one! It's very gratifying to have researched how to build a wall, participate in the planning and building and then to see that the finished wall is strong, plumb, and in NO danger of falling over! Yes!

Let me back up a bit to tell you why we built a wall. As you may, or may not know, we are in the process of giving my garage a complete makeover. It started as a cluttered mess usable only for storage of more clutter. We are slowly making it over into a space where we can work as well as store things. 

That's where the wall build comes in. We wanted part of the garage to be a storage space, and since most storage spaces are not very attractive, we wanted to be able to "wall off" the area so we wouldn't have to look at all the stored stuff while we work. 

Now, if you're a professional reading this, you may be shaking your head at why we built our wall the way we did. I will explain as the tutorial progresses, but know that our design choices were made based on our skill and strength level, as well as the tools we own. 

Let's get started. You can start with the video or head down to the tutorial. As always, the video will show you exactly what we did!
Graphic of the wall design.
In a nutshell, this is our wall design. Three horizontal boards for the bottom and top plates, 8 studs and metal plates to hold it all together.
All the tools and supplies we used.
Some of the tools and materials we used in the build. Left to Right, front row: Milwaukee compact site light, Ridgid Drill and Impact drivers, various screws, plumb bob with string, Bosch drill bits, and Tapcon screws. Back row: Husky level and Simpson Strong-Tie stud connectors and a sampling of our 2x4s.

Materials:


  • Tapcon 3/16 in. x 3-1/4 in. Phillips-Flat-Head Concrete Anchors (Home Depot)

  • (32) Simpson Strong-Tie 20-Gauge 2X Reversible Stud Plate Tie (Home Depot)

  • Simpson Strong-Tie Strong-Drive 8d x 1-1/2 in. SCN Smooth-Shank Connector Nail (Home Depot)

  • SPAX #9 x 2-1/2 in. T-Star Drive Flat-Head Partial Thread Yellow Zinc Coated Multi-Material Screw (Home Depot)

  • (3) 10’ 2x4 (Home Depot)

  • (8) 8’ 2x4 (Home Depot)

  • (3) 4’x8’ Underlayment (Home Depot)

Tools:


  • RIDGID 18-Volt Lithium-Ion Cordless Brushless Drill/Driver and Impact Driver Combo Kit (Home Depot)

  • Bosch SDS-Plus Bulldog Xtreme Variable Speed Rotary Hammer (Home Depot)

  • Dremel Multi-Max 4 Amp Variable Speed Corded Oscillating Multi-Tool Kit (Home Depot)

  • Dremel Saw-Max 6.0 Amp Variable Speed Corded Tool Kit for Wood, Plastic and Metal (Home Depot)

  • Husky 24 in. Line Generator Digital Laser Level (Home Depot)

  • Milwaukee M18 18-Volt Cordless 2200-Lumen Radius LED Compact Site Light with Flood Mode (Home Depot)

  • RIDGID 6 Gal. 3.5-Peak HP NXT Wet/Dry Vac (Home Depot)

  • RIDGID 3-1/2 in. Full-Size Palm Nailer (Home Depot)

  • RIDGID 1 Gal. 18-Volt Brushless Cordless Air Compressor (Home Depot)

  • DEWALT 20-Volt Max Lithium-Ion 18-Gauge Cordless Brad Nailer Kit (Home Depot)

Cutting the baseboard to make room for the bottom plate.
After determining where the wall was going to be built, we cut out the baseboard so the 2x4 would sit flush to the side wall. We chose this location based on the availability of a stud in the existing wall which would help support our new wall.
Cutting the boards on the miter saw.
We used a miter saw to cut the bottom and top plates to length. We tried out our new Ridgid Wet Dry Vac to provide dust collection for the saw. Its small size makes it maneuverable and easy to store.
Drilling holes into the bottom plate.
With the bottom plate in place, we used some painter's tape to mark the location in case it got moved (it did). We used a rotary hammer and speciality bit to drill through the 2x4 into the concrete below. We continually vacuumed out the wood and concrete dust which was essential so the screws could be fully screwed into place.
Drilling in the Tapcon screws to secure the bottom plate.
The Ridgid Impact driver proved to be effective in drilling in the Tapcon screws. We used Tapcon screws just in case we ever wanted to remove the wall. Other anchor methods are permanent.
Adding the new ceiling joist.
We had the luxury of being able to tie into an existing wall stud, but weren't so lucky when it came to tying into a joist in the ceiling. We had to add some blocking to extend a 2x4 over the placement of the top plate so that we had something to screw into to support the wall. Here you can see Steph using the Milwakee site light to light up her workspace in the attic. This light is a nice portable solution.
Close up of the blocking in the ceiling.
Those short pieces of wood extend the new joist to the position right over the top plate placement. The clamps were used to keep everything tight while screwing it into place.
Marking the s stud placement.
This is a step that actually happened before we screwed the bottom plate to the floor. The bottom and top plates were put on top of each other and I marked the placement of the studs. The studs are placed 16" on center, which means when you measure from the center of one stud to the center of the next one it should measure 16". (see the graphic at the top of the post).
Putting the second top plate into place.
In this photo we've already screwed one top plate into place and are now working on the second. Two top plates are actually not required in this type of non-load bearing partition wall. The ceiling in the garage is a little over 8'. We decided that we could use two top plates and 8' studs would fit without cutting or we could have used one top plate, purchased longer 2x4s, then cut them to size. We decided it made more sense to use the second plate.
Husky level in use.
With the bottom and top plates in place, it was now time to put in the studs. The first one was nailed to the existing side wall. The level showed the stud was perfectly straight! This Husky digital level is a great addition to our tool collection. I especially like the bright display. Perfect for older eyes!
Using the Ridgid palm nailer.
Okay, you're probably asking why we used those plate things rather than the traditional toenailing technique. Well, frankly, with our skill set and strength we could not physically do it. Through some research I found an alternative way to attach the studs to the bottom and top plates. These Simpson Strong-Tie stud plates were just what we needed.
Using the Ridgid Palm nailer on the connector plates.
We used the Ridgid pneumatic palm nailer with a Ridgid compressor to attach them. This was easy AND fun! This tool drives the nails with ease.
Mother and daughter build a wall.
At this moment we were so proud of ourselves. Our wall was starting to look like a wall after all!
Brad nailing the underlayment to the back side of the wall.
The last step was to attach thin underlayment to the back side with a brad nailer.
The wall is almost finished.
The framing is complete. All the studs are where they should be and are standing straight.
The Dremel Multi-Max came in handy cutting this very thin wood.
The Dremel Multi-Max came in handy cutting this very thin wood.
The finished wall.
We left the front side uncovered so we could use it in future videos as a demonstration wall. We are also going to use part of this side as outdoor tool storage.
Lots of junky storage.
Now you see the junk...
Video tutorial! Learn the basics of making a stud wall to partition off a room. #garage #wall #diy #homeimprovement #build
The finished wall covers up the storage area.
...now you don't!
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This project had some steep learning curves in it. Prior to starting, we read lots of tutorials and viewed videos to determine the best course of action for this build. When you start reading tutorial you find there are a lot of different ways to do things. We took all the information we found and figured out how we could do this with our skills, strength and available tools. We did not need a permit to build our partition wall, but always check in your area to see if permits are needed. Also, shout-out to our friend Gary who answered some of our questions we couldn't find on google!

​To finish up the storage area, we are building a portable wall to semi-enclose the area. That tutorial is coming soon! 

I love that we no longer have to see all the stored junk all the time! Have you ever build a wall? Do you have any tips? 

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We acknowledge that The Home Depot is partnering with us to participate in the ProSpective 2018 Campaign. As a part of the Program, we are receiving compensation in the form of products and services, for the purpose of promoting The Home Depot. All expressed opinions and experiences are our own words. Our post complies with the Word Of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) Ethics Code and applicable Federal Trade Commission guidelines.

FYI: We are not professionals, and we don’t claim to be. This is what we found worked for our project. Yours may need a little different approach. Safety first!

FYI: Affiliate links are being used on this page. Purchasing via these links help support MDP!

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