Correcting Poorly Framed Walls
Believe it or not, progress is being made on our second floor. Beyond moving the clawfoot tub from the garage to the upstairs, we've also been squaring up the walls in preparation to hang the wall board.
When J's dad was here for Thanksgiving, he helped us identify some areas that needed correction.
The Challenge
The problem is that many of the wall studs aren't square.
It turns out there are three problems to fix before the walls can be installed:
- Wood that isn't straight. Some of the old boards are warped with age. However, it turns out that the new boards can be just as bad! The higher moisture content of new boards means that they can bend and twist after installation. We kept them in the space to dry them, but humidity levels in the house rise and fall with the weather.
- Mismatched board dimensions. As I mentioned two days ago, modern 2x4s are actually smaller than vintage ones. By framing with both, we've ended up with some slightly uneven surfaces.
- Missing framing members. Each wall needs special framing members at the edges so the wallboard can be screwed down properly.
So, this was the weekend I tried to set things straight (literally)...
Our Approach
Rather than show you everything we did (it was a looong weekend!) here are some sample photos of how we corrected each problem.
Straightening Warped Boards
This was the fun one. On the recommendation of a friend, I went to Lowe's and picked up an electric planer. (I bought the Bosch...I'll try to do a review soon.) It was helpful to shave down boards that had bowed out out of line. Here are some photos of how it worked.
Smoothing out a warped board. Afterwards all the joists lined up evenly.
Correcting Mismatched Boards
This was the "not-fun" one. I've spent hours fretting over how to correct problems that I basically made for myself. New rule of thumb--preservation doesn't apply to wall studs, just replace them.
Anyway, in the end correcting these involves plenty of shims and 1 1/2 x 1/4 lattice. The shims were available at Lowe's but the lattice required a trip to the lumber yard. Here are some photos of how I used shims to smooth out some abrupt edges between framing members. This should allow the change in surface to be gradual enough so the drywall can be screwed down without problems.
Boards of different widths aren't even. Shim pieces are thick on one end and taper off on the other--smoothing out the differences. A closeup of the finished surface.
Admittedly this solution wasn't ideal and luckily I only did it in one place. In hidsight, I wish I would have just rebuilt that whole wall.
Adding Missing Framing Members
This one was pretty straightforward. In some places, corner members were missing. Without adding additional boards, there wouldn't be anything to fasten the drywall to where two walls meet.
In this example, a wall that continues between two rooms is broken up by a door frame. The door is framed out, but there's no framing board right at the point where the door's wall bisects the other wall.
I fixed this by cutting a few more wall studs from a few vintage 2x4s we found in the rafters of the garage.
The doorway is missing a framing member. After the framing member was added--ready for wallboard!
So there you have it. This project was a bit stressful as it was time consuming and we have deadlines. It really is true that the last 10% of a job can be more complicated than the first 90%.
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Comments
When working with mismatched 2x4s I used leftover lath/lattice (from plaster we had taken down) to even out the wall. This worked quite well and didn't cost us anything.
Posted by: Chris | January 12, 2005 9:32 AM
Rock on - I've got the cordless Bosch planer and love it. It helps that my brother-in-law is a sales rep for Bosch...
Another thing you can do is rip your own "old 2x4s" out of new 2x6's on the table saw or band-saw. Make sure you have a good blade for ripping. This doesn't help if you need the correct thickness dimension, but width-wise it works great.
Nick
Posted by: Nick | January 12, 2005 9:51 AM
Nick--Good suggestions on ripping the boards. Unfortunately, we haven't had the justification to spring for a table saw yet. Maybe this year we'll have the project work to merit it, though!
I agree--the Bosch has been nice!
Posted by: aaron | January 12, 2005 9:55 AM
Well, we have recently gutted the upstairs of our home (not to worry--unfortunately all architectural details were missing, so there was nothing destroyed). We had to rebuild some walls as well...It is always difficult to decide where the new should stop and the old begin...
I found it easier to buy 2x6s and rip them down to a true 4" rather than fur out a 2X4...When you consider the cost and headache of the furring material, it makes some financial sense too. Plus if you don't own a table saw, this gives you an excuse to get one!
My brother, who is a contractor, gave me the same tips as to planing the bowed out studs, and it works well...for those indentations, there is some "felt" like products to help level these out too. For Christmas I got a Senco Screw Gun, which allows you to screw with one hand (you know what I mean) while holding drwall with the other...really neat product and recommended by a drwall friend.
Finally, for things like drywall, I found that utilizing a local "drywall company" rather than Blowes was quite beneficial--their product was better, they were able to deliver up to windows (and then two of us pulled the sheets inside--saving a lot of backaches), and their cost wasn't that much more...
I like coming to this site--you guys give me a lot of inspiration!
Posted by: P | January 12, 2005 9:59 AM
I'd say that medicine-cabinet project mentioned last week (come on, it's just a box, right?) warrants buying a table saw. Just think, you can probably build the cabinet for $100 or less. Compared to the Rejuv model, you're saving over $350 - the cost of a pretty nice portable table saw. I use this argument on Trissa all the time and it works like a charm!
Posted by: Nick | January 12, 2005 10:29 AM
If you don't want to spring for a table saw yet (and deal with storing it), you can do a good job of ripping with a handheld circular saw fitted with a good fence. Emphasis on the "good".
I replaced 50% of the boards on a deck that had been made out of oversized lumber this way. (They had used rough-cut cedar and then floor-sanded it). So I bought more rough-cut (actually a full 2" by 4" !) and then ripped it down with a handheld circular saw.
Worked like a charm.
.../j
Posted by: jch | January 12, 2005 10:42 AM
We ran into the same problem in our downstairs bedroom and ended up just nailing 2x4s to the old studs and offsetting them from the old studs as needed to make everything flush. A friend of mine who hangs and finishes drywall professionally showed me the obvious (except to me) trick of running a piece of string (tied to 2 nails) 1" off the top and bottom of the entire wall so all the new studs were set relative to that...
I did end up ripping a few 2x4s with the table saw, and could've used a planer in a few spots...ah, the joy of 100+ year old homes...
Looking good!!!
Posted by: Brian & Heather | January 12, 2005 10:49 AM
The book keeper has spoken. No $$$ in the budget for a table saw yet :) The book keeper is mean, I know.
jm
Posted by: jm | January 12, 2005 10:59 AM
I suppose maybe the cost of lumber might be prohibitive, but yet another option is to "double up" your new studs so that some are flush to the header and footer on one side and some flush on the other. You could either sandwich two together at each location or, if you preferred offset them so that they're alternating on relatively even intervals...
Just another option for "future projects"
Posted by: jamie | January 12, 2005 1:55 PM
I always try to save as much as I can of the original, but sometimes realism forces me to just tear out and start over. I also feel a duty not only to the building's history, but it's future as well. Imagine what some owner 30 years from now is going to think of you when trying to run new cable (or something.. cloning tubes? I dunno...) through that wall.
Posted by: Nathan | January 12, 2005 3:12 PM
Interesting that you bot an electric planer. 50yrs ago I bot a Porter-Cable planer, actually an accessory for the router, with a double spiral blade and a sharpening jig. Made storm windowns, etc. Still have it, too!
Posted by: Gramp K | January 12, 2005 4:08 PM
Interesting that you bot an electric planer. 50yrs ago I bot a Porter-Cable planer, actually an accessory for the router, with a double spiral blade and a sharpening jig. Made storm windowns, etc. Still have it, too!
Posted by: Gramp K | January 12, 2005 4:08 PM
Well, I think any new owners will be pretty set. We'd be giving them a CD of exactly what is in the walls and where :) Plus, it's only one interior wall that has some old/new funkiness to it. Because we have suffered ourselves, we're always trying to think about the folks who come after us. But it is a great point to make.
(On top of that, Aaron's got some newfangled cable project with Cat5e, phone lines, et al. already running to each room. The Luddite in me was all "ARGH!" but I think that it is for the best to not go back into the walls for decades if we can help it. If they want to clone, they may have to do it wirelessly unless they want to mess with that one wall. ;)
Posted by: jm | January 12, 2005 4:21 PM
Another solution if you have removed the lath is to attach either a sheet or strips of particle plyboard (I believe it is called OSB)across the studs using it as a base to attach your drywall to. You could also use 1 X 2 straps. You would only have to shim behind the strap. I used these concepts to repair walls that were plaster over brick (2 inch drywall screws hold the wood board to the wall via the mortar between the bricks and 1 inch screws hold the drywall to the board)and drywall over some door ways that didn't line up even with the walls. Sometimes it is actually easier to repair the plaster then replace the wall. Another trick that I picked up from our nightmare project was to use folded pieces of used sand paper for shims to either fill gaps or lift/hold 2X4s for nailing. I figured that if it was good enough to do in the 1890s it would be fine today! When I first came across it I thought someone had left a note. As for a table saw, I bought mine at a local auction for $70. It's old, but it works just fine. I suggest you consider doing the same. It's a great way to buy appliances. When a washing machine costs $70 and dies in 2 or three years, you are never truly disappointed! On the other hand, I'm not married to the Maytag repair lady either.
Posted by: Gary | January 12, 2005 11:20 PM
Just to clarify; I was in NO WAY knocking the massive amounts of very high quality elbow grease, thought, and real craft that you've put in. Just taking advantage of the forum you offer to express an ideal. If you saw the framing that I just put in to support my new wall-hung sink and madicine cab (very Flash Gordon chrome deco w/sidelights) you'd probably cringe. Given the existing vent pipe, other plumbing, and electricity in that wall, though, and compounding all that with the imminent arrival of overnight guests... well, at least I know not to try running anything additional through that wall!
Posted by: Nathan | January 14, 2005 8:41 AM
Nathan--No worries. If we were in any way self-conscious about our work we'd obviously be a lot less up front about things on this site... Suggestions are always welcome!
Posted by: Aaron | January 14, 2005 9:32 AM
Nathan--no worries! We love the comments!
We always are aware that we are really writing for two perspectives...having a one-on-one with you guys, and leaving information behind for people who will be searching for these topics on the 'net. (Strangely...we get a lot of that. That's why I feel really strongly about putting our mistakes out there as well as our successes.)
So, I think raising any and all points is always very good. (It's the educator in me. What can I say? I'm a geek for knowledge.)
take care!
jm
Posted by: jm | January 14, 2005 10:17 AM