Basement Finish

NesTea420

Hello All,

I am new to this thread...and glad I am here , I will be using the search button a lot to find answers to my questions.


I been thinking about finishing my basement for the past 3-4 months and been doing a lot of research, reading, etc. I recently went and purchased the tools I needed after some lengthy readings...I never heard of the Husky twin air compressor kit with a brad and a fraiming nailer, is it any good? I got a good deal on it from HD, hence my purchase...

my second question for now is, I am planning to use metal track and wooden 2x4s to finish the framing in my basement...is this a good idea? Basically I am hoping this would be quicker.

forgot to add: I am new to any type of construction...I have 2 day experience with Habitat for Humanity in framing.
Thank you.

Termite

That compressor is very small for framing nailer use, but will run a trim gun or brad nailer just fine. Actually it'll run the framing gun fine, but the compressor will cycle quite a bit.

Your idea of using metal plate track for wood stud walls is no good. You definately want your wood studs elevated off the floor (concrete = moisture) by a 2x TREATED sole plate. Or you could use metal studs with the metal track. The metal track will not be a time savings either! Build the wall on the floor and tilt it up into place. Leave it an inch or two short to allow for floor heave, and use some foamboard strips at the top to bridge the gap between the top of the wall and the bottom of the joists. Use some masonry cut nails to secure the treated plate to the basement floor.

NesTea420

Thank you for the responce. Info on the Compressor. It is a Husky All-in-one kit which included a framing nailer...so I assumed the compressor can work the framing nailer. It is a twinstack 4 gallon compressor. If this won't do the job, I would like to take it back...please let me know.

as far as the framing goes, my plan was to lay the pressure treated wood on the floor first, secure it with power nailer, then place the metal tracks on top of the pressure treated wood and on the celing. I read that this makes the job quicker...if not i can build the frame on the floor and stand up, as long as my nailer works. btw, I am a newbie at this, so any help/advice is very appricated.

Termite

That compressor will run a framing nailer, it just won't keep up if you really get going quick. Framing nailers take a considerable volume of air per shot compared to trim/brad nailers. For your purposes, it'll do pretty well. Just let it catch up if it needs to. You wouldn't want to try to frame a house off it is all.

The metal track will only complicate things and is a completely unnecessary part. I don't see any benefit in using it at all.

NesTea420

Thank you for the info...yea I am not going to be building a house...I just hope I can finish my basement.

jogr

I have never heard of this approach. If the floor heaved the foam at the top would cause your drywall at the top to crush and buckle. I have heard of floating walls in parts of Colorado to handle floor heave - but the gap is at the bottom so that the drywall doesn't crumble. Instead the wall floats between the base molding which covers the gap and hides the movement.

NesTea - Floating basement walls would only be necessary in areas with expansive soils. Check with your local inspector to see if that is a concern in your area.

dbbyleo

I agree with Jogr... I never heard of "floating walls" with gap at top of wall.
I'm from Colorado and is in the middle of the basement finish. Around here... we definitely float with gap at the bottom and top plate nailed/screwed to bottom of joist. We do use pressure treated 2x4 nailed to slab... and then drive a spike (I used 3/8 galvanized) throughthe floated bottom plate and into the pressure treated plate.

And yes... agreed again... baseboards is great for covering the gap at the bottom (cuz you really don;t want drywall to be floor to ceiling either). If you do have heaving... only the caulking between baseboard and drywall will break. If you have drywall floor to ceiling.. even the smallest heaving will damage your drywall... cracks, buckling, etc.

But you should check with local inspector is floating walls is required (due to expansive soil).

NesTea420

NesTea - Floating basement walls would only be necessary in areas with expansive soils. Check with your local inspector to see if that is a concern in your area.[/quote]

Floating walls are not necessary in my area...infact all the load bearing beams are all completed. All I need is the frame for the dry wall. I just wanted to know what would make it easier to frame for a first timer.

Brik

I think you are good to go with that compressor. Its a good value. It IS loud though. As others have said it will cycle frequently but shouldn't be an issue in your situation. The Handyguys did a podcast where we talked about just these things. We compared a couple of compressors, etc. Check out the show at http://www.handyguyspodcast.com/31/e...-5-compress-it

Good luck with your project - The Handyguys may do a series of shows on finishing a basement. We are not sure it will be so popular though. What do you think? If we did such a series of shows how many? What topics would you like to see covered? Input appreciated/

moneymgmt

Can you expand on this? I'm picturing somewhat of a "hanging" wall, is that correct? How does the wall stay together? It seems like a lot of weight to be hanging from the joists, I'm assuming either you use screws, or the drywall keeps the wall as one piece? And then the spike keeps the bottom tight to the wall?

Garasaki

I think that the words "metal studs" and "newbie" do not mix well together!

Metal studs will only complicate your work and magnify your mistakes!! I'd stick with wood for your first framing experience.

dbbyleo

It very much is a hanging wall. You frame the wall as you would any regular framing... building it first flat on the floor and then tilting it up. But of course... the wall is short. In a one person job, I simply clamp the top plate to the joist... easy enough with one of the those Erwin quik grips and "I-beam" type joists.

And yes.. I used screws... some nice 3" #10 screws by Spax from HD works well. But I know others who simply use faming nails... but because it's hanging, I don't particularly like that idea.

Once hung... it does feel kinda loosey-goosey... especially from the bottom... just hanging and dangling.

This is where the spike comes in. Pre-drill the bottom plate and even the treated plate on the slab. Drive a spike every 24"... I used 3/8 galv... most poeple I see use 1/4 steel. Anyway... being a first timer... I was surprised how stiff the wall got all of a sudden after the spikes were in place.

Sure the drywall helps alot in keeping the wall together and stronger... but after hung and spiked... it's pretty darm stiff. Obviously, it's not going to be as strong as a wall on structural floor, but it's plenty strong enough, given the weakest point at the bottom. Then you imagine stringing a few sections together, with adjacent 90 degree wall.. and it gets that much stiffer.

Anyway... due to the expansive soil, that's the code 'round here in Colorado... minimum of 1.5" floated.

moneymgmt

Thank you for the follow up, makes sense to me! Seems like hanging anything on the wall might be a bad idea, say like a big screen tv?

I like the idea because I'm not sold on the way they build new homes with green wood these days anyhow; there is sure to be some settling.

dbbyleo

I;d have to agree with Garasaki...
I've never done framing before (until now) and also considered metal. But after looking more into it... and all the stuff I was completely unfamiliar with... I went with wood.

Although one big benefit with metal studs is that fireblocking is not un issue... not required (at least in basement project), which could be a huge time saver.

Brik

Thats my understanding. A hanging wall with the spikes at the bottom to prevent lateral movement. This is used when you have a floating slab that moves due to "expansive soils" This phenomenon is not very common and is only in certain parts of the country. I'm not sure what it hangs on. Small lag bolts or large screws I presume.
See http://www.asktooltalk.com/questions...ting_walls.php

and

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expansive_clays

I think this phenomenon is mostly in south parts of southern states and Mexico, I also understand that it can occur to a much more mild degree most anywhere.

The presence of a "floating Slab" does not necessarily indicate expansive soils nor does it require a wall built like described unless a floating slab is combined with the expansive soil.