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Attaching a worksurface directly to studs in of a basement wall

3K views 3 replies 3 participants last post by  BasementVirgin 
#1 · (Edited)
I live in East Tennessee. I am building a room in a dry basement and one wall so far has treated wood studs against the cinderblock of the basement wall. I want to attach a support for a horizontal work surface about 30” above the floor to the studs before I drywall. That way I can attach the supports for the work surface directly to the studs rather than through the drywall and into the studs. – I think it will be stronger and I am much more likely to screw into the center of the studs if I can see them. Thus at the contact of the wall and the proposed work surface there will be a (treated) horizontal 2x4 screwed to the studs to support the back edge of the work surface. This means that when I drywall that wall there will not be any drywall behind this horizontal 2x4 as it crosses each space between the studs. (The drywall will stop at the top edge of the horizontal 2x4 and resume at ita lower edge.)
Will this be a problem? I have fire breaks between the studs at the top of the wall and there will be fiberglass in the cavities, but I’m wondering whether I am supposed to have a continuous dry wall layer between each stud cavity and the actual room. As described there would not be any dry wall directly behind the horizontal work surface support that is attached directly to the studs. Do I need to attach dry wall behind each horizontal 13” span between the studs or what?
Thanks for any help here.
 
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#2 ·
Its easier to install the drywall and then install a 2X4 ledger over top of the drywall. The ledger would be lag screwed to the studs, through the drywall.
And if in the future, you or someone else want to remove the work surface, the ledger board can be removed, the holes patched and finished.
 
#3 ·
#4 ·
Thanks for the responses, Wildie & GBR in WA!
Do you know of any code restrictions on screwing directly onto the studs and then dry walling around? I can see, now that you mention it, there is potential for ‘wicking’ of moisture, but in my case the whole basement is bone dry. I have polystyrene sheet glued onto the actual basement wall behind the studs & will have fiberglass insulation between the studs. This is all for heat insulation rather than any moisture issues.
I’m really keen on attaching the ledger directly to the studs if I can. I could paint the back of the ledger with a moisture resistant coating if needs be. My main concern was whether there were any regulations that pertained. I was more concerned with any fire break regulations rather than moisture issues, since as I said my basement is remarkably dry (plus I will never be moving from the home, so removal of the ledger will never be an issue).
Thanks for the continued discussion!
 
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