How to Build a Stud Wall

A stud wall is a timber-framed partition - an internal dividing wall that doesn’t carry any of the building’s weight. It is one of the most approachable building jobs there is: a rectangle of timber - a top plate (the rail along the top) and a bottom plate (the rail along the floor) with vertical studs between them, stiffened by noggins (short horizontal blocks) - then clad on both sides in plasterboard. The skill is all in setting it out - marking where it goes - square, and getting the stud spacing right so the board edges land on timber.

Before you buy anything, run your wall through the stud wall calculator to get the exact stud count, the plate and noggin lengths, and the number of plasterboard sheets.

A quick word on names: the plates are the horizontal top and bottom rails; the studs are the upright posts; the noggins (called blocking in North America) are the short blocks between the studs. That is the whole frame.

What you need

• Plate and stud timber - 75 × 50 mm / 3 × 2 in (or a nominal 2×4 in North America). One length per stud, plus the plate runs and noggins.
• Plasterboard / drywall - usually 1200 mm wide; pick a length that suits your wall height.
• Fixings - frame fixings or nails for the plates and studs, and plasterboard screws (around 30 per sheet).
• Tools - tape, pencil, spirit level, square, saw, and a drill-driver.

These steps build the wall in place - fixing the plates first, then the studs between them. (For a short wall you can instead nail the whole frame together flat on the floor and tilt it up into position - see the FAQ at the end.)

1. Set out the plates

Mark where the wall goes on the floor. If it needs to meet an existing wall at a right angle, get that corner square with a builder’s square, or with the 3-4-5 method: from the corner, measure 3 units along the existing wall and 4 units along your new line; when the straight-line distance between those two marks is exactly 5 units, the corner is a true 90°. Then transfer the floor line up to the ceiling with a spirit level (or a plumb line - a weighted string) so the wall will be dead vertical.

Cut the top and bottom plates to the wall length and lay them side by side. Working from one end, mark the stud centres across both plates at once so they match exactly - see stud wall spacing for whether to use 400 mm (16 in) or 600 mm (24 in).

plate length = 2 × wall length   (one top + one bottom)
stud centres = marked from one end so a board edge lands on a stud

2. Fix the plates and end studs

Fix the bottom plate down into the floor and the top plate up into the ceiling, checking they sit directly above one another. Then fix a stud at each end, hard against the side walls, and screw them back into the masonry or the existing wall framing.

3. Fit the studs

Cut each vertical stud to fit snugly between the plates (the wall height minus the thickness of the two plates) and fix it on its centre mark - either drive a screw in at an angle (called skew-screwing) through the stud into the plate top and bottom, or use metal framing brackets. Check each stud is plumb (truly vertical) with your level as you go. The studs carry no load in a partition, but a twisted or bowed one will show through the finished wall, so set aside anything that isn’t straight.

4. Add the noggins

Fit a row of noggins (the short horizontal blocks between studs - called blocking in North America) at mid-height to stiffen the wall and give a fixing line. Add a second row, or extra short noggins, anywhere you will hang something heavy - a TV, radiator, grab rail or wall units - or where two board edges meet horizontally. See noggins vs blocking for how many rows and where they go.

5. Services, then board it out

Drill the studs centrally for any cables or pipes and fit them before boarding - it is far easier now than later. Then clad the frame: stand each plasterboard sheet so its edges meet over the middle of a stud, and drive a plasterboard screw about every 300 mm (12 in) into every stud and noggin behind it. Stagger the joints so they don’t line up between the two faces of the wall, and leave a small gap at the floor. Finish by taping and filling the joints (see how much drywall mud and tape you need), then sand and decorate.

What this leaves you to add

The frame above is the wall itself. A doorway needs a pair of studs each side and a header over the opening; an acoustic or thermal partition wants insulation in the cavity; and the finished job needs skirting, taping and decorating. For a full shopping list and a price, the stud wall calculator totals the studs, plate, noggins, board and screws and lets you add your own prices - or read what a stud wall costs for the breakdown.