Framing Nailers

[RockMonkey]

The walls get straighter with every beer! Or vise-versa?

When do you plan on starting?

I don't know. I will probably finish the Jeep before I spend much time on the basement. Gotta keep my priorities straight, y'know.

 

[Badger]

Yes it can go between the insulation and drywall. As mentioned this is kind of a dry climate/area so the need to protect against moist air coming in contact with cooler insulation is not as much of a concern as moisture seeping in from the foundation in my eyes.

The other thing you could do is put a coating of Kilz concrete sealer on the walls before doing any framing to help reduce moisture from the outside instead of the vapor barrier.

 

[RockMonkey]

Should I frame the walls as "floating" walls, with a little space between the top plate and the floor joists? Some how-to sites say I have to do it that way, and some don't even mention it. When I go downstairs and look at the walls that are already framed, they seem to have about 1/4" space between the top plate and the floor joists, so it looks like my builder framed the walls as floating walls.

 

[Caleb]

Should I frame the walls as "floating" walls, with a little space between the top plate and the floor joists? Some how-to sites say I have to do it that way, and some don't even mention it. When I go downstairs and look at the walls that are already framed, they seem to have about 1/4" space between the top plate and the floor joists, so it looks like my builder framed the walls as floating walls.

Whats the point of a "floating" wall? Once you get drywall up you will want zero movement unless you always want to be messing with drywall repair. From my experiences, the gap at the top is usually due to differences in the concrete floor. You'll usually only have a joist or two that are tight and the rest will be slightly off.

 

[Tacoma]

Floating walls are cake to drywall. Throw some molding up and no one can see the gap. and then as the house settles you won't have cracks to deal with either.

 

[RockMonkey]

Whats the point of a "floating" wall? Once you get drywall up you will want zero movement unless you always want to be messing with drywall repair. From my experiences, the gap at the top is usually due to differences in the concrete floor. You'll usually only have a joist or two that are tight and the rest will be slightly off.

From my understanding, as the soil moisture content changes it can cause the concrete basement floor to move up and down. if the walls are framed solid they can lift up the floor above them and damage the floor and walls above them. Instead of repairing a little drywall in the basement, you be repairing floor joists, and flooring and drywall on the main floor.

 

[Badger]

You can float them if you so choose and then cover the gap at the top like Tacoma mentioned with some crown molding. A floating wall is more for when you have a floating basement floor. Do you have a solid poured foundation or is your foundation block? If it's a solid pour I would not worry about it as much. If the floor moves up and down you have other problems to worry about. If you have cider block walls then I would float the walls because it does have the risk of moving some.

 

[RockMonkey]

It's poured. It's a little more than 2 years old and there aren't any big cracks in the floor, so I don't think it moves much. I looked at the walls that are framed already again. I think Caleb is right. The gaps I saw are just because not every floor joist is the same. Some do seem to be touching. I won't worry about floating the walls, unless someone has a compelling reason to.

 

[Bucking Bronco]

I think the reason you have gaps is because it is easier to put them up if they are measured short. if they are measured to fit exactly they are difficult to stand up.

 

[Badger]

I think the reason you have gaps is because it is easier to put them up if they are measured short. if they are measured to fit exactly they are difficult to stand up.

You are right but there are tricks to standing a wall in a preframed basement.

 

[RockMonkey]

I'm looking through the hundreds of pictures we took during our build process. I just realized that all of the walls I will be framing will sit on a poured footer, not just the poured basement floor. I think I'm safe nailing the walls at top and bottom.

 

[Tacoma]

You are right but there are tricks to standing a wall in a preframed basement.

Rack 'em!

 

[Bucking Bronco]

Rockmonkey I have got about 45 electrical boxes left over from my basement and I am sure I will never use them.

If you want them their yours

 

[ChestonScout]

You are right but there are tricks to standing a wall in a preframed basement.

One trick


BFH

 

[RockMonkey]

Rockmonkey I have got about 45 electrical boxes left over from my basement and I am sure I will never use them.

If you want them their yours

That would be rad!

 

[Bucking Bronco]

Let me know if your ever going to be up in my area and I can leave them out if I am not going to be here

 

[RockMonkey]

Let me know if your ever going to be up in my area and I can leave them out if I am not going to be here

I'm filling in for a co-worker on vacation the week after New Year's. I'll probably be visiting some stores up North so I have an excuse to be in your 'hood and get paid for the mileage.

 

[Bucking Bronco]

If not I have some work in West Valley (I think that is where you live) in Feb

 

[RockMonkey]

If not I have some work in West Valley (I think that is where you live) in Feb

Indeed. I'll be in touch.

 

[RockMonkey]

So I went ahead and bought that $99.99 CH compressor and framing nailer package. I was looking at small compressors (I really didn't want to string hose from the garage), and this is actually a pretty nice little oil-lubricated unit. Everywhere I looked was selling the compressor alone for almost double the package price. I figured even if the nailer is junk it was less than free anyway.

Having never used a framing nailer I can't judge the quality. What I can say is that it sinks nails into wood. Occasionally it leaves one short, and I have to finish it with a regular hammer, but for the most part it seems to work suspiciously like a framing nailer. I couldn't be happier with the compressor. It is relatively quiet, but it hardly ever runs at all. It cycles for about 15 seconds after every 10 nails or so. I really barely notice it. If you were trying to run multiple tools at once I can see that it wouldn't work, but for one person working on a basement it is great.

Christmas highlighted the need for a "play room" to get the kids toys out of the family room and office. I've been working off and on at it since Tuesday afternoon. I got that room all framed and wired. I also framed in a linen closet, but I haven't framed the doorway yet. This room is all the way across the basement from the utility room, so I had to fish electrical and coax wire all the way. Fiberglass insulation brings the suck.