Want to frame a knee wall thats about 5′ high and 18′ long in an attic. It will be covered with drywall. It has a gable roof with a steep pitch that allows one to walk into the area. The knee wall is probably around 8′ or so in from the ends of the building. Plan to build the wall by attaching the top and bottom plates and then measuring each vertical stud not making the wall as one unit on the ground and moving into place. The question I have is since the roof rafters are at a pitch does the top plate that will get directly attached to the roof rafter need to be cut an angle or add a filler piece later? The vertical studs also will need to be cut at an angle. Where the top plate and vertical studs meet the top plate will be slightly off plane with the vertical stud. It will be tilted back somewhat. When the drywall is installed there will be a gap behind it at this point. Suggestions to avoid this? Rip the top plate at an angle , add a filler strip … Thanks for any help.
Edited 12/2/2008 10:09 am ET by Newpoint
Replies
If you use that framing method-don't fasten the drywall higher than the stud.
You could just omit the top plate altogether, nailing your studs to the sides of the rafters.
Is the rafter size good for the span. Looked at a job where the load on the rafters must have transferred down to the ceiling joists below-nice straight long crack in the plaster of the 1st fl. ceiling.
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Thanks for the quick response. Should have mentioned there will be drywall on the roof rafters intersecting at this point. I think this would create a gap. The rafters are 2x6's there is an existing knee wall but not set up for drywall spacing. Would prefer to have a top plate. Thanks again.
strap the existing knee wall horizontally and rafters with 1X ..
newpoint... i'd make the top plate parallel with the rafter pitch and cut the studs to that pitchi'd use the lowest point as my wall ht and cut all the studs the same, nail them on the floor and then tilt it up... shim the short areas with wood shinglesand , we'd furr the slant ceiling tooMike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Should have mentioned there will be drywall on the roof rafters intersecting at this point. I think this would create a gap. The rafters are 2x6's there is an existing knee wall but not set up for drywall spacing. Would prefer to have a top plate. Thanks again.
The gap it will create is no larger than what would be considered standard and will be taped and mudded. The gap will also only be between the framing, not the drywall. The drywall should butt together...unless I am totally missing what you are saying...and I don't think I am.
Also, how far apart are the existing knee-wall studs? 24" o.c. is OK spacing for drywall. Especially for a non-bearing wall. I can't imagine them being more than that. The rafters should be @ 24"o.c.
I have put a bottom plate on (nice and straight), cut lathe catchers (studs) a few inches long, plummed up and nailed to the side of the rafter in a hurry-up type thing. Not my prefereed method, but the point is, even that works.
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have is since the roof rafters are at a pitch does the top plate that will get directly attached to the roof rafter need to be cut an angle or add a filler piece later? You don't need to cut an angle or a filler piece as you will not be nailing that close to the top anyway.
There are lots of ways to tackle the framing - whatever works for you is what works for me on that - you ain't building a piano here.
I chirped in to point out that the gap in sheetrock at that joint is relatively unimportant too tho, since the best and easiest way to finish that joint is with the No-Coat tape. finishing a paper tape on that kind of angle is a royal PITA, but this product makes it go easy - finishes in one coat, and straight to the eye, stronger than paper and can cover gaps easily.
If you have or can borrow a laser level, that is by far the simplest way to place the top plate plumb up from the bottom plate
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If it was new construction, you might or might not see birdsmouths in the rafters, but I do this with an angled top plate.
Especially if there's bearing under your kneewall, now's your chance to straighten the rafters -- I can tell from here they're not in line.
Kneewall-to-rafter angles are about the worst for showing sag and irregularities -- get 'em as perfect as you can! Pull a string on the rafters right where you want that top plate, and you'll see what I mean.
If you've got the headroom, shim & strap, but often you don't.
If you can't do either of the above, here's a cool trick: brake some 22-gauge flat steel stock to the wall/rafter angle. Press it lightly-tight up into the framing intersection, and fasten it ONLY where it touches wood.
Just tack it in place until you've got the whole length of the angle covered. Allow plenty of overlap, and screw the laps together first. Don't allow it to wrinkle at all, and it'll be dead straight.
If there are any really big gaps-to-framing, squirt in a big gob of glue to help shim, and hang your board. At the angle, screw the board ONLY into the metal, keeping the next set of screws well back from the angle, and using as much glue as you have to.
The board might still be wavy in the field, but that will be much harder to see than the angle joint.
Aitchkay
Edited 12/3/2008 10:28 pm ET by AitchKay