Framing Vocabulary
Stud- An upright steel or wooden member that extends from the bottom to the top plates of a framed wall. Studs are placed on 16 or 24 inch centers to allow for nailing or screwing 4 x 8 sheets of drywall or exterior sheathing. Steel studs are not for load bearing walls.
Top plate- One of the horizontal pieces to which the tops of the vertical members (studs) of a framed wall are nailed.
Double top plate- the same as the top plate only doubled to add strength and rigidity to the top of the wall too support a roof or second story. The double top plate is also used to tie multiple walls together using various lap joints.
Jack/ trimmer stud- One of the vertical members of a framed wall nailed to the studs that support a header at the top of a rough opening.
Cripples- Short filler studs that are found between the header and the top plate and between the sill and the bottom plate a sill. These studs are used to maintain the required centres of a framed wall
Sill- The horizontal piece of lumber found at the bottom of a rough window opening.
Header- A horizontal member that is turned on edge and doubled. The header is an important structural piece of lumber that takes the load where there is an opening in a framed wall. It is preferable to have a 2 x 8 or 2 x 10 header rather than a 2 x 6 with small cripple studs above.
Load -bearing walls- these are walls that support the roof or upper floors of a structure around the perimeter of the structure. Load bearing wall are also used in the interior to support roof or upper floor loads. The interior walls will be located over a beam on the lower floor.
Partition walls- These are interior walls that divide the structure into rooms. They are not required to support any of the weight of the upper floor or the roof. Some interior walls are load-bearing walls by design so make sure you know if an interior wall is a load-bearing wall before you remove or alter it in any way.
Rough opening- An opening for a door or window that is 2 inches larger than is required to allow for the window or door to fit and be shimmed perfectly square even if the opening is not.
Plumb - To be perfectly level vertically.
Interior Corner - A stud that is placed sideways in the center of a wall to provide a nailing surface for another wall.
Exterior Corner- At the end of a framed wall a stud is turned sideways to provide a nailing surface to join another wall.
Toenail - Starting a nail at an angle or slant in one framing member and driving it through into a second (usually perpendicular) framing piece.
Bottom Plate - The horizontal piece of a wall the studs are nailed to and are fastened to the floor.
Wall parts and their locations