Installing a door kick plate is essential for aesthetics and protection from foot traffic. It is easy and inexpensive to install, as there can be concentrated load above a door on bearing walls. A structural header acts as a beam over the door to support the load or weight that’s bearing down on that portion of the house. To ensure consistency in top and bottom plates when cutting, layout everything on the ground first.
A horizontal two-by-four bottom plate rests on top of the home’s subfloor. The NFPA 80 standard indicates that protection plates can be applied to the bottom 16″ of a door panel (one or both sides). Plates over 16″ in height may affect the door. Kick plates are installed on the bottom of a door, while push plates are installed at handle height.
To bevel doors yourself, you will need a portable power plane, a hand plane at least 1-3/4″ wide, or a portable belt. Our door anatomy glossary helps you understand the different parts of a door, including the door frame, lockset, and functions they perform.
When installing doors, it is important to consider whether to double the header plate or use the bottom plate. If doors are placed first, trim them and run the base without worrying about protecting floors. Extensions designed to contact and plumb from bottom to top plates can help avoid bowed studs.
When framing and building walls, it is necessary to have a bottom plate and two top plates to attach the wall studs to. Weatherstripping can be installed to the bottom of the door, and the bottom plate at the doorway gets cut out after the wall is in place and securely fastened to the floor.
📹 Review the parts of a wall with rough openings- A mini lesson from TradeSkillsU.com Framing Course
This mini-lesson was pulled from our TradeSkillsU.com Wall framing course. If you want to learn more about wall framing, …
Do prehung doors come with a sill plate?
It is recommended that the new prehung exterior door be supplied with a sill pan.
Can you install a door without a header?
The header board is a crucial component in the barn door system, providing stability and strength to the door, ensuring smooth and secure operation. It prevents the door from resting solely on the frame, preventing structural damage and compromising its functionality. The header board also serves as a mounting surface for the track, providing a secure and level base for the door, especially for heavier doors. This ensures smooth operation without strain on the track or door frame.
Using a header board in barn door installation enhances the door’s stability and durability, preventing sagging or warping. It also simplifies the installation process by providing a level and secure surface for attaching the track, eliminating the need for complicated adjustments or modifications to the door frame. This makes the installation process quicker and more efficient, saving time and effort.
Does every doorway need a header?
A doorway in a non-load-bearing wall doesn’t require a structural header, as it only needs one or two 2x pieces of lumber flat across the top of the opening. This framing lumber supports the finished wall material, provides solid nailing for trim around the door, and acts as a tiny bottom plate for cripple studs above the door opening. It’s crucial to use straight pieces of framing lumber and frame the door with a continuous bottom plate, similar to the wall’s top plate.
The bottom plate is cut out after the wall is in place and securely fastened to the floor. Door openings typically have two king studs and two jack studs, with the jack stud supporting the structural header or flat 2x material.
Do I need a sill on my door?
The majority of doors necessitate the presence of an external sill for optimal water drainage. However, in instances where the building in question features a stone or tiled sill, the installation of an additional sill may not be a prerequisite.
What is the plate at the bottom of a door called?
Sills are the bottom part of a door frame, sealed and fastened to the floor. They are only found on exterior doors leading to the outdoors or garages. This door parts glossary can be helpful for those looking for a new door or repairing an existing one. It breaks down the technical terms and components of a door, making it easier to choose the right door for your project. The door frame consists of side jambs, head jambs, and mulls. Residential door frames are typically made of wood, aluminum, fiberglass, or composite materials. They can be primed or ordered with a factory finish in various colors.
Can I use 2×4 for an interior door header?
The utilization of 2×4 is not a consequence of a deliberate choice to construct a non-bearing wall. Rather, it is a measure undertaken to guarantee the structural integrity and resilience of the edifice.
What are the metal plates on doors for?
Kick plates are protective devices made from aluminum or steel, absorbing impacts to protect doors from damage. They are installed on the push side of the door and are cost-effective, extending door lifespan without maintenance or repair. Vortex offers a range of door accessories, including kick plates, and can identify which doors will benefit most from them. Contact them for help protecting your doors and your business.
What are door plates for?
Door plates, also known as finger plates or push plates, are designed to protect doors from wear and tear. They add authentic period detail and complement panelled doors. These solid brass door plates come in four finishes and can be fitted to push-pull doors with co-ordinating pull handles. For external doors, the push plate with Armor-Coat has a UV and rust-resistant coating and matches Armor-Coat Door Handles.
Can you remove the threshold on a prehung door?
The threshold will be affixed to the jamb side via the use of screws or nails, which must be removed and reciprocated. The threshold was successfully removed.
What is the thing on the bottom of the door?
The threshold, situated at the lowest point of the entranceway, serves to impede the ingress of air and water into a domestic property. The doorway represents the primary point of ingress and is readily discernible. The door frame, which comprises the head, jamb, and sill, serves to support the door and is typically constructed from wood, aluminum, or steel. The door head, which is a horizontal section located at the top of the door, constitutes a vital component of the door’s overall structure.
Do I need a kick plate on a door?
The installation of a kick plate on a door is not a mandatory requirement unless damage to the bottom of the door is observed. However, the addition of a kick plate can enhance the aesthetic appeal of the door and serve as a cost-effective means of safeguarding the door from foot traffic.
📹 How to Tell if Your Wall is Load Bearing
Here we show you how to tell if a wall is load bearing, and we explain the physics and engineering behind load bearing walls, …
Hi everyone, we just added another article along these lines called “How to Stabilize a Wobbly Partition Wall (Kitchen Remodel Knee Wall)”, view it here: youtu.be/KWIHdWjPKC0 Tools we recommend: Dewalt Framing Nailer Kit: amzn.to/2BIespt It’s a 20-Volt MAX XR Lithium-Ion battery cordless brushless 2-speed 33-degree framing nailer. This comes with charger and case too. I got this as a great alternative to having a compressor and twisted hoses everywhere to power a framing nailer to nail the bottom plate and wall studs back together, and add cabinet blocking to our stud walls.
Ive removed walls before, construction and demolition,I removed a load bearing wall a week ago,I first attached 6’and 4’studs from joyce to rafters on each rafter and fastened 8’2x4s across the tops of all joyces sistering them all the way back over the finished walls on either side then removed existing studs, receptacles,switches and ac drops to new locations,I was kind of worried because of settling cracks but everything is looking good so far
As a Stuctural Engineer i find these articles very disturbing. If there are beams are sitting on a wall then it is load bearing. Its just a matter of how much load. If the beam is continuous across the wall then the wall may be removed provided the beam is strong enough to carry the load over the increased span after removing the wall. The beam may be strong enough but the deflection may be too great which causes a serviceability problem which causes craked ceilings and sagging roofs. Removing a support then throws additional load on the other supports. Are they strong enough? There is a lot more to this than meets the eye. Get professional advice.
good info bud im a carpenter and know all this information already but still like to check out articles searching out to maybe learn more, but good article when we build however load bearing or not all walls will have the two top plates secondary top plate is also used to tie in walls together. ✊ but over all very good info .
One main point you forgot to make is that the top plate 2×4 also extends past that walk and overlaps the intersecting wall for tying the two walks together and adding stability . A lap joint is stronger than a butt joint when opposing forces IE pushing and pulling expansion and contraction happens .like when a house settles through the years.
I’m in the process of finishing my basement. I opened up the staircase going down to make it flow better. What I did prior to taking out any studs I paid to have a structural engineer come in and verify what I could and could not remove so I did not make any mistakes. It wasn’t cheap but at least I know.
Superhelpful article, thanks. If a second floor wall (it’s a wall that divides a bedroom, creating a kind of finished walk in closet) isn’t above a first floor wall, is that an indication that it’s not a supporting wall (because with no wall beneath it, the weight isn’t transferred down into the foundation)?
No way that’s a load bearing wall. If it is, your article should be how to not build a load bearing wall. The header would be considered insufficient and the lack of cripples directly above the jacks negate the transfer of any weight from the center cripple downward. If there were weight coming down on that center cripple it would simply cause that header to bow downward in the middle and curl upward at the jacks.
When a truss is perpendicular to the wall it doesn’t usually mean its load bearing. Yes theres a chance that when its perpendicular to the wall it could be bearing but definitely do not rely on this because most interior walls will not be load bearing u.n.o Most common trusses under 35 ft span only need a 2 point bearing even with an air handler load. Best bet is the double top plate, that’s the best indicator if theres no plan available. Also if a beam sits on top of a interior wall that’s most likely L.B thank you for your article i just wanted to add more info so people get a better idea. Old article but people still watch for this info 🙂
wow, thank god i watched this article before expanding my opening in the basement vertically while preserving the header. When i was picking a window for my basement wanted to get a wider window.. .vs what i actually have now… but that could have cost me… partial house collapse… My strategy initially was to simply remove the header and expand the window horizontally. If i didn’t watch this article before doing this… by the way and sound of this article… my potential mistake could have resulted in house partially collapsing. Now of course… that is all hypothetical… but…. hypothetical or not… theoretical or not… load distribution does matter… Hence before doing window yourself folks remember this article 🙂 thank god before touching any DYI project I review entire 360 degress of every aspect of a particular trade before I dive into it… This knowledge will help me be more prepared for commercial real estate money making world… Speaking of which in case if anyone wants to learn… about it… feel free to check out StudyGuide.net/Real-Estate lots of cool useful tips and tricks for how to get out of rat’s race while leveraging knowledge and expertise from trades like shown in this article.. Once again… thank god I watched this article before expanding my window… I will document this discovery in my blog for other folks who are diving into commercial real estate.. to know… before they purchase huge buildings for profits.
Too bad the two idiot realtors in Austin that decided to remodel and flip homes didn’t bother with such details of load bearing walls, using a licensed electrician. When we decided to divorce and sell the house, our realtor said “don’t worry about that floor droop upstairs that bends and creaks when you walk on it, it’s a sellers market and this is a highly sought after neighborhood.” Ok… Meanwhile, a 9 months later, still having to live with MR cheater cheater and getting anxious, we STILL had not sold our home, not even an offer because everybody that walked over the droop upstairs, in our 3100 sq ft house on a 10 foot cliff, said “NOPE! Must be structural issues.” Ended up having to hire a structural engineer firm (very expensive and determined that a MAJOR load bearing wall had been removed) and for 2 months there were pole jacks in the house, lots of sheet rock removed (even during holidays) the house had to be jacked up (scary as F*CK when that went down). Then all the repair work was another very expensive cost eating away at the proceeds. It really was a nightmare. I wish I had known more about remodeling, credentials, permits, etc and how to choose a man that’s not an asshole cheater.
Another main reason for the 2nd top plate is for lacing your walls together. Also, your drywall lays out perfectly with precut studs if you use a double top plate. Bottom plate plus stud plus double top plate. 1 1/2″ + 92 5/8″ + 1 1/2″ + 1 1/2″ = 97 1/8″. This leaves room for ceiling (5/8″) plus 2 sheets of drywall (96″) plus a gap at the floor for water avoidance and finish flooring.
I almost never comment on YouTube articles but I watched this article and your “how to cut a door” article and they were both SUPER helpful and gave me the knowledge and confidence to add my own door between my house and my garage on the new house I’m buying. I’ll still likley involve a friend who’s more familiar/comfortable with these things, but now I know and understand the principles behind the whole deal, so that will help me immensely. Thanks!
it is very unlikely that that wall is load bearing because the ceiling joists above it are not cut or split over that wall .. if a house is 30 feet wide you use 16 foot joists and overlap a foot over the load bearing wall or beam.. there is no split there.. to use that wall for load bearing would mean that not only does there need to be support in the basement but you have now thrown off the engineering of the house.. all loads are to be sent to the outside walls and into the footer unless it is an impossibility and then you use a beam to do it and there is no beam in that wall or ceiling.. Highly unlikely that wall carries a load intentionally.
IRC and IBC require two top plates regardless of the wall is bearing or non bearing. When the wall is longer and multiple pieces are needed, the joints must be staggered. If the second plate was only to supply a minimum thickness, there would be no concern for the lap distance or nailing. Max stud spacing is 24″. If you find 25″ anywhere, somebody made a mistake. This was a short article, but there was a lot of misinformation
U have some good points on explaning thing’s, but U yourself need to learn what a “Load Bearing” wall is and how to detect one, I really doubt this is one, No load from above and ceiling joist don’t intersect over it. Only thing you can’t see is how far they span, double plate’s have Nothing to do with it being Load Bearing…
Since the wall in this article is directly beneath the attic, I”m wondering how I might determine this for a wall in the first floor of my two story house? I can’t see the joists directly above the wall since they’re under the subfloor of the second floor above. Do I just have to estimate the location and look in the attic above that same spot above the second floor and make the assumption that the joists run the same way?
Great article thanks for sharing. That may be a old school header but nowadays a load-bearing header will be lumber standing up on edge, generally it’s at least a 2 by 6 or 2 by 8, doubled – up most of the time, sandwich with half inch plywood in between for a standard 4 inch wall. There’s my two cents for you sir… Merry Christmas
Just worked on a house where the builders never attached anything to the sill plate at all and it took a few months for the entire house to move a half a foot on top of the sill plate from storms or whatever., tore up all the iterior walls and ripped out lally columns off the beam.. basically condemned the home.. which was passed and inspected by the city..
This doesnt always happen bud. I worked for UFPI and delt with many wall panels, roof and floor truss engineering. Works in theory, but in reality no. The best way and quickest way is to look how the truss is designed. Many of homes have the top and bottom plate on interior and exterior walls. The next 2×4 on top is to connect the panels together. Under UFPI building specs for Southern areas, anything under 20ft wide wont have any interior bearin points. Anything over will have 1 to 2 extra.
Thank you. This is one of the best articles for the absolute novice! Too often, these types of articles use an industry -specific vocabulary that makes it difficult to understand without experience in the field. Question: I want to determine if either of two walls of a 2-story house with partial basement is load bearing. I went to the unfinished L-shaped basement and found the joists run parallel to the walls. However, there is a large metal I-beam with two large metal posts from I-beam to basement floor. This I-beam runs perpendicular to the walls and the width of the basement. Does this I-beam support the entire 2-story house? If a wall is load bearing on one floor, is there necessarily a load bearing wall directly above it on the floor above?
Thank you for clarifying what a load bearing wall is. The fact that the beams are visible was great because im a very visual person and can comprehend better with an ilustration. I sometimes perform handyman jobs but i will not take a job or perform a task if it will jeopardize the integrity of a structure. Great vid thx !!!
You have a non-conforming door header along with ceiling joists which are not lapped on top of the wall. This is most likely not a load bearing wall. A comprehensive check would be to look at the span of the ceiling joists in relation to IRC span tables, and perhaps a look at adjacent rooms where the joists may be full-span. Good luck…
Jeff I need advice. I want to move my refrigerator into a closet but need to widen the doorway for the refrigerator to fit. I discovered above the closet is a header that the second floor joists rest on. It’s a big header, pair of 2x12s, and is supported by two king studs and one jack stud on the one side my question is about. The king studs and jack studs are nailed into a 6×6 that runs all the way from the basement to the peak of the roof. My problem is I need to remove all three studs for the refrigerator to fit. Would it be feasible to replace the three studs with a bracket consisting of a top plate underneath the header, a bottom plate resting on the floor, diagonal braces at the corners, and steel plate running the length of the studs bolted to the side of the 6×6? Basically a single, narrow steel stud instead of three wooden ones. I know I would need an engineer to design such a bracket.
Is the header, above the door, in this article, built correctly? I thought that, for instance if you were using a header for a 6 foot opening( just an example), the width of the material would be standing up, while the thickness of the material (two, 2x6s and 1/2 inch piece of plywood or OSB would be sufficient to sit on top of 2×4 studs)would rest on top of the jack stud? The header, constructed in this article, isn’t that way. The width of the material is sitting on top of the jack stud. I know its doubled and the opening is less than 4 feet( obviously), but wouldn’t it be weaker? Leave the plate above the door, construct a header with two, 2x4s and a 1/2″ piece of OSB or plywood, place it where you’re looking at the width of the material ( the 3 1/2″ face of the 2×4)
Great article 👍👍👍 I have a arch in my kitchen that is only 2.5 feet from the end wall and I want to extend the arch to go to end wall. Its the old wood plates with cement in them. Not sure how to find out if its load bearing or not? Can I just remove the wood pieces and find out? Can anyone in chat help?🤔🤔 Great article once again. 👍👍👍
Excellent article. I’m needing to replace a section of bottom plate (approx 8′ in length) in my mobile home. This is on the exterior (load bearing??) Wall in my bedroom. Can I support everything by screwing some 2x4s to my floor joists then put a temporary “top plate” below the ceiling? I.e. a temporary wall inside of my wall that needs bottom plate replacement? I hope that makes sense. I would do those 2x4s on every floor joist and go up to the temporary top plate. Thank you
1918 SFH that was converted into a duplex sometime over the last century. Was looking to open up a smaller doorway for a closet pantry. I do not think the wall is loadbearing, but this has given me the confidence and the information needed to tackle the project. I will act as if the wall really is load bearing since it’s an older home.
There would be short pieces of stud between the “header” and top plate above the jack studs if it was a load bearing wall…There would also be studs coming down from the rafters to the top plate if it was load bearing in this case… otherwise – what weight is it bearing besides the ceiling rafters and drywall?
This is a horrible example. If in fact that is a load bearing wall then the header has to be made of at least a minimum of 2 each 2 X 6 (depending on the load) and they need to be on edge not flat. The way the rafters come down it looks like there was an addition and whoever did that had no idea what they were doing. You really need to point that out because you are leading people to believe that is the correct way to build a bearing wall.
Two plates are stronger than one and ties wall together also. If you only had top and bottom plate you would have to cut your sheetrock to make it fit. With 2 plates on top 1 at bottom you have 96 3/4 inch and with just the 2 you have 95 1/4 in. Sheetrock is 96 length and if you put sideways 48×2 equals 96. Serves many purposes not just one.
I know how to tell if a wall is NOT load bearing. Was ripping out drywall and got down to the frame of a basement space that will be made into a bathroom. Saw the inner walls were made by toenailing the studs to the sides of the joist and about did a cartwheel because that is a safe deletion right there. We are going from a tight, L shaped pantry with micro shop to an 8 x 8 foot square bathroom. I have one of those plus sign layouts where everything is supported in the middle and there are 4 quadrants per floor.
You cant use 2-2×4 flat ways in a load bearing wall due to its weakness in the x/x axis. The only true way to determine load bearing is if the truss or rafter is beared upon by the roof members and if there is a foundation under the wall. You can fasten a header with shear connectors and that is how hangers work. But end grain nailing is tricky.As stated in the “Douglas-Fir Use Book”, page 209, under End Grain: “The withdrawl resistance of nails and spikes into end grain is quite low, and connections of this type should be avoided where possible. The allowable lateral load per nail or spike whjen driven into end grain is two-thirds of that for nails or spikes driven into side grain.” Many window sills are nailed this way.
Aren’t those collars? If you have a rafter roof, the collars attach to each rafter end. They do not bear weight but hold the rafter ends from moving away from the king beam. Note how the door does not have a header–no load on that wall. I have 2×10 collars spaning 30 feet. Because they do not bear weight. You can remove that wall.
I have a one story 1020sq foot bungalow built in 1939. there’s a beam in the basement running the length of the house and its supported by three metal poles on a concrete floor. We were looking to take out a wall that separates a bedroom that runs the width of the house. Does the beam in the cellar tell us what walls are load bearing?
Just because there is a top plate doesn’t mean it’s load bearing- it just makes it easier to tie in to another wall using a lap joint. Although, another consideration is that even though this wall isn’t load bearing, it could be structural. Meaning- it could be providing rigidity to an inner or exterior wall. There are more factors at play in the layout other than vertical load transfer
I have been doing this type of work since I was 12 years old been to school for it and everything and it scares me when I see people like this giving advice and don’t really know what they’re talking about you could easily get someone hurt or have someone to damage their home or someone else’s home by following this article I’m not trying to knock you man or anything like that but when you explain this please tell them that you are not an expert and they should get someone qualified to take a look if they feel like the wall maybe low bearing
Can you help me I have a question regarding joists. I have concrete walls in my house, but the joists are only 4″ deep. I have plenty of space to make another room up there, but my question is. As my house is made of block concrete, what masonry hangers do I use to make the floor joists stronger to support a new floor. I understand that I could attach the new joists to the existing wooden ones. Can you advise me please.
Wrong answer. That wall is not necessarily load-bearing. Those ceiling joist depending on how long they span and how tall they are,may not be lading that wall. The give away is the hillbilly header in the doorway. Also stud spacing is 24 o.c. not 25. The reason rafters and joists are stacked above studs is called point loading. The only true way to know if a wall is load bearing is to look at the framing above it and check the spans of that lumber. I’ve seen load bearing walls set on a floor over the joist bay below without ladder blocks below so just checking below for ladder blocks doesnt confirm it either. You have to visually check and do your math on the framing structure laying upon that wall. I’ve also seen guys build a par wall between the joists but it has a 2 by 10 header in the doorway so the header doesn’t necessarily tell you it’s load-bearing either.
Thankyou for the info. I understand a load bearing wall much better now. I now realize the wall that my houses previous owner had cut open to make an archway was load bearing. I wasn’t sure but was concerned so I replaced it with a smaller doorway with header etc that fits between the wide studs (very old house).
Based on the flat header, and looks of the wall being in close proximity to the exterior wall, and those look like trusses, but can’t really tell. It kinda looks like that might not be a load bearing wall. If the trusses are engineered to span the width of the building with out having to have interior walls it doesn’t matter at all if the wall is perpendicular to the ceiling joists.
Love your article I have a question. I have 2 closets back to back with a wall in between them. I have trusses but dont know if the wall between them is load bearing. I want to knock the wall out that is between them and make one closet. So my question is ” can I move the wall that I knock down 2 feet over to block the otherside of the closet off and still be ok if its load bearing???? I’m no contractor but to me moving the wall 2 feet in the same place shouldn’t be a issue. The closet wall is 8′ long…
Ceiling joist layout has nothing to do load bearing……..2 top plates are designed for joist to fall anywhere on wall (impossible to line up every wall) in 35 yrs have never seen a house (even load walls) line up joist to stud…… Load bearing is continuous support floor to roof (not floor to joist) lining up ceiling joist has nothing to do with it ( dbl top plate allows joist to fall in between studs and ties walls together)
This article has some information that is not accurate. The first plate that comes in contact with the wall studs is the layout plate, then on top of that the top plate. And if your studs are all the same length then all of the walls will have layout and top plates the wall in the article is not load bearing, it is missing the end crips on the ends of the header to transfer the load. If it were load bearing you’d probably see the top plates sagging.
I’m an amateur, not an architect/engineer/builder/contractor by profession. There are so many things wrong with the information provided in this article I don’t know where to start. Further, if this was a “load bearing” wall this guy is standing in front of pointing out things, it was incorrectly built to begin with (I don’t believe it is load bearing). I wouldn’t even cheat on constructing a non-bearing wall this way, but that’s just me. Okay, just one item out of many, there is no such thing as 25-in. spacing according to any standards. I think that’s where I finally couldn’t stand it any more.
the header shouldn’t be sitting flat, instead be upright with a 1/2″ spacer, better yet, use 2×6’s. since there’s an attic above it’s doesn’t make much of a difference, but to build it properly, headers should be positioned upright, yes? newer homes built with 2×4, and 2×6’s make it much easier to identify a load bearing wall vs an old home where the spacing is a most always off, and the timber sizes vary widely, even the most experienced carpenter will scratch their head. for example a true 4×4 used as a header in a partition wall for closets and a hall is considered a load bearing wall, or is it not? what if it runs the whole width of the house, to partition rooms, as well as a closet, and not run parallel with the ridge of the house, is it load bearing? i’d say not, but can we be sure? what if the house has two parallel running load bearing walls that serve as supports to widen the house for a center hallway and this 4×4 runs perpendicular to these two load bearing walls, is is safe to say it’s not a load bearing wall? what if there are adjacent beams to the original twin load bearing walls, bringing the total load bearing walls to four, when the house only has one ridge? some old houses were built like post & beam and walls were filled in with other large timber they had on-hand like the 4×4 i mentioned. 2×4’s, 4×4’s, 4×6’s, 4×8’s, 8×8’s, and 8×10’s, how the hell are we supposed to know what is considered a cripple, jack, king, header, post, or beam in different applications, when different builders used the same timber for different applications.
I have been building residential houses for 40 years. This doesn’t know what he is talking about. All the framing we do has 2 top plates always. A standard stud is 92.25″ and with 3 plates (one bottom and 2 at the top) add up to 97″. Drywall on ceiling goes on then 4 ft wide drywall x 2 under leaving a small space below. With one plate you would have to cut the bottom width of the drywall to fit. Also sometimes the ceiling join layout is 24″ O.C. and joists do not all land on a stud below. The header above the door he shows is what we call a “soft header” and usually only used in a non-bearing wall (not always). The best way to determine load bearing or not is to see what lands on top. If it is support that then goes to a roof rafter, then it’s most likely load bearing. If it’s a floor joist above you can look at the span of the joist. If there is a floor below you can look to see if there is a support below that would carry the load to the foundation. The are multiple clues to consider. When in doubt ask an experienced remodeler or structural engineer.
I am trying to add a 36×80 door from my basement to my garage. The current door is 30×80. The rough opening is 33×82. I have concrete 4 inch block that the door opening is in. That concrete wall is not load bearing, the joists are running parallel to the wall and rest on the wood on top of 10 inch exterior block. Would it be okay to cut the 4 inch block to make my rough doorway opening wider?? I have a main steel beam in the basement, running perpendicular to the door and joists rest on that steel beam running the whole length of the house. Its a ranch house. Just basement and first floor. I have 2 support post on that beam in the basement. Evenly spaced. Just wanted your thought on if that 4 inch block can be cut to make door opening wider. I would have to cut about 5 1/2 inches of block off to make my rough opening 38 1/2″. Please let me know and your article was very helpful. Thanks!!
I have a 14′ wall that extends from the end of the wall on one side of the home, inward 14′. This wall has a door, to a small room, that room had a wall separating it from the master bath, its gone. This wall runs in the same direction as the ceiling joust and rafters. Would this 14′ wall be a load bearing wall?
No, we use double 2x10s with sleeper plates. And what year code book is that. MRC states all walls must consist of a primary and secondary top plate. Secondary lapping no less then 48 inches past any joint in the primary plate,and any load must bear above not the stud but a properly sized wall collumn.
Great explanation for us novices 🙂 Thank you! Im trying to make a small storage space under my stairs. I have a knee wall going up about 5 steps. Then from there there is a wall going all the way up to he second floor. I cant tell if the 2 studs i wnt to remove are helping to hold up the second floor hallway. The joist i think are running parallei to the stairs. Do you have any articles on making storage under stairs?
I found your article very informative. I just had my entry door replaced, it has sidelights that are attached (all one piece) When the contractor removed the old door and side lights it was in three separate pieces. when removing the sidelights, it was attached to one of the beams, which he removed along with the sidelight because it was to difficult to separate. He did not replace the beam, just added some long screws. When I questioned him he said that was fine. It didn’t sit well with me, so I started doing some research. After seeing your article, I think I have a problem. Contractor finished the installation, put all the molding on and it looks ok, but I am concerned that he may have compromised the safety of my home. Do I have to take all the molding off to check? Would a stud finder help? What can you suggest? I appreciate any advice you can give me. (My home is on a slab). Thank you, Bob
Ugh don’t overcomplicate how to identify a load bearing wall. Simply put, load bearing walls are running parallel to the main support beam in your basement. If no basement, then check the attic, walls running perpendicular to joists/rafters. This should be no more than 1 minute (and that’s being generous). This Old House explains it much better with their mini house model for illustration.
Not a load bearing wall….. lack of reinforced header over the door says as much. Two 2×4’s laid flat isn’t a good header to carry load. Secondary top plate or crown plate (what you call “cap plate”) doesn’t mean load bearing. When you talk about lack of a crown plate, that’s a type of framing… not necessarily “load bearing”. That is called an advanced framing technique to maximize insulation and load carrying ability of the lumber (among other things). Crown plate is used to tie in non-load bearing walls to keep them located in traditional framing. When it’s a load bearing wall, they do help support the upper structure when the spacing is different, but even there you get it wrong. By the simple fact you reference 25″ spacing for studs in advanced framing….. it’s 24″ if using advanced framing techniques if the engineer deemed it to be adequate. Seriously if you get that simple fact wrong, (basically because it can’t work with current building materials dimensions as they are sold) it’s pretty clear you have no idea what you’re talking about. That last statement is a personal attack I know, but I can also see you’re really close to an exterior wall (along with the other indicators) so I have a hard time believing it’s a load bearing wall. Now worse case scenario, everybody believes that every wall is a load bearing wall, so really no real safety concern, but it is a waste of materials at least and at most you’re costing people money they shouldn’t be spending. Do more research about load bearing walls people.
Excellent article. Load bearing: bears the weight (load) (ball bearing – the balls are bearing the weight (load, force)). Stud-joist alignment – Ideally instead of “theoretically”. They’re all carrying some weight, but it is a significant load that is when it is considered “load-bearing”. Otherwise they are referred to as a partition (load bearing walls can also partition a space.2x and4x – close, but not the same unless they were monolithic. “Out of phase” is used for – this has been misused by instructors using words/concepts that don’t really apply (so loosely that it creates more confusion).
I am sorry, but your explanation of the double top plate is wrong. The top plate is almost always double because there are no 30 foot 2×4 or 2×6 top plates they are always 8 or 10 or 12 foot long, which means in a wall that is 20 foot long there is always at least one joint, and at that joint the top plate if single will fail. However there is the second plate that is staggered so that the joints in the two plates are far apart each other and the load is transferred from one plate to another. If you have a double top plate at one place then it is a double top plate everywhere. It is true that the joists should be over the vertical stud below, but even if they are not the load is transferred by the top plate over a short distance very efficiently. There is a structural engineering lecture on you tube on this. The professor is long winded but he manages to explain this clearly. search for “Forces in Double Top Plate Splice W12 1” on you tube.
A lot of this information is not accurate. I am not trying to be negative or condescending but someone that does not know the reason for all of these details you are explaining will believe you because you make some logical arguments, but several of the reasons you came up with are NOT true. Make sure and do your due diligence before trying to educate other people please!
I really don’t think that wall is bearing. Without a flush header, there would have to be at least a double 2x header over the door for it to be bearing. A double 2×4 set in the 4×2 orientation won’t carry anything beyond 24″. So its either non bearing, or they straight up forgot the header. The exterior wall behind you would have been a better example of a bearing wall.
Sorry sure but this is wrong the top plate get another plate nailed ontop called a tie plate that ties all the walls together like a puzzle peice that will and should be on all the walls thoughout the house that has nothing to do with load bearing…usually a load bearing wall will have a stiff back and kicker ontop that supports the rafters and the ridge ontop usually a wall towards the middle of the house
It is a concrete slab not a cement slab (an experienced framer should know better). It’s called a sill plate at ground level, bottom plate is commonly used but not pc. it’s called a double top plate, not just top plate. The “double” is for splicing not for loads (something a framer should know). Cap plates are for the top of parapet walls in balloon framing. Also double top plates are checked for joists on the middle so it is fine. It’s not a header plate, just a header. An inspector would tell you to fix it, it’s unlikely they’ll issue a stop work unless you got fully framed floors above. You do get one point for looking in the attic method as the least destructive way of finding load-bearing walls.
I’m having a wall taken down (hopefully) tommorow inside my home. It separates 2 living areas. I seem to be the only one that thinks it’s a load bearing wall because one side of it has just 2×4’s when we cut thru the top part ( oh forgot to mention it’s a dummy wall so to speak) and when we take a flashlight and look thru the square we just cutout, we see a layered wall of 2×4 ‘s stacked on top of each other on the other side of it. Needless to say, I’m perplexed at the least 🤔. Hoping the contracter can take this wall down and if load bearing can sink a beam up into the ceiling as not to leave me with a foot of drywall in this design left to be seen in the center of the home when you walk thru the front door. I’ll keep you posted with findings. Wish me luck 🙏🙏. #desiringupdatedhomedesign
Great article! I am looking at removing a wall and it is parallel to the floor joist. So I would assume it isn’t load bearing, however, the only thing that worries me is that the floor joist is directly above it. It is on the main floor of a 2 story house and there is no wall above it or below it in the basement and it isn’t an exterior wall. Would it be safe to assume that it isn’t load bearing because of this?
Like many others have commented, there is so much misinformation in this article. I’m not going to write an essay describing what is wrong here. Just do yourselves a favor and consult a licenced professional and not some amateur on youtube giving misinformation. Just because this guy is citing code applications doesn’t mean he knows what he’s talking about. Be safe people.
Ok this guy is the man. Such clear and MOST IMPORTANTLY straight to the point instructions with no BS that I would deem this tutorial flawless. What makes your tutorial so worthy of respect is the fact that when you watch it as someone who knows nothing on the subject and impulsively have internal questions each step of the way… and they are answered instantly without you having the time to actually wonder…. this level of bare bones teaching is rare and as a tradesmen in a different field, (pipefitting) I full heartedly dig and support everything about this. Thank you good sir. We need more men like you in this world.