Building a temporary wall


I've got my system in a finished basement, which is basically two rectangles of different lengths next to each other. I want to seperate them in a cheap and temporary way. The size of the barrier/wall would be about 20 ft. long and 8 ft. high. There's a wooden beam running the length of the ceiling right at the point I want to seperate. Right now I've got one of those thick canvas painter's tarp screwed into the beam, which hangs all the way to the floor. This works pretty well and is definitely cheap and temporary. Just wondering if anyone else has suggestions?

Thanks,
mjb
mjbraunstein
Nugguy, yeah no kidding!

George, my role on Audiogon is to point out those unintentional mistakes in my irreverant way, heheh.
George

There are many ways to construct a wall, mine is only one of many. Yes self tapping was wrong but a lot easier than writing. "They have tiny little cutting blades on there tiny little heads." Interesting.. Wood vs. steel.. Digital vs. Vinyl. are we audiophiles or what. ya just gotta luv it.
Gunbei
Boy nothing goes by you!
Vegasears
Drywall screws are NOT self tapping althought they are designed to penetrate the thin steel studs due to very very sharp points.Self tapping screws are the ones with the drill point.I finf working with wood studs easier,prices are the same for wood or steel studs.Wood is stronger and preffered for residential construction.If not experienced working with steel studs then to be avoided because they are extremely sharp and harder to fasten screws on them as they tend to twist on you.In order to get a square cut on a channel you required to do two cuts ,one cut for separation and a second one to square as the edges buckle and curl up on first cut,making assemply difficult.
Best regards
George
A few pointers
Your canvas setup is probably the cheapest/best.temporary solution. 2"x4"x92"s are 3 dollars each,4'x8'x1/2"gypsum board is 12.95$ each.Acoustic insulation Roxul is about 30$ a bag of 10 butts.Then you should run 2"x6" for base and headers so you can stugger the 2"x4" on 16" on center.Tha way you create acousticaly dead wall with the insulation installed in the cavities of course.Don't forget a box of drywall screws and nails to put the studs together.I agree about the floating wall.Just cut short and install a layer of thick foam band(pink brand insulation sells rolls of that ) at the header between it and the beam.Make sure to drill pilot holes at the header larger than the screws diameter to allow for movement up/down direction.Add the cost of taping(plaster) and prime/paint and baseboards for a finish look.Lastly how temporary is that for a wall?
Prices are in Canadian dollars at Home Depot but close enough to USD.
Best of luck
George
Vegasears,

Having been a carpenter. I have the 97 UBC at my fingertips as that is what we used to use here. We may now be using the IBC I dont know as I have since moved on to a desk job. The nice thing about using steel studs for basement framing and a floating wall situation is they make a special track, the bottom section ramsets to the floor and the top section gets screwed into the studs. If I remember correctly there is a spring mechanism between the two plates. Having never used this piticular construction method. I have always framed in wood for basement construction except for steel soffits.

It is not about the fact that it is a non-bearing wall. The float is required because of expansive soils. It allows the concrete floor to move up and down without basement walls stressing the house above them.

Michael
Man, a guy can learn all kinds of stuff on this site! Good to know if I ever go framing in Colorado.
Artizen65. Please provide IBC code referance for steel stud installion requirements of a non-bearing partition. I in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Vegasears,

In my area Colorado depending on where you are at the float has to be 1.5 to 3 inches.
Michael is right! The beam and the floor above deflects (compresses) and will cause cracking. The 2x4 or steel stud channel which will be attached to the underside of the beam is used as a guide. The studs are cut a 1/4 to 3/8” short and the drywall is only attached to the vertical studs. This allows the floor above float freely.
Try pricing out steel 2x4 studs and 1/2” drywall. Steel studs are lighter and make less of a mess. They are also easy to cut. The drywall is attached with self-tapping screws.

Good Luck
If you have a concrete slab you need to float the wall. This is a must to meat code. It also allows the floor to move up without destroying your house.

Good Luck.

Michael
2X4's are cheap, so is insulation and drywall. Frame the wall sections on the floor, stand them up and nail them in.

Dave