Installing Furring Strips on Your Basement Walls

basement
  • 2-4 hours
  • Beginner
  • 30-50
What You'll Need
Liquid nails glue
Power drill
Masonry bit
3" Fluted nails
Sledgehammer
Measuring tape
Marker
Carpenters level or plumb bob
What You'll Need
Liquid nails glue
Power drill
Masonry bit
3" Fluted nails
Sledgehammer
Measuring tape
Marker
Carpenters level or plumb bob

Many homeowners who want more space in their homes are finishing their basements by installing basement walls. Finishing a basement can be a challenge if you don't have experience with attaching furring strips. If you need guidance for installing these strips, just follow these five steps below.

Choosing your Material

Although 2-inch lumber is more expensive to use for furring strips, it is also more versatile. You should use kiln-dried strips, which are less likely to warp with changes in moisture or humidity. For 2x4-inch floor plates where the wood strip is attached to the floor and the wall studs, you should use pressure-treated wood.

Attaching the Floor Plate

Make sure the area where the wall meets the floor is clean and dry. Apply a bead of the liquid nail on the flat, broadside of this floor plate from one end to the other end of the plate. Place the plate on the floor with the glue side against the wall and the narrow edge resting on the floor. Your furring strips will stand on this plate, creating a moisture barrier between the concrete floor and the wall studs. It will also give you a solid board to which you can anchor the bottom ends of your wall studs.

Marking Your Plate

Using your measuring tape, begin at the near end of the plate place a mark every 16-inches along the length of the plate. This mark will be where the center of each stud will be positioned.

Attaching the Plate

When the liquid nail glue has solidified and the floor plate is solidly attached to the wall, use your power drill to bore a hole through the near end of the plate. Drill through the plate into the concrete wall. Use the sledgehammer to pound a fluted nail through the plate into the wall. Repeat this process at the far end of the plate, then at the 16-inch intervals along the length of the plate.

Attaching the Studs

Beginning at one end of the plate, place a stud against the wall with the bottom end standing on the plate. Use your level or plumb bob to plumb this stud. When you have it plumb, mark one edge of the stud as a guide to keep the stud in place while you are attaching it to the wall.

At the bottom of the stud, drill a hole through the stud into the wall. Drive a fluted nail through the stud into the wall. Attach the top of the stud to the wall, making sure the stud is plumb before attaching it to the wall. Once the fluted nails are driven into the concrete wall, they are next to impossible to remove. Drive more nails through the stud into the wall every 18-inches. Repeat this process with the other studs, each of which should be attached against the wall with the bottom end resting on a 16-inch mark.