Calculate Stud Length

Summary

This video tutorial explains how to calculate the height of studs in timber frame walls based on various wall heights and materials, including Gyprock and plasterboard sheets. It covers different scenarios like walls on a concrete slab, platform floors, and floating floors, detailing the adjustments needed for plate thickness, trenching, and additional elements like battens and furring channels. The guide helps viewers understand how to determine the correct stud length for constructing timber walls.

Takeaways

• 🏗️ The height of a stud in a timber frame wall is determined by the wall's height and the type of lining used, such as Gyprock or plasterboard sheets.
• 📏 Common wall heights are 2400mm (two sheets stacked), 2700mm (two 1350mm sheets), and recently advertised heights like 2600mm or 2650mm, which combine a 1200mm and a 1350mm sheet.
• 🔩 Studs are typically joined to the top and bottom plates by either butt jointing or trenching, with butt jointing being more common.
• 📐 The need for a double top plate or a ribbon plate depends on whether the top plate will be randomly loaded, which requires a 70mm top plate according to the Timber Framing Code.
• ⚙️ Random loading of a top plate means not being able to land every rafter or truss within a zone of 1.5 times the thickness of the plate.
• 🛠️ If a 70mm top plate is needed, it can be reinforced with a noggin or a ribbon plate to allow for more flexible placement of rafters or trusses.
• 📐 Calculating stud length involves adding the wall height, ceiling material thickness, and subtracting the thickness of the top and bottom plates.
• 🏠 For a concrete slab floor with a 2400mm ceiling height, the stud length is 2305mm for butt jointed plates or 2315mm for trenched plates.
• 🌾 If a platform floor with a 20mm strip flooring is used, the stud length adjusts to 2325mm for butt jointed or 2335mm for trenched plates.
• 🪵 In scenarios with natural timber floors, the wall height must accommodate the thickness of the battens and flooring, resulting in a stud length of 2345mm for butt jointed or 2355mm for trenched plates.
• 🛖 For walls with a cut-in floor where the wall plate sits on top of the joists, the stud length calculation must include the thickness of the flooring, ceiling height, and furring channel, resulting in a stud length of 2345mm for butt jointed or 2365mm for trenched plates.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the video?

The main topic of the video is teaching how to calculate the height of a stud in a Timber Frame Wall.

Why is the height of the stud related to the height of the wall?

The height of the stud is related to the height of the wall because the stud's length needs to accommodate the wall's total height, including the wall lining materials and any additional elements like cornices.

What are common wall heights mentioned in the video?

Common wall heights mentioned are 2400 mm, 2700 mm, and recently advertised 2600 mm or 2650 mm.

What are the standard widths of Gyprock or Plasterboard sheets?

The standard widths of Gyprock or Plasterboard sheets are 1200 mm.

What is the significance of the term 'butt jointed' in the context of studs and plates?

The term 'butt jointed' refers to the method of joining studs to the top and bottom plates by simply butting them together, which is a common method nowadays.

What is the purpose of a 'ribbon plate' or 'double top plate'?

A 'ribbon plate' or 'double top plate' is used to provide additional clearance over internal walls, especially when working with trusses, and to meet the requirements of the Timber Framing Code for random loading of the top plate.

What does 'random loading' of a top plate mean?

Random loading of a top plate means that not all rafters or trusses are landing within the specified zone of 1.5 times the thickness of the plate, necessitating a 70mm top plate according to the Timber Framing Code.

What is the standard top and bottom plate thickness used in the video example?

The standard top plate thickness used in the example is 70mm, and the bottom plate thickness is 35mm.

How does the presence of a floating floor affect the calculation of stud length?

The presence of a floating floor adds an additional thickness to the wall height calculation, requiring an adjustment in the stud length to accommodate the extra height.

What is the effect of using a natural timber floor on the wall height calculation?

Using a natural timber floor involves battening out the concrete slab, which increases the wall height requirement to fit the combined thickness of the battens and the flooring.

What additional element is considered in the 'cut in floor' scenario?

In the 'cut in floor' scenario, the wall plate sits on top of the joists, and additional elements like the Faring Channel and the thickness of the plasterboard and flooring are considered in the wall height calculation.

Outlines

00:00

🏠 Calculating Stud Height for Timber Frame Walls

This paragraph explains the process of calculating the height of studs in timber frame walls, which is directly related to the wall's height and the type of lining material used, such as Gyprock or Plasterboard sheets. Common wall heights are 2400 mm (two sheets stacked) or 2700 mm (using 1350 mm sheets), and recently 2600 or 2650 mm ceilings have been advertised. The method of joining studs to the top and bottom plates is discussed, with butt jointing being the most common. The concept of a double top plate or ribbon plate is introduced, especially in the context of trusses and random loading requirements as per the Timber Framing Code. The example given is for a concrete slab floor with a 2400 mm ceiling height, 10 mm Gyprock, and a 70 mm top plate with a 35 mm bottom plate, leading to a stud length calculation of 2305 mm for butt jointed or 2315 mm for trenched plates.

05:03

📏 Adjusting Stud Length for Different Flooring Options

The second paragraph delves into adjusting the stud length calculations for various flooring scenarios. When a wall sits on a platform floor with strip flooring, the wall height must accommodate the 20 mm thickness of the flooring, leading to a total wall height of 2430 mm and a stud length of 2325 mm for butt jointed or 2335 mm for trenched plates. For natural timber floors, the wall height needs to be higher to account for battens and flooring, totaling 40 mm, which results in a wall height of 2450 mm and a stud length of 2345 mm for butt jointed or 2345 mm plus the depth of trenches for trenched plates. The final scenario described involves a cut-in floor where the wall plate sits on top of the joists, with a Faring Channel and Plasterboard adding 30 mm to the ceiling thickness, and 20 mm for the flooring, totaling a wall height of 2450 mm and a stud length of 2345 mm minus plate thickness, plus the depth of trenches if trenched.

Keywords

💡Timber Frame Wall

A 'Timber Frame Wall' refers to a wall constructed using wooden studs, top and bottom plates, and sheathing. In the video, the theme revolves around calculating the height of studs for such walls, which is crucial for structural integrity and aesthetics. The script discusses various scenarios affecting the height of these walls, such as the type of flooring and ceiling materials used.

💡Stud

A 'Stud' in construction is a vertical piece of lumber used in framing walls. The video's main focus is on calculating the correct length of studs for a timber frame wall, which is essential for ensuring proper wall height and structural support. The script provides formulas and examples for determining stud length based on wall height and plate thickness.

💡Gyprock

Gyprock, also known as drywall or plasterboard, is a panel made of gypsum plaster pressed between two thick sheets of paper. It is commonly used as a lining material in walls and ceilings. The script mentions Gyprock as an example of a material that affects the wall height, with standard widths and lengths influencing the overall dimensions of the wall.

💡Plasterboard

Plasterboard is another term for Gyprock, used interchangeably in the script. It is a key component in determining wall height, as the video explains that wall heights are often set to accommodate the dimensions of plasterboard sheets, which come in standard sizes like 1200mm widths.

💡Butt Joint

A 'Butt Joint' is a method of joining two pieces of lumber end-to-end without any overlap. The script explains that studs are commonly joined to the top and bottom plates using a butt joint, which is a simple and common construction technique for timber frame walls.

💡Trench

In the context of the video, 'Trench' refers to the technique of cutting a groove into the end of a stud to receive the end of another piece of lumber, such as a plate. This method provides a stronger connection than a butt joint and is an alternative method mentioned in the script for joining studs to plates.

💡Top Plate

The 'Top Plate' is the horizontal piece of lumber that tops the studs in a wall frame, connecting them together. The script discusses the importance of the top plate's thickness, especially when considering random loading and the use of a ribbon plate for additional support.

💡Bottom Plate

The 'Bottom Plate' is the base horizontal piece of lumber in a wall frame that the studs are anchored to. The script calculates the total wall height by adding the thickness of the bottom plate to other components, emphasizing its role in determining the final stud length.

💡Ribbon Plate

A 'Ribbon Plate' is a continuous top plate used in construction to provide additional support and rigidity to the wall frame. The script explains that using a ribbon plate allows for more flexibility in placing rafters or trusses without the need for a 70mm top plate for random loading.

💡Floating Floor

A 'Floating Floor' is a type of floor installation that sits on top of an underlayment, not fixed to the subfloor, allowing for some movement. The script mentions floating floors as one of the factors that can affect the height of a timber frame wall, requiring adjustments to the stud length to accommodate the floor's thickness.

💡Faring Channel

A 'Faring Channel' is a metal channel used in construction to create a smooth transition between the ceiling and the wall. The script describes a scenario where a faring channel is used, adding to the overall thickness of the ceiling assembly and impacting the calculation of the wall height.

Highlights

The video demonstrates how to calculate the height of a stud in a Timber Frame Wall, which is related to the wall's height and the type of lining used.

Common wall heights are 2400mm, achieved by stacking two sheets of Gyprock or Plasterboard, and 2700mm using 1350mm sheets.

Newly advertised wall heights include 2600mm or 2650mm, combining 1200mm and 1350mm sheets with cornice adjustments.

Studs are commonly joined to the top and bottom plates by butt jointing or trenching.

A double top plate or ribbon plate may be used, especially with trusses or for random loading according to the Timber Framing Code.

Random loading of a top plate requires a 70mm thickness if rafters or trusses cannot be landed within a 1.5 times the plate thickness zone.

A 70mm top plate and a 35mm bottom plate are used in the example with a concrete slab floor and 2400mm ceiling height.

The stud length is calculated by adding the wall height to the thickness of the ceiling material and subtracting the plate thicknesses.

For butt jointed plates, the stud length is 2305mm, but for trenched plates, it's adjusted to 2315mm with a 5mm trench.

A floating floor or timber strip floor adds an extra 20mm to the wall height, affecting the stud length calculation.

Natural timber floors may require battening out the concrete slab, adding 40mm to the wall height for stud length calculation.

In scenarios with a cut-in floor, the wall plate sits on top of the joists, and the ceiling includes a Faring Channel for additional thickness.

The total wall height for a cut-in floor scenario is calculated by adding the thickness of the flooring, ceiling height, and Faring Channel.

The final stud length for a cut-in floor scenario, considering trenching, is adjusted based on the depth of the trenches.

Various scenarios are presented to illustrate the calculation of stud length in Timber Frame Walls, emphasizing adaptability to different construction methods and materials.

Transcripts

In This Video what I want to show you is how to calculate the height of a stud in a Timber Frame Wall

and obviously the height of the stud is directly related to the height of the wall Itself

and the high the walls generally

depends on the type of lining you're gonna use or personal preference I guess

for example Gyprock or Plasterboard sheets

Come in

1200 widths in whatever length sort of thing you want

so common

wall heights are 2400 which is two sheets stacked on top of each other

Plasterboard also Comes in 1350 sheets so

2 / 1350 would give you 2700 so commonly

2700 is a common wall height as, well

I've also Seen Advertised Lately

2600 or 2650 ceilings which would be a combination of a 1200 and

a 1350 plus you can have a little bit of play with your cornice so you can

quite easily get a 2600 ceiling using those two sheets in combination

but anyway regardless of the height of the wall

we need to calculate the length of the Stud to

construct it now the studs commonly joining our top and bottom plate

by either two methods most common nowadays Is just two butt it straight in

although some people still trench

their studs in so that's another option that we'll have a look at

as we go through

The other thing that

you'll have to think about the wall is are you gonna have a double top plate or not or a ribbon plate as

What the top

Top Section is normally called this is commonly used with trusses

to give us one to give us the clearance over our Internal walls but

also because the Timber Framing Code says that if you're going to randomly load your top

plate then you have to have a 70mm Top Plate

so random loading of a Top Plate basically what that means is

we have a little rule which Is 1.5 x the thickness of the plate

Okay, if We can't land every rafter truss or

floor joist within that

Zone

then it's randomly loaded so if we land anything out here you have to have A 70mm Top Plate

If we can get everything in there then there's no need for A 70mm Top Plate

We can just run with our standard Top Plate?

The other option would be to go along and reinforce our Top Plate with a noggin

And as you could imagine that would take a substantial amount of time

So it's just easier to put on a Ribbon Plate and then, we can land our rafters trusses or

Floor joists wherever we want

so in this case i'm going to have a 70mm Top Plate and A 35mm Bottom Plate and

Firstly this is a common situation here common scenario

Concrete Slab

floor

plates sitting directly onto the slab 10mm Gyprock ceiling direct Fixed to the trusses and

2400

Ceiling height

Obviously 10mm for our Ceiling

So to work out our Ceiling height first thing, sorry, work out our Stud length

First thing we need to know is the height of our wall so

The height of our wall is going to be 2400 plus our 10 so our wall needs to be 2410

We then have to deduct the width of our Plates or the thickness of our Plates

So a 70 mm for the top plate 35mm for the Bottom Plate

So that gives us a length a stud length of

2305 in this scenario now that's for the butt jointed option if we were going to trench our Plates then

we would obviously have to add the Depth of our trench onto both ends of our Stud?

So in this Scenario I'm gonna trench my Plates 5mm so I add 5 and 5 for both ends

and that gives us a trenched

length of our stud for a trench of

2315

So that's for the slab scenario where the wall sits directly on top of slab it

also would be the same situation if we, were using a platform floor where our plate sat directly on top of the Floor

same Scenario

However if we were then

going to put a floating floor on top of the our Platform Floor or a timber

strip floor on top of the our Platform floor then the scenario would change a little bit because our

wall is sitting on the platform and this?

you know the the

Strip Flooring Is sitting obviously the thickness of the flooring above that

so in This case, that's 20mm thick that layer of flooring

So now, the height of the wall needs to be a little bit higher to accommodate for that flooring

so same scenario, we're gonna go with our

2400, 10mm for our Gyprock and but this case we have to add 20mm for our Strip Flooring

so that gives us a wall height of 2430

but then again deduct our plates which just gives Us back to a Stud length of 2325 and

that's for the butt joint option if we want to

trench our plates we add 10mm back on and it gives us 2335

so that's for a platform Floor We have a floating floor on top and

again would be the same scenario if you again have put a floating floor over a concrete slab

we'd have to allow for the thickness of the floating floor

The other option that some people do regularly nowadays Is

with if we're going to put down a natural timber floor they'll actually batten out the concrete slab and

obviously with the thickness of the flooring and thickness of the battens that's going to

mean that our wall height needs to be substantially higher to fit our 2400 in so

this time We've got a floor this combined with our Batten and our flooring of 40mm

So again first thing work out your stud hight, your wall height

which is going to be 24 plus 10 plus 40 Gives Us 2450

take away your Top and Bottom Plate

so, we end up with 2345 and

then we add

back on if we're going to trench our plates, we add our 10mm back on

our the 2 depths of your trenches, doesn't have to be A 5mm trench depth will be a 10mm trench depth

whatever that's going to be

So that's that scenario on the last scenario

what I've got, here is a cut in floor so the wall plate is actually sitting on top of the joists

not on top of the flooring the flooring is cut in afterwards and you'll notice on the ceiling we've actually got a Faring Channel

battening down

the

Gyprock or the Plasterboard so our

ceiling is

substantially thicker with our Faring Channel in our Plasterboard gives us about 30mm thick and

our Flooring Is 20mm thick there as well so

from our joist the height of the wall which runs from the top of the joist to the underside of the truss

we've got 20mm for our flooring our 2400 for our Ceiling height and 30mm for our

Ceiling and Faring Channel

so again that gives us a total wall height of 2450

you take away our Plates

gives us 2345 and then if we're going to trench it

we add in a depth of our trenches

so there you go that's a few of the scenarios and

that's how, we calculate the length of our studs for our Timber Wall