DIY, or Do it yourself, can be more than just a home improvement project, it can be an adventure. During the course of a typical project you will learn new skills or techniques that can be applied to other projects in the future. You will also be able to stretch your creative skills and even exercise time and materials management on the micro level. As long as you are willing to invest the time into learning the proper skills, there should be no project out of reach.
Today, we are going to go through the steps you will take if you want to renovate your home by installing a divider wall to create a new room.
When your house was first built, the walls that were installed were designed to be load bearing. They take the weight of your roof or upper stories.
These walls shouldn't be touched. However, if you have a large bedroom that you want to divide because of a new baby or would like to segregate a part of your basement for storage you can build a non-load bearing divider wall. This is a great project for a homeowner to tackle because you can drastically alter the character of your house without risking damage to its inherent structure.
The first step is to build a stud wall. You will need to go to your local lumber yard and get high quality 2' by 4' lumber. If you don't have a chop saw at home and don't want to use a hand saw, do all your measuring and calculations before going to the lumber yard. For a small fee, they will cut your wood for you. A stud wall is essentially a framed wooden box with horizontal boards installed at fixed intervals. It should be stable and free standing.
After the stud wall is up, it is time to drywall. Drywall can be cut with a utility knife to the length of your wall. You should then find a helper to hold the panels up to your stud wall while you screw it in place. If you don't have a cordless drill, it might be time to purchase one or borrow one from a neighbor.
Once the basic wall is up, you should finish the seams by taping over them and then applying drywall mud. This compound is mixed with water and applied with a scraper. You can create a smooth surface or a textured pattern. Some people like to add sand to their drywall mud. As you apply it, you can ensure that you new wall flows seamlessly into the original portions of your house.
Painting is arguably the most fun step as you create your new wall. There is a huge canon of literature on how to create different styles using paint and ordinary household items like rags or sponges. After the base paint is applied, attach any baseboards or molding that you want to tie your entire room together. Do it yourself wall construction is a fun and easy way to entirely alter the look of your house.
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