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Quorten Blog 1

First blog for all Quorten's blog-like writings

Sure, we know there is the standard wall stud spacing, but how far are wall studs spaced apart around doorways? Well, well, it turns out that wall stud construction around doorways is a bit non-trivial, so let’s describe this with a picture, as well as the jargon used in the profession. Please note that these descriptions are specific to U.S. construction standards.

Wall studs diagram
  • The dimensions of a “2x4” are 1.5 by 3.5 inches. The dimensions of a “2x6” are 1.5 by 5.5 inches.

  • Standard wall studs are typically 16 inches apart, except for some interior walls that might go 24 inches apart.

  • Above and below wall studs are wall plates that protrude into the finished indoor space and would otherwise block doorways. Thus, you may need to cut away a wall plate that may interfere with the bottom of a door.

  • Doorways are typically 30 to 31 inches wide.

  • The studs immediately surrounding a doorway are trimmer studs. They are the height of the doorway.

  • Immediately surrounding the trimmer studs are “king studs,” which is just another name for standard height studs.

  • The top-edge of the doorway is bordered with a header, which is two studs plus a 0.5 inch plywood, at least in the case of using 2x4 studs.

  • Between the header and the top wall plate are cripple studs, studs that are shorter than the full wall length.

  • The finished edge of the doorway that holds the door closed is called the door jamb.

  • The horizontal beams supporting the floor/ceiling are called joists.

20190820/DuckDuckGo how far apart are studs spaced for a doorway
20190820/https://www.hunker.com/12266809/what-is-the-distance-between-wall-studs
20190820/https://www.wikihow.com/Frame-a-Doorway
20190820/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2%C3%974
20190820/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dimensional_lumber#North_American_softwoods
20190820/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Framing_%28construction%29
20190820/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joist


Gosh, all this lingo, it really reminds you that in the old days, people worked with this kind of physical construction a lot. But once additive manufacturing scales up, the vocabulary will, sadly, become much more scarce. I know, it always when our world becomes more high tech and old professions die out.