A wall plate, a structural element in the light frame construction

Framing (construction)

Framing, in construction known as light-frame construction, is a building technique based around structural members, usually called studs, which provide a stable frame to which interior and exterior wall coverings are attached, and covered by a roof comprising horizontal ceiling joists and sloping...

 method known as platform framing, is a horizontally laid structural element at right angles to the load-bearing part of the vertical load (weight

Weight

In science and engineering, the weight of an object is the force on the object due to gravity. Its magnitude , often denoted by an italic letter W, is the product of the mass m of the object and the magnitude of the local gravitational acceleration g; thus:...

) of a building. It serves as a very localized lintel ("header" in North America) structurally, but its primary purpose is to expedite construction by allowing a wall to be built lying down on its side and then tipped up into its final vertical position; the wall stud

Wall stud

A wall stud is a vertical member in the light frame construction techniques called balloon framing and platform framing of a building's wall.-Purpose:...

s and plates are oriented at right angles to one another.

There are three types of wall plates and are located at the top and bottom of a wall section, and the two hold the wall studs parallel and spaced at the correct interval. Each type continues in a piecewise fashion around the whole perimeter of the structure.

• Sill plate
  Sill plate
  A sill plate or sole plate in construction and architecture is the bottom horizontal member of a wall or building to which vertical members are attached. Sill plates are usually composed of lumber. It usually comes in sizes of 2×4, 2×6, 2×8, and 2×10. In the platform framing method the sill plate...
  
  s — a lower wall plate which is bolted or strapped securely to the top of a foundation wall or concrete slab. These hold the house down against heavy winds. Normally, "J-bolts" are placed in the curing concrete after the mason levels the foundation and finishes dressing the concrete. Newer systems of galvanized strapping with a J-bolt like anchor placed in the concrete allows the builder to avoid the mating step of drilling the sill plates for the bolts.
• Lower wall plates or base plate or floor plate — a second lower wall plate to which the wall studs are through nailed and which is the bottom of the wall section when assembled as a rectangular assembly. On an upper story, the lower wall plate is nailed to the platform of the supporting floor. The supporting platform is being supported by the wall studs of the even lower walls below.
• Upper wall plate or top plate or ceiling plate — upper wall plate which is fastened along the top of the wall studs, before the wall is lifted into position and on which the platform of the next story or the ceiling and roof assembly rest and are attached. A second layer of dimensional lumber is always fastened to the top plates of the erected walls so that no joints overlap, providing greatly increased stability. In North America this is known as a "double top plate" and the process of installing the second top plate is known as "top plating."

External links

• The MMC Glossary 2008 - The Modern Construction Glossary of MMC and offsite terms including Framed Construction.
• Canadian Wood Council - Wood building design tools, case studies and references.
• How Your House Works House Framing and Structure overview.
• USDA Forest Products Laboratory Lists of Publications
  • Wood handbook--Wood as an engineering material
• Design and Construction of Low Energy Houses in Saskatchewan