How To Replace Rotted Stud Wall Bottom Plate

Here we show you how to repair and replace the bottom wood plate of a wood stud wall that has been rotted out by water or termites and is otherwise disintegrated and no longer able to perform its job. Termite damaged wood stud walls can be easily spotted by all the channels cut into the wood and it disintegrates. This bottom plate repair method to replace rotted studs in your house and stud wall framing is only for use on a non-load bearing wall, unless you build a temporary brace wall for the load bearing wall to hold everything up until you slide in a new wood bottom plate underneath all the studs of the wall. Then you would remove the temporary brace stud wall.

PLEASE NOTE: When performing bottom plate replacement, In most areas building code requires that you use pressure treated wood for the bottom plate or you must have a moisture barrier underneath underneath your wood bottom plate if your bottom plate is coming in contact with concrete floors.

It's a 20-Volt MAX XR Lithium-Ion battery cordless brushless 2-speed 33-degree framing nailer.
This comes with charger and case too. I got this as a great alternative to having a compressor and twisted hoses everywhere to power a framing nailer to nail the bottom plate and wall studs back together, and add cabinet blocking to our stud walls.

This prevents nice dry stud walls from becoming water damaged stud walls from rotting wood that would otherwise wick the water upward from the wood bottom plate or waterlogged sill plate, thus causing rotted stud walls. Also using the pressure treated lumber or vapor barrier beneath white wood stud bottom plate protects the bottom plate from rotting in the event of a flood in the kitchen or bathroom.

Please note this repair is only for NON Load bearing walls!

This is due to the fact that a load bearing wall would require you to erect a temporary stud wall from floor to ceiling a few inches away from the existing stud wall that you want to modify. Then once the new bottom plate is inserted beneath the studs of the load bearing wall, you would then remove the temporary brace wall.

But since this video covers only the case of a non-load bearing wall, we are able to just slide in spacer blocks at the bottom of the stud wall to keep our vertical studs in place while we slide in a new wood stud bottom plate to replace the old rotted stud wall bottom plate.

You can also replace water damaged and rotted studs in your framing stud wall at this point. In fact our usual repair for termite rotted studs is simply to remove the rotted out stud and repair them with new ones. Keep in mind you don't even need to remove the bottom plate if you just want to remove and repair termite damaged studs from your stud wall, just use your Sawzall at the bottom of the studs to cut through the nails.

Don't forget as part of this DIY project to repair stud walls, remember to anchor your wood bottom plate to the concrete floor using a Ramset, or Tapcon screws, or concrete anchors. If you are anchoring into a wood sub floor, use some beefy screws or even lag screws.

We suggest if you are using screws, that they be galvanized for further protection against corrosion of the fastener from water leaks or floods. After you replace the bottom stud plate, you can then repair the drywall that goes over your previously rotted stud wall.

00:00 Introduction to rotted bottom stud wall plate
01:02 Strategy for removing old bottom plate
01:49 Using reciprocating saw to cut through wall stud nails
03:10 Shim up the dangling wall studs
03:57 Slide new bottom plate into place under wall studs

[patrickodonovan]

Thanks for sharing your method. You are master craftsman and a great instructor.

[jamesshaw]

Thank you for sharing. My 1930 home is sitting on rotted sill plate wood. This gives me confidence that I can change that now and save thousands of dollars.

[davnbro]

I was always told that the bottom plate should be pressure treated wood when against concrete or in locations that have possible exposure to water/had previous water damage.

[realamerican]

You have no idea how manu videos I looked at before I found someone that did it right.
Good job boss.

[scottietash]

Thanks for the information. Getting ready to do this same task and was totally lost, you're video saved me.

[alecdusseau]

Great example video beside the fact that it rotted out because of not being treated against concrete, which is also bug resistant, using another piece of white pine it will just rot away again and has no resistance to bugs

[jeanie]

The camera moved around quite a bit but the info was great, thank you.... Easy to follow, as much as I dread doing it.... doesn't look to hard. Need a Sawzall tho or whatever you call it.

[MrAnkoor]

you should put 2 in. x 4 in. x 8 ft. #1 Redwood-Tone Ground Contact Pressure-Treated Lumber to avoid same picture

[jerrymoore]

You're saving me. Many many thanks

[roveney]

Useful tip! Accidentally rammed my truck into the garage wall frame so now the nails are keeping it from slipping back on. I need new tires in this snow lmfao 🤣

[paulg]

would love to hear what has to change for a load bearing wall, how do you support the upper timbers so that you can get the job done ?

[pabloocegueda]

I'm sorry but you need to use green treated plate board otherwise is too much work to see the plate disintegrate again

[nicholaswhipple]

If I have a load bearing wall I would expect to use a jack to support the load?

[rdunyc]

This is a great video! Thank you. I have a few studs on an exterior garage wall that rotted a bit when the siding rotted. Can you do a partial replacement of the bottom of the studs on a load-bearing wall?

Essentially, can you cut an equivalent block of wood and place it under the hanging piece? And secure it with a horizontal piece of wood where the cuts were made (in between the old top and new bottom 1/5th. It's not bad rot, but the rot is there. I want to ensure that is standard and will meet code. Any help is appreciated.

[Glenners]

Great video! During our flood they also cut off the bottom foot of stud. What's the correct way to add more stud so it reaches the new bottom plate? Do you have to make a sill for them all to sit on and then add cripples underneath?

[hpain]

Looks like same thing might happen in a few years if that’s concrete. PT wood instead right?

[UBER]

Would a redwood stud work even better to protect against termite activity?

[williampurdie]

You can see the termite funnel on the stud near the PowerPoint

[Pam-oqxd]

Hi Jeff do you have a video for replacing a king stud next to a door?

[MrPhimanh]

What are we going to do if that wall is load bearing wall ? How we replace a rotted sill plate ? Thanks.