Building A Strong Half Wall - Avoiding the WOBBLE!

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Eliminating Half Wall Wobble!
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FULL ARTICLE HERE:
https://www.aconcordcarpenter.com/bes...

We typically see half walls at stair openings, replacing railings and balusters, as well as in bathrooms. In remodeling we use half walls with glass, a lot more in showers, to allow in more light.
Whether you call it a half wall, knee wall or Pony wall the issue is the same.  They tend to be wobbly and cause client complaints. No one likes a wobbly wall, cracked plaster, or cracked shower tile that results from wall movement.
What is the best way to reinforce a half wall?
Reinforcing a half wall can be accomplished easily if the floor joists run perpendicular to the half wall. In this instance, simply run a stud or two down into the joist bay and attach it to the floor framing.
This method requires that the subfloor is open from the top or the ceiling is open from below.
How May Wall Studs Should You Attach?
You can do this on every joist, or just a few. Attach each 2x4 stud to the floor joist, or to blocking between joists, with construction adhesive and 3” structural screws.
If the floor joist is running parallel to your half wall, and the wall lines up with the floor joist, you can attach ½ or ¾” plywood the half wall and run the plywood down into the joist bay and attach it to the joist.
Need More support? Add Blocking On Either Side of Stud
For additional lateral support, adding 2x solid-blocking, onto the floor joist, on either side of the 2x4 wall stud will add more stiffness, and support to the structural screws. [This is a common method in reinforcing 4x4 posts in deck framing.]
Add Blocking Between Joists
Additionally, if the joists do not run in your favor you can add 2x blocking to better position the 2x4 stud support you need. Use 2x framing and joist hangers to ensure a solid blocking connection. Sometimes installing the joist hangers “upside down,” gives you better resistance to pulling.
Using Threaded Rod to Stiffen the Half Wall
The threaded rod method works great when reinforcing a half wall, but is hard to do and super time consuming.  It requires using 1/2″ to 5/8″ threaded rod from the top wall plate down to blocking in the structural floor below.  The use of upside down joist hangers is recommended to add tensioning strength to the blocking. You can read more about this method here.