Freestanding Room Divider

type size: [A] [A] [A]

Most people love large rooms, but sometimes too much undivided floor space is, well, too much of a good thing. In the Scottsdale, Arizona, bedroom featured in this Trading Spaces episode, Doug was faced with the task of making a "stadium-size bedroom" into a more intimate setting. While this master bedroom was, in fact, well short of stadium dimensions, it was a popular spot for the boys to play some football.

Large cabinet units, modest bookshelves, and simple freestanding panels have all been used to isolate parts of a room to provide privacy and enclosure. Doug decided to take a more ambitious route by building a large, freestanding wall set right in the middle of the room. Constructing such a wall is a simple project that can have a profound effect on a room. In this particular room, the wall created a visual barrier between the door and the bed and helped to define a completely new sitting and reading area in the room that was made possible by stealing a couch from another part of the house and adding some new floor lamps. In short, the parents were able to reclaim their own bedroom, and the kids had to take their football games elsewhere.

This kind of project is only possible in a large room. The dimensions of the bedroom in this episode appear to be about 24 feet by 14 feet, with approximately 8-foot-high ceilings. With a room this large, you can place a new wall that is about 8-feet wide in the in the center of the room, dividing it into sections that measure about 12 feet by 14 feet, and still leave 3-foot-wide pathways on either side of the wall. The new wall is only about 6 1/2-feet high, leaving an open space at the top that allows light and air to circulate and helps maintain the sense of a larger single room with a divider, and not of two smaller, fully enclosed rooms.

The wall is completely freestanding, meaning that it is not fastened to the floor or ceiling. This is possible because of the H-shape design (as seen from above), with the long horizontal component of the H being supported by two 4-foot long perpendicular walls. This freestanding feature simplifies both the initial construction and the future removal, should you decide later to revert to the larger open space.

What to Buy
2x4s
3/4-in. medium-density fiberboard (MDF)
nails
wood putty
sandpaper
baseboard
primer
paint
paint tray, roller, and cover
paint brush

Design Options

To maintain good stability for a freestanding wall, it would be wise not to stray too much from the shape and size of the specific project described above. However, if you give up the idea of a freestanding unit, you can make significant adjustments. The wall could then be built as a single unit, without the smaller side walls used here as supports. In this case, however, the wall would need to be fastened to the floor joists and ceiling joists. If you are uncertain about how to locate those parts of the house structure and how to securely tie new construction to them, you should speak with someone who has more construction experience before proceeding with your plans.

Ty chose to cover the walls with MDF for the show because it was much quicker than using drywall. But since you will probably not be limited to a manic, two-day construction schedule, you might be happier using drywall, which is lighter, less expensive, and easier to handle. With drywall, however, you will have to mud-and-tape the joints, add corner bead, and do a fair bit of sanding. Either of these wall coverings will look great once they are painted. For an unpainted wall, consider using sheets of basic wall paneling.

Plan Ahead

Measure your room and then draw a scaled floor plan using graph paper or an architectural ruler. You want the new wall to divide the room, but you don't want to turn one large space into two cramped spaces with narrow pathways between them. So plan to work out all of the dimensions and the specific location on paper before you begin any construction. Then place some 2x4s on the floor of the room to represent the footprint of the new wall. If you plan to rearrange furniture in the new room, you might want to place the furniture in its location now, just to see how everything fits. Live with that setup for a few days, or even a few weeks, making adjustments as needed on your floor plan.

Plan Ahead (cont'd)

Once you are satisfied with the floor plan, make additional scaled drawings (elevations) of the walls themselves. Indicate the length of the studs and the top and bottom plates. This will enable you to judge exactly how much material to buy and will help keep you on track when you begin construction. One thing to pay close attention to is the framing on the two side walls at the spot where they intersect with the main wall. Plan to add extra studs on the short walls to provide a solid nailing surface for joining the walls together and that allow the MDF to be nailed in the corners.

Framing the Wall

Ty took the easiest route to constructing such a large unit by building it in place. You could always build this wall in the garage or outside, but you would then face the difficulty of moving it into and through the house. Cut the 2x4s and MDF elsewhere, but plan to do all of the building right in the room. The framing is composed of 2x4 studs (the vertical components of the wall) attached to 2x4 top and bottom plates (the vertical components) that are centered every 24 inches. Cut the 2x4s to length, following the dimensions sketched out on your plans, and carry them to the room.

Set the top and bottom plates for the main wall flat on the ground, right next to each other, with their ends flush. Use a tape measure and pencil to measure and mark for the 24-inch on-center location of the studs. Then separate the plates and set them on edge while you position the studs in between. While one person stands with their feet against one plate to keep it from moving, drive two 3 1/2-inch (16d) nails through the opposite plate and into the ends of each stud. Switch sides and attach the other plate. Repeat this process with the two small walls. Raise the walls into position. Use a level to ensure that the walls are perfectly plumb, and then nail the walls together. To save a little time, you may want to attach MDF to the outsides of the small walls and one side of the long wall before raising them.

Attaching the MDF

The walls are completely covered with medium density fiberboard (MDF). MDF is often confused with particleboard, but the two products are used quite differently. Particleboard is most often used as a substrate for such surface materials as plastic laminate and wood veneer. MDF, on the other hand, can itself be used as a surface material. When cut with a saw, it leaves a smooth, clean edge. And, unlike particleboard, it looks great painted and holds fasteners securely.

Attaching the MDF (cont'd)

Be aware, however, that MDF is heavy. A single 3/4-inch thick sheet of 4x8 MDF weighs nearly 100 pounds. It also creates a lot of dust when being cut or routed. So, when using MDF, have a partner on hand to help lift full sheets, and be sure to wear eye protection and a tight-fitting dust protector when cutting it. Cut the material outside or in a garage, using either a circular saw or a table saw. It is best to use sharp, carbide-tipped blades for the job. Attach 3/4-inch MDF with 2 1/2-inch (8d) finish nails driven into studs and plates. Cover the ends and the tops of the walls with strips of MDF.

Finishing the Wall

With a nail set, countersink the nail heads and fill the holes with wood putty. Use sandpaper to smooth any rough edges. Spread drop cloths on the floor, and then prime and paint the wall.

Cut sections of baseboard to cover the bottom of the entire wall. Using baseboard that is the same style, size, and color will help make your new wall seem more integrated with the rest of the room. You might want to prime and paint the baseboard before installing it. Once installed, countersink the finish nails and fill the holes with wood putty. When dry, sand the putty and then add a little touch-up primer and paint.

Light it Up

In the Scottsdale bedroom, Doug added floor lamps on each side of the couch and wall sconces on each side of the bed. What he did not explain in the show is how those new lights were powered. If you watched very closely, however, you might have been able to catch a glimpse of an extension cord running somewhat inelegantly across the floor to the new room divider. You could do the same, as long as you planned to cover the cord somehow. Another option would be to talk with an electrician about adding a floor-mounted receptacle near the new wall that could supply all the power you need.