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I am currently remodeling an open loft area into a bedroom.

Currently there is just an opening and I am going to be building an interior wall with two converging pocket doors.

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For pocket doors I am going to be using Johnson hardware 1500SC kits with split steel studs.

Total header height needs to be 12 inches over a 10' span. I will use two 2x4 jack studs that the header will rest upon.

From what I have read I need to use sandwiched 2x10 for 10 foot span. Should I go with that?

Can I use 2x4 bottom plate, sandwiched 2x8, cripple studs, and a 2x4 top plate?

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  • my issue is that there is nothing in the ceiling to connect the top plate to. So may be it is better to use following: top plate 2x4, 5 in cripple stud 16in spacing, sandwiched 2x6?
    – Yuriy O
    Jan 17 at 22:03
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    You say "there is nothing in the ceiling to connect the top plate to". Is that because this wall will be between ceiling joists? If that's the case, then simply cut 2x4 blocking to go between the ceiling joists every 16", nail each end through the joists on each side, then nail the top plate up into the blocking. Just make sure that your 16" spacing doesn't line up exactly with the spacing of the joists coming up from below! Also, why are you doubling the bottom plate (or top)? Just cut your cripples 1.5 " longer.
    – FreeMan
    Jan 18 at 14:39
  • Do your joists parallel this wall?
    – Huesmann
    Jan 18 at 15:12
  • yes, joists are made of 2x4 and are parallel to the wall.
    – Yuriy O
    Jan 18 at 16:55
  • None. No header required. Attach to ceiling. Basically that's one side of a soffit, and those don't get headers. They get attached to the ceiling well enough that w/e you might hang off it now or later, it won't pull the thing down. Cripples for that are just gravy. My only nitpick @FreeMan is I'd use 3" exterior screws, not nails.
    – Mazura
    Jan 19 at 3:13

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The primary concerns here are sag and lateral stability. Since you don't have swinging door involvement you don't have a lot of lateral force being regularly applied. However, you do have two door slabs hanging on the opening. For this reason I suggest a proper load-bearing beam.

The beam doesn't need to be sized as if it were carrying a floor or roof above, but it needs to carry itself and a bit of additional weight without sagging over time. Double 2x8 in a U configuration should do well. I don't have load calculations to offer, but I've built enough modern homes to have some intuition on the subject. 2x6 would be borderline at 10 feet.

You can fish lateral blocking through the slot you've cut in the ceiling drywall for securing the top plate. Even if it doesn't get fastened to the framing above, it'll act as a brace between them. One trick to snug them up is to twist them a bit so the corners make contact, then screw the wall plate into them to lock position.

Note: This answer was significantly revised after reconsidering the attachment and support of the pocket doors. Thanks to those who pointed out my oversight.

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  • If you're pulling drywall out of the ceiling to install the blocking, why put it back before putting the wall up? Wouldn't it make more sense to leave the drywall out, attach framing directly to framing, and patch drywall to the new wall? (+1 anyway, just looking for clarification)
    – FreeMan
    Jan 18 at 15:26
  • I have cut the 4" slot in the ceiling drywall so that top plate will go in deeper and will be screwed directly to support blocking. I am planning to install support blocking for the wall between joists. Is it a good idea to also attach center support block to a rafter above? I prefer not to remove drywall from the ceiling. I am leaning towards not using the 2x8, because the cripple studs will be only 3" and I am afraid that they will split with screws. I agree that double 2x4 will probably be enough, but I am leaning towards 2x6 sandwich on the bottom, 5" cripple studs and top plate.
    – Yuriy O
    Jan 18 at 16:48
  • If the ceiling joists are parallel to this planned wall, this would normally mean that this will not be a load bearing wall. Therefore, no load bearing header is required and the double jack studs on each end are not required. Was there a wall there that was removed or is this simply a new wall to divide a space?
    – Jim Stewart
    Jan 18 at 21:42
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    @YuriyO You're free to use 2x6, 2x8, 2x12, heck, you could go custom order a gluelam if you want. What everyone is telling you is that this is extreme overkill and you only need a top/bottom plate with vertical 2x4 cripple studs between them because this is NOT load bearing. You only need big lumber on edge to carry a load - if you like big lumber, then, by all means, go spend the extra cash on it.
    – FreeMan
    Jan 19 at 13:56
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    if OP is not fastening the blocking to parallel framing, blocking needs to be friction tight in order to serve any purpose, and that might be hard to accomplish whilst fishing and hammering through a 4in slot. Easier might be to allow for some slack and beveled edge to more easily slide it in place and then secure & tighten with a screw, driving it under an angle through & past the ceiling drywall.
    – P2000
    Jan 19 at 15:00
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If the ceiling joists are parallel to this planned wall, this would normally mean that this will not be a load bearing wall. Therefore, no load bearing header is required and the double jack studs on each end are not required. Was there a wall there that was removed or is this simply a new wall to divide a space? If the latter, all you need is an interior partition wall with single top plate and studs to single bottom plate.

Do you have a truss roof? If so, then it may cause problems to connect this planned wall to the ceiling joists if they are the bottom cords of trusses. There is something called truss uplift which should be allowed to occur unimpeded.

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  • Here is a picture with some additional markings
    – Yuriy O
    Jan 19 at 20:59
  • First of all - thank you all for your comments. Here is a picture with some additional markings !https://ibb.co/vdJgGFX On that image: red - existing 2x4 joists. blue - future blocks between joists to add stability to the wall. Additional info. The opening was there from when the house was built. Double jack studs are there because I need to fill 3" of space for pocket doors that we want
    – Yuriy O
    Jan 19 at 21:36
  • So at this point I am pretty much decided on header made with: top - 2x4, cripple studs, sandwiched 2x6. There will be additional support for the header from 2 steel split-studs on both sides of the doors. Please let me know if you think of any concerns
    – Yuriy O
    Jan 19 at 21:36

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