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I'm working in a 1952 house and the studs used then are apparently 3 5/8" thick instead of the studs today at 3 1/2". I know it's really close so I'm wondering if I fill in door ways along a wall to make it into a longer hallway, will the difference be obvious when you cover the old and new studs with drywall? If so, what options other than tearing down and rebuilding the whole wall might there be?

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  • Don't understand what you mean by "fill in door ways along a wall". What width are the doorway studs? Where are the 3 5/8" studs in relation to the doorways?
    – getterdun
    Commented Mar 14, 2014 at 12:03
  • @getterdun All the framing of the house is with 3 5/8" studs. I'm attempting to remove doors by walling them up in some spots and adding new ones elsewhere.
    – michael
    Commented Mar 15, 2014 at 12:38

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Rip some strips of 1/8 hardboard (masonite) and tack them on the new studs. Or you could use plywood, but hardboard is usually less expensive, and less prone to giving you splinters when you rip a bunch of it.

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  • So attach the 1/8" hardboard with glue? It won't break in half being that thin when I drill through it to attach the sheet of drywall?
    – michael
    Commented Mar 14, 2014 at 17:50
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You either go with different thickness of drywall or just shim the drywall out. I shimmed out drywall in a similar situation and it is really easy if there is such a small difference in widths. I really spent no time on this and had a 6 foot section 1/4 inch off.

Note: for 1/8th inch you only need to shim out the first smaller stud.

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  • By first smaller stud you mean the stud(s) closest to the existing framing?
    – michael
    Commented Mar 14, 2014 at 17:49
  • Yes. The first stud that is 3 1/2. As long as you are spaced 12-16 inches to the second new stud there is no reason to add furring strips to them. 1/8" will not be noticeable over this length and if it is even slightly you can fix that with a wider mud joint. Do not push out the entire rest of your wall. That sounds like hard work.
    – DMoore
    Commented Mar 14, 2014 at 18:03
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Put joint compound on the stud then screw the drywall to where it needs to be. Then wait till the joint compound drys finish setting the screw. I have done this many times and it works great.

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  • Hello, and welcome to Home Improvement. Thanks for the answer; keep 'em coming.
    – Daniel Griscom
    Commented Jan 22, 2019 at 1:28
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You could use 3/8" drywall on one side and 1/2" on the other, instead of 1/2"on both sides and it should be very close. A good wide mud joint will even it out and hardly be noticeable.

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  • Don't you mean 5/8" drywall? Using 3/8" would make the problem worse, not better.
    – Mr. Lance E Sloan
    Commented Apr 15, 2014 at 19:29
  • You have three choices, 3/8", 1/2" or 5/8", pick the combo that makes the best sense in your situation.
    – shirlock homes
    Commented Apr 15, 2014 at 19:57

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