How to Block Behind Walls | Generation Next | This Old House

The time to prep the future cabinet sites in stud walls is before drywall is installed.
#ThisOldHouse #AskTOH
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Using the cabinet plans, Tommy shows apprentice Mary how he likes to use 2 by stock for blocking between the studs.
Generation Next:
This Old House’s Generation NEXT initiative shines a light on the urgent need for young people to enter the building trades and fill the skills gap in America today. “There’s a critical need for people in home construction,” says the This Old House master carpenter Norm Abram. The initiative has involved recruiting apprentices-some with no skills, some with a few years under their tool belts-to work alongside the TOH TV pros.
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How to Block Behind Walls | Generation Next | This Old House
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[@xmassan20906]

3:00 At Norm's house all the blocking is dovetailed.

[@BradThePitts]

Norm will forever come to mind every time I hear the word "dovetail"

[@derekrosecrans1361]

Hahahaha

[@dlamarsobotor4573]

Stained Golden Oak & 3 coats of oil base polyurethane as well.

[@Sasquatch0251]

And all the wall plates are rabbited for stud to plate connections

[@nathanmitchell4196]

The studs are tennoned into the plates to.

[@kobelcofan]

Nicest guy in the world to learn from.

[@vrr3256]

That was GREAT!! not only did you show us how to block the walls BUT you showed us how to actually measure & install them! thank you!! Just what I needed. I am installing drywall & they didn't give me blocking on top of the wall...

[@BradThePitts]

Do this also in new SHOWERS for a future grab-bar to assist an elderly or handicapped person. It could be you some day! (center-line 34" above finished floor)

[@hodgepodgeenginerd1258]

Brad the Pitts i blocked out 2 walls of my brother in-laws basement so he wouldn’t have to struggle to hang deer heads.

[@BradThePitts]

@@hodgepodgeenginerd1258 good thinkin'! I have future-proofed my house in several ways, such as several hundred feet of drip line in the garden even though I'm not using it, and I ran PEX lines up to the attic for a possible 2nd floor bathroom.

[@AnthonyBrusca]

@ Would this create a double vapor barrier?

[@hotrodpaully1]

@@AnthonyBrusca plywood as a vapor barrier lmao plywood would be a horrible vapor barrier anywhere Plywood would absorb the moister and rot

[@AnthonyBrusca]

@@hotrodpaully1 exactly my point

[@bobbyb2952]

11 and 2/8 😂 sorry but I’m cracking up 😂

[@michaeljacobs9613]

An apprentice using a festool track saw for blocking. Crazy. Give'r a speed square and a skill saw and away she goes. :)

[@itsonlyacommentsnowflake3346]

Give'r the keep fit saw, let her learn how it use to be done. You got to learn to crawl before walking 😂

[@michaeljacobs9613]

We all saw that mini kickback on that second block too ;)

[@keithupton86ku]

I second the Skil Saw (worm drive or nothing for framing). Also, it's good to see that she shuts up, listens, and only responds when asked a question ("Yes sir" is good). Too many young kids try to learn with their mouths.

[@julianreverse]

21 Century ;-) Your Skil saw is 1980 ...

[@AlessioSangalli]

@@keithupton86ku I have two new kids today working for me. I encourage them to ask questions and tell me how they'd do it. It depends on the situation, too much talk is bad, but too little is dumb

[@Roderick_Legato]

4:37 Woops. Saw's still spinning.

[@DustinPlatt]

2:07 I'm glad they used the chalk to mark that mark that was already there.

[@D_SQ]

Great teacher, great student.

[@Theopheus]

Yes. Because we all say 11 2/8.

[@augustreil]

As long as she's willing to listen, she'll get the hang of it, just takes time.

[@BradThePitts]

She looks SUPER cute in that tool belt! Cheers to the tool-handling women!

[@itsonlyacommentsnowflake3346]

Then she can go buy all the mirrors and curtains she wants, and not have to bang on at the husband to get them hung up 🕺🕺🕺

[@zlojadmin]

Unable to imagine better teacher, than Mr. Silva

[@ninula81]

Is there something that can be done if you open up your wall and finding venting tube? Can you go around this somehow to add blocking for upper kitchen cabinets?

[@danniehughes9539]

what a great teacher

[@jasonhogan1614]

2:05 second take?

[@troycarothers8254]

Looks like multiple takes; that was a thick chalk line!!! LOL

[@elainegmorrison]

If I'm adding some wood studs to a metal stud wall to hang cabinets, does the presence of newly placed wood studs determine whether there should now be a vapour barrier? Or is it the broader picture of what's going on with that wall? (That wouldn't change.) At present (not completely opened yet) with 1.5" drywall, I see insulation, but no vapour barrier. It's the kitchen side wall to the neighbour, eventually leading to the balcony. A parallel wall by the opposite neighbour and closer to the outside of the building does have metal and wood studs and a vapour barrier. It also used to lead into small dead end closet walls, now gone. I was also thinking 2x4's. Must I go wider?

[@cup_and_cone]

Where does one find such a framing apprentice? Every greenhorn here can barely ask what time lunch is in English.

[@johnames6430]

it's for TV, very few women go into t his, My guess is she'll be out within a year or two. These labor jobs aren't easy

[@cup_and_cone]

@@johnames6430 Was thinking potentially an architectural student or similar trying to get some field experience (whether required or not).

[@zacheiriksson]

I'm thinking shes an actor considering he's showing her something as simple as blocking. Shes also wearing an occy belt and those aren't cheap

[@keithupton86ku]

@@zacheiriksson I thought those pouches looked nice- are they really Occidental? I can't tell.

[@jestification1]

@@johnames6430 with attitudes like yours, I wonder why you don’t have more women to employ. There are women in the trades and will be more with every year. We just don’t work for men like you.

[@powerwagon3731]

Nice work measuring or marking from bottom plate, from a seasoned builder,

[@itsonlyacommentsnowflake3346]

It's 9x2 lumber🙄 it's also a kitchen more than likely tiles, so tiling membrane + addictive brings you close to the top of the sole plate. Leave it to the professionals bud, because you don't know what you're talking about 👍👍🤣🤣

[@jeadoretu]

Can anyone tell me the logic here that they measure from bottom where it’s smaller then he said it was too short when she tried in up higher...but then they still installed it up there? What did I miss? It makes sense to me if you knew it to be further in between at the point of fastening then you’d use a longer board, not shorter. I am just trying to understand for my school project in plumbing school tomorrow.

[@powerwagon3731]

@@jeadoretu The studs bow left or right being wood there not perfectly straight. Marking her blocking from the bottom will straighten out the stud and have consistent spacing between studs. ( p.s. with 16 inch on center framing the blocking is 14 1/2 inch long)( 16 minus one stud thickness or 11/2). You can also notice she is giving her measurement in 1/8 of an inch(at 2.40 time) which is common in framing and drywall. Silva knows his trade!

[@jeadoretu]

@@powerwagon3731 thank you!! I guess if they’re all done like that then it would push everything back into plumb. My project is going to be for plumbing to install three backing boards. It will be to drill holes for waterlines and drainage through to support the piping. Since all my boards will be in the same “mockup” stud I am not sure if the same logic will apply for me

[@hassanal-mosawi6049]

Thanks for sharing that

[@rawbacon]

Well that was actually rather heart warming.

[@davida3932]

11 and 2/8ths lol

[@mitchdenner9743]

Thats 11 inches and four little lines.

[@ismaelgonzales6481]

LMMFAO!!! Mitch Denner that’s what I used to say when I was learning the tape measure....of course I was like 15, lol

[@jayishere74]

Common callout for framing. Everything is in 8ths. Although I callout in 64ths because I like my cuts perfect.

[@leonidas91]

Thats 25/100th of an inch

[@powerwagon3731]

Dry wall too, there is much less confusion.@@jayishere74

[@peterbergeris6510]

Why toe nail if they first nailed through the stud? Looked like the second blocking was loose. Wouldnt it pull the stud inwsrd?

[@luckyvet]

A fine job filling those stud cavities.

[@clarencemccormick4998]

I'm in no way a carpenter or even a handy man but wouldnt doing this throughout the home be a good idea? It just seems like it would give the home more stability and you would always have something to screw into if needed in the future. Just a thought.

[@augustreil]

Yes, in areas like the kitchen, bathrooms, closets, pantries, areas with shelving, etc, or any area where heavy items need extra support, it's a good idea.

[@youtubebitchcenter1463]

august Or the whole house 😏

[@salazarpayne3784]

The reason why they don't do it regularly is simply because of labor, materials, and time.

[@youtubebitchcenter1463]

But it would be nice and it would make sense if that was the standard way to frame a house. Don’t you all agree?

[@MoneyManHolmes]

I believe some jurisdictions do require blocking throughout to slow down fires.

[@BrenQ99]

Thank you for this!

[@BROWNBRANCH]

How big are the screws?

[@johnroberts9560]

Hi TOH , I like Mary I think she is a pretty good apprentice ! 👍😃🔨🔩🔧

[@pejpj2890]

And super cute

[@troycarothers8254]

Reminds me of the home improvement TV show Hometime with Dean Johnson and Robin Hartl.

[@johnroberts9560]

@@troycarothers8254 Yeah I sure miss hometime too ! 😢

[@johnroberts9560]

@@pejpj2890 yeah she is a good looking woman ! 😊

[@youtubebitchcenter1463]

Are those uggs?

[@Techmatt167Official]

She seems mesmerized by the entire process

[@timhanby5662]

Techmatt167 If Tommy was teaching me, I think I’d feel as though I was in another dimension! He’s amazing!

[@Theopheus]

She can't even read a tape measure.

[@amathonn]

Do you have any advice on cabinet blocking for concrete block walls? (I'm in Florida) And that's a pretty nifty saw gizmo, what's it called?

[@iamamish]

I understand and appreciate the point of the blocking. However, how would the finishing team know that there is blocking there? Why would they think to even look for it, and if they did look for it, how would they find it?

[@jasonmerryman970]

Depends if the finishing team is different. At my company our carpenters do everything from the initial demo, rough framing, and finish carpentry. So they would know. I’m a plumber, and so sometimes we need blocking for when we install sliding bars in showers or handhelds. Usually we just communicate with the carpenter that we need blocking and pray that they actually did. If not we just add the blocking ourselves

[@iamamish]

@@jasonmerryman970 makes sense, thanks for the info!

[@nuclearrabbit1]

The guys who framed my house should watch this video.

[@PatrickPoet]

Tommy's pretty smart

[@BobsHomeServicesLLC]

Great tips in this episode.

[@brainfulify]

Ah, backing - the job my dad always gives me...

[@magicrobharv]

Great info.

[@owencarter6535]

this is great

[@mattp1482]

U just snapped a line that was already there..

[@Uncle-Bull]

So?

[@JimmyShot]

Lolol

[@MaxRenke]

the magic of television

[@neil340]

Did she cut through the table ?

[@permeus2nd]

I with the people that built the house i live in thought about this kind of stuff.

[@andrewferguson8032]

Did he say “too shart”? Where I’m from, a shart is what happens after you eat Taco Bell.

[@RudyNortz]

At 2.00 the line had already been snapped??

[@BradThePitts]

Good eye, I noticed the same thing.

[@Monsieur405]

wait, now you're gonna tell me television isn't all recorded in one take????

[@dlamarsobotor4573]

Enjoyed viewing this top notch production for 30 years. Tom is the last guy I could ever work with. We are all different but he is generally miserable. Might be a peach in real life but it does not come across on TV.

[@dlamarsobotor4573]

Hope you left that toxic environment as soon as you were financially able to. Cheers.

[@dlamarsobotor4573]

@DR PHIL Tom came across last season as rather demanding and curt to the second generation of tradesmen who made the grade. Just my humble opinion,

[@Connor-wv6ln]

2:40 you mean 11 and 1/4? never heard anyone call it 2/8

[@joshp.2237]

Me not being good at numbers/ fractions. When I use a tape measure (its not often I use one) I measure everything as 16ths even if it can round down to a 1/4 or 1/8th.

[@Connor-wv6ln]

@@joshp.2237 Fair enough, to each their own. I've just never heard that specifically, but if it gets the job done, then I guess it doesn't matter

[@youtubebitchcenter1463]

I just say whatever the big number is and such n such. People usually get The gist 📏📐😒

[@shonuffisthemaster]

only tommy would use a festool track saw for framing lol

[@timhanby5662]

shonuffisthemaster cough *sponsor* cough lol

[@daveyboudewijn4328]

Nope. Me too. Or would you suggest i leave my festool in the van and borrow an other brand from someone else?

[@shonuffisthemaster]

@@daveyboudewijn4328 its just overkill and unweildy. a skill and speed square is plenty accurate, much more convienient / versitile and most importantly faster and more durable.

[@daveyboudewijn4328]

shonuffisthemaster so because you think it is overkill to have good tools, this man cant use his? He should also buy a simpeler tool and dont use this one? To me, THAT is overkill

[@shonuffisthemaster]

@@daveyboudewijn4328 skillsaw worm drive saws have been the standard in circular saws since the 30's. festool is the infirior tool, watch ave's teardown videos. over priced, poorly made, ment to be babied and not expected to be on a real jobsite. I have skillsaw 77's from the 60's that have been beat to hell on jobsites all their lives and still function perfectly. id like to see how that festool fares 50 years from now. if you want to use a slower, less efficiant, more expensive, and less durable tool thats up to you. I just hope its you buying your own tools and that someones not paying you hourly. track saws have their place, (although i still wouldnt choose festool) but it sure isnt in framing. bring a track saw to a framing job and you would be laughed off the site.

[@storrance]

11and 2/8ths ?

[@N-hunter]

No framer uses Festool tools. Skill Saw and speed square get the job done

[@Monsieur405]

That simply can't be true. We just watch Tommy and the apprentice use one.

[@KLAWNINETY]

TOH is sponsored by festool but yeah no that stuff is for finish work lol

[@n_a3522]

The festool HKC track saw is great for repeat cuts finish carpentry or not. Cheers!

[@MannyNPD]

Is Mr Silva Portugese? 🇵🇹

[@sevenhenson3926]

Its 2019. I stay in concrete walled houses

[@AlessioSangalli]

I went from a concrete house to a wood framed one and the latter is much better. Not only is safer from earthquakes and has better heat/cold insulation properties, but it's so much easier to modify walls, add outlets, wiring, etc. Concrete has definitely its place but framed houses are good. Even in Europe higher end houses are now being designed with wood framing.

[@Pure_KodiakWILD_Power]

😂 she's more rigged out thatmn tommy; he's going to have to borrow tools from her.

[@fristrm]

Typical beginners they always have way to much stuff on them, the older guys know why you should not have all that stuff.

[@julianreverse]

@@fristrm Typical American! You'll never find a carpenter or joiner wearing a tool belt in Germany :-D :-D :-D :-D

[@fristrm]

@@julianreverse The same back in sweden, they can't force you to take it off. But people will try to teach you that you should not have a belt.

[@fitter70]

11 and 2 eighths

[@Rex211Bacon]

2:40 11 & 2/8? 😂

[@robertsmitg6884]

Can anybody tell me what is the name of the tool belt or the brand that she is wearing

[@shonuffisthemaster]

looks like an occidental belt to me?

[@youtubebitchcenter1463]

I could just barely make out the letters.... L.L. Bean? Or something 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@nathanmitchell4196]

Looked like occidental (sp?). Well worth the money if framing is how you eat.

[@jbratt]

Towel racks in a bathroom....PLEASE put this blocking there 🤨!

[@rickfromthecape3135]

Thank you

[@tysmith7646]

I think a towel rack is fine with toggle bolts. Unless its over 100lbs your towels?

[@jbratt]

@@tysmith7646 the towels are not the problem. It’s the people who decide to use them for a grab bar.

[@elainegmorrison]

@@jbratt and laundry

[@elainegmorrison]

I got around the no laundry option in the bathroom by getting floor to ceiling extendo-rods with arms on amazon. Godsend. But it won't help me with metal studs on the wall I want to hang cupboards in the kitchen. What a mess. I'll restud (add wood) for 2 cupboards, but the one over the counter (ha ha me, omg) I'll have to stud the wall on the other side (yea, right at the home office). Yes, a contractor would do it easily, by breaking apart half the studio, but that's also what I'm trying to avoid.

[@jasonbrooks3172]

11 2/8"

[@1971mav]

Feel sorry for her. She'll be taught wrong according to all the people in the comment section.

[@ronaldhotboy]

"11and 2/8"

[@jamescoyle7688]

Why not plywood every wall with cabinets

[@keithupton86ku]

2x is stronger, plus they were using scraps rather than throwing them away.

[@yaosio]

Safety first! The track tip forwards, and then she pulls the saw back through the cut she just made while it's running and it kicks the board forward a little bit. Thankfully the cover is in place because she wasn't paying attention to where the saw was as she pulled it out of the board. Tommy's being all habberdash with safety here.

[@AlessioSangalli]

I agree. I cannot understand how they act like nothing happened and continue. Can't they be bothered to at least retake the scene?

[@TheArtificiallyIntelligent]

Why don't more people use torx? Seeing and hearing someone cam out like that is like nails on a chalkboard.

[@tr3vorb438]

5:04 he almost got a driver in the gut.

[@SidecarBob]

This is about blocking INSIDE a wall, not BEHIND it.

[@BLODSWIPER]

Her neck's about to break lmao.

[@leohoward7282]

Teaching the next generation of contractors eh Tomas what's unique is the concept of women contractor I've never seen such a thing before interesting she's certainly very capable.

[@kenpoguy28]

2/8’s 🙄... 1/4

[@johnsmith-wc8gs]

Cute that Tommy has a girl helper. Funny that they're using Festool tools for framing. I own the track saw but I'd be damned to bring it to the jobsite lol

[@elthons5854]

Shes so beautiful!!

[@BradThePitts]

The tool belt helps...

[@daveyboudewijn4328]

Or, you know, you could build a strong wall, instead of just putting sheetrock on there.

[@daveyboudewijn4328]

Plywood behind thr sheetrock

[@kevinclayton1974]

She's cute!

[@tlahuicolexiii2844]

11 2/8? 🤪 LOL

[@Fiberglasser03]

I know everyone makes mistakes and we all have to learn but when she said "two-eighths" they should have immediately corrected her. I cringed.

[@trailbarge12]

Not sure what is wrong with 2/8. This ain't grammar school arithmetic. 2/8, 1/4, 4/16 all just as valid. The only reason why the denominator might make a difference is if there is a company published tolerance code. As an engineer, we use that all the time. (.xxx,is +/- .001, .xx is +/- .05, etc.) I doubt that is the case here, so anything that clearly conveys the correct measurement is fine.

[@Fiberglasser03]

@@trailbarge12 Jesus Christ. I'm glad I don't work with you.

[@scotttovey]

Not thinking very well are you? She used 8ths. Tommy didn't correct her. Two possible reasons for this: 1) Tommy doesn't care as long as the measurement is right. 2) Tommy instructed her to use eighths and that's why she's using them.

[@PatrickPoet]

@@Fiberglasser03 I know several carpenters that call out small measurements in eighths

[@nelsonbrum8496]

Common core carpentry?

[@seanreilly4059]

You nevah want yer blawks too shaht.

[@DanBurgaud]

Tommy is screwing with a girl again....

[@carminesilverado]

Tom you should have let her say something she is a beautiful woman let her talk

[@timhanby5662]

carminesilverado She did talk. This is an informative video, Tommy was the teacher.

[@salazarpayne3784]

When she said "yes sir" my heart melted a little. You just KNOW that she had a good dad.

[@dougkampe6117]

It's not a porno movie weirdo.

[@SuperLocoloco69]

Who is that beauty?

[@jacqdanieles]

Tommy 😄

[@timhanby5662]

SuperLocoloco69 A man who’s good with his hand and wood.

[@BenMarvin]

This is so bad

[@Techmatt167Official]

How r u verified?

[@timhanby5662]

Techmatt167 anyone can get verified.

[@BenMarvin]

@@Techmatt167Official I got verified a long time ago before you needed 100k subs.

[@BenMarvin]

@DR PHIL it just feels really forced, bad acting.

[@dougkampe6117]

Then come up with your own home improvement reality show Bruce Jenner.

[@SuperLocoloco69]

They are training the next old house generation that is why you are choosing a cute girl, why dont you choose and ugly one? Racist...

[@joethurman2712]

What a nice respectable girl. Seems submissive. I’m down.

[@davidsquall351]

Lol

[@BradThePitts]

I like how she called TOM "sir" LOL

[@davidsquall351]

@@BradThePitts Same here 😍

[@BradThePitts]

@@davidsquall351 First time since 1979 have I heard anybody use the word "sir" on TOH

[@jacqdanieles]

@Brad the Pitts - it surprised me. I'd feel old on the receiving end of that. :)

[@salazarpayne3784]

What a sweetie! She is going to make a lovely partner for a good man.

[@user-sm9hh9hz8j]

These works don't suit girls .