Building "pressurized" walls

I want to build an L-shaped wall in our home to create another small bedroom for a few years (until I ship the kids off to college) then tear it down later.

I've seen several sites online that specialize in so-called pressurized walls built with studs and drywall like a conventional wall, but without any fasteners or glue. Most of these seem to be in New York City, used to divide lofts and apartments without causing any lasting damage.

My guess is that something is attached to the top of the wall that unscrews, much like a steel post, to create tension between the ceiling and floor to hold the wall in place.

Anybody now exactly how it's done? And if so, is it a job a hack handyman like me could attempt, or is best left to a pro?

Reply to
S-boy
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Never seen them but it would be fairly easy to build a wall that has minimal attachment and could be torn down easily. Just find the ceiling joists and use a few deck screws to fasten your wall frame to them. Same on the floor. Don't finish the new wall board onto the existing wall and ceiling. Instead cover the edges with some small flat molding before painting.

Reply to
jamesgangnc

You are going to put your kids in there. Use nails. Nails and good wood have made hundreds of years of bad carpentry work servicable. Use nails. TonyG

Reply to
TonyG

Concrete blocks. Or brick.

Reply to
Phil

bmanny had written this in response to

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:

My brother works for one of the top companies in New York

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these guys are experts at what they do and it should not be left for "Handy Andy" to take a whack at.

Most contractors have never even heard of a pressurized wall and it is primarrily a hot item in NYC where rents are ridiculous.

To my knowledge there are no special building materials or tools used so its all about skill in how they keep the wall from falling. Since the walls are not permenently attached to the existing walls, floor or ceiling there is no requirement for building permits which is why this is a hot issue in NYC where getting a permit would be a nightmare for something you want to tear down in a year or so. If you are close enough to NYC, get a pro to do it. They also carry the required liability insurance. There is a site that list the top firms in New York:

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Good luck!!!

Bill

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Reply to
bmanny

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Bill, hey there! Regarding your brother who works at wallcreators.com, can you provide me with his contact information? Hoping that he might want to do some contract work on the side. I hired wallcreators to put up a pressurized wall, and now need to hire somebody to take it down. Thanks!

-Andy ( snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com)

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Reply to
andrewch81

responding to

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thewallfactory wrote: Hello:

We are a Pressurized Wall Company based in New York City. The walls are built using a special technique during the framing process of the walls. No screws are used to attach the wall to the existing walls, floors or ceilings as this would create a permanent wall and those require ( building permits, change in Certificate of Occupancy, etc...

We would of course recommend using a professional company like ours but since our companies and most of the other pressurized wall companies are primarily based in New York City, you could try doing it yourself if you are handy and know how to frame a wall using metal and wood framing studs. We cant post the details of how its done online of course since its a trade secret but its not rocket science and as stated does not involve screwing into any of the existing walls, floor or ceiling.

For examples of some of our walls, please visit our website at

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Best of Luck

S-boy wrote:

------------------------------------- The Wall Factory

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Reply to
thewallfactory

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