How Much Does It Cost to Frame an Interior Wall?

Gary Evans
by Gary Evans

Interior walls do a great job of defining the space you have available. You can use them to create defined areas and introduce more harmony into your home. Those interior walls can also be used to provide support and a decorative flourish, assuming that you’ve framed them properly.

Framing your interior walls is a must if you want to get the most out of them. So, how much will that kind of construction project cost? You will be able to pinpoint the final number by focusing on certain important factors.

Homeowners can expect to pay an average of $1,200 if they want a 100 square foot interior wall framed. The framing material you’ve chosen for your interior wall will also impact the final cost of the project. Metal framing costs an average of $3 per square foot while wood is priced at $2.50 per square foot.

Properly framing your interior walls is an essential step and not an optional one you can bypass. Failing to frame those interior walls could compromise the structural integrity of your home and cause serious problems down the line. Learn more about how much framing those interior walls will cost by continuing with the rest of this article.

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Cost to Frame Interior Wall by Size

Interior Wall SizeCost
100 Square Feet$1,200
200 Square Feet$2,400
300 Square Feet$3,500
400 Square Feet$4,500
500 Square Feet$5,800
600 Square Feet$7,000

Size plays a major role in determining how much interior wall framing will ultimately cost you. The lowest you can expect to spend is $1,200. That should be enough for a wall that measures 100 square feet.

In all likelihood, the walls inside your home will measure around 100 square feet at most. $1,200 is still a steep expense for sure, but it’s reasonable given how important framing is.

Walls that go measure 200 square feet and beyond are more commonly found in commercial settings. You are covering a lot of ground if your interior wall exceeds that size. Some business owners may have to spend $7,000 on framing alone.

After learning about the costs of framing, you may be tempted to build walls from scratch even if they cost more. That’s certainly an option, but you may end up paying triple or quadruple the average cost of framing a wall. Unless your interior walls are starting to crumble, there’s no reason to opt for expensive new constructions over framing.

Wood vs. Metal Framing

After evaluating how much framing will cost based on the size of the wall, you can now focus on the materials. Wood and metal are the most commonly used framing materials for interior walls. Metal framing is the more expensive option at $3 per square foot, but wood is not that far behind at $2.50.

So, which framing material should you choose for your project? That depends on what you value more.

Many homeowners prefer metal because it’s a more durable framing material. On the other hand, wood is cheaper and easier to use for this application. Let those differences guide you when you’re trying to choose a framing material.

Cost to Frame a Load-Bearing Wall

Load-bearing walls take on important roles when it comes to keeping your home strong and sturdy. Framing them requires more work compared to the other walls inside your home and that causes a spike in costs. To frame a standard load-bearing wall, you can expect to spend $1,560.

When we say load-bearing wall, we’re talking about a structure that also measures around 100 square feet. As you can see, there is a significant increase in terms of price. The price increase comes out to 30 percent of the standard framing cost.

You can attribute the price increase to two main factors. First off, more materials are required to frame load-bearing walls relative to standard walls. The need for additional materials helps explain the price increase.

Also, framing a load-bearing wall is a more complicated job. Contractors are going to ask for more money if that’s the job you need them to handle.

Labor Costs to Frame an Interior Wall

Estimate TypeCost
Low-End$340
Mid-Range$600
High-End$820

Labor costs should always factor into your calculations when figuring out the price tag for interior wall framing. You can find contractors who will take on this job for $600. Others may charge something closer to $340 while some contractors could ask for as much as $820.

The labor costs are at those levels because this job can be fairly time-consuming. On average, professionals will need about 11 hours to properly frame the interior walls.

That’s assuming you have a standard-sized wall. If you’re asking the contractor to work on a commercial building, they may need several days to finish the framing.

You may be wondering if you can bypass the labor costs and just handle framing yourself. Framing some smaller interior walls using wood is easy enough.

However, you should entrust the job to the pros if you want to use metal framing. Partnering with a professional is also recommended if you need to frame a load-bearing wall.

Cost Factors for Framing an Interior Wall

Numerous factors can affect the final cost of your interior wall framing project. We’ve detailed the most important cost factors below.

Wall Size

The size of the interior wall is the first cost factor you must keep in mind. We’re not just talking about the length and height of the wall here. The thickness of the wall will also affect how much the project will cost. You will have to pay more to frame larger and thicker walls.

Finish Chosen

We mentioned earlier that framing a wall is a must for decorative purposes. You can already improve your home’s appearance by choosing the right finish for your framed interior wall.

Homeowners have several finish options to choose from. Brick, glass, metal, and tile are among the most popular interior wall finishes.

Electrical Connections

Some electrical connections in the wall may need to be dealt with before framing can start. This is not a job that the contractor usually handles.

You will have to look for an electrician before the interior walls can be framed. Hopefully, the work the electrician needs to complete is relatively simple so you can keep costs down.

Plumbing Connections

Plumbing connections may also be found in the interior walls that you need to get framed. Once again, you will need to hire an external expert. This time around, you’ll need a plumber to adjust the connections before the framing can start.

Additional Doors or Windows

Lastly, the cost to frame an interior wall may rise depending on the number of doors or windows present on it. Changes to the structure of the wall may also be deemed necessary if you want to accommodate the doors and windows. Count on those doors and windows increasing the price of the wall framing.

Do You Need to Hire a Framing Contractor?

Get free, zero-commitment quotes from pro contractors near you.


Related Questions

How Much Does It Cost to Build an Interior Wall?

Building an interior wall is going to cost way more than framing an existing one. Even if you’re building a standard-sized wall with no special additions, it will still cost $4,000.Add openings for plumbing and electrical connections along with other basic features and the cost for wall building rises significantly. You could be looking at a potential price tag of $6,000 for that kind of wall.


How Do I Estimate the Cost of Framing?

Contractors will consider several cost factors if you’re asking for an estimate for the framing project. We already talked about some of those factors earlier. The contractors will then use a cost-per-square-foot figure to come up with the estimate.


How Hard Is It to Build an Interior Wall?

Building a new interior wall is a major undertaking. You have to pick the right spot for it, install beams, and do so many other things. If you ever find yourself in need of a new wall, don’t hesitate to call for professional assistance.

Gary Evans
Gary Evans

Gary Evans is passionate about home improvement. He loves finding out how to make improvements in the easiest, most practical, and most affordable ways. Upgrading his home kitchen is one of his ongoing hobbies. Gary is also a long-time content creator and enjoys spending his free time tending to his hydroponic vegetable garden.

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